BIOL10002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Archaea, Ontogeny, Biogeography
Week 1
Lecture 1
Foundations of Biology
1. Evidence for Evolution
1. Fossil record: observable increase in complexity with passage of time
- Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny: development is a fast action
replay of ancestry
- Homology: derived from a common ancestral feature, e.g.
2. Biogeography: unique Australian flora & fauna due to protracted evolution
on isolated continent
3. Unity of biochemical processes
Darwin’s Observations
1. Individuals in a population vary → fitness
2. Pass on traits (fitness) to offspring → heredity
3. Never enough resources → competition for survival & reproduction
= natural selection
Evolution is a two-step process:
1. Variability
2. Ordering that variability by natural selection
Gene variation leads to ordering the variability by natural selection
Environment changes cause populations to develop
2. Unity of Biochemical Processes
All organisms share the main biochemical reactions
Retained by evolution:
1. All organisms have DNA – contains instructions on how that organism will develop.
2. Organisms also have proteins – the hardware to carry out the instructions.
Further evidence for evolution.
3. Cell Theory
- All known living things are made up of one or more cells (excl. viruses)
- All living cells arise from pre-existing cells by division
- The cell is the fundamental unit of structure and function in all living organisms
- Cells contain hereditary information (DNA) which is passed from cell to cell during cell division.
DNA contains the ‘history’ of evolution – patterns
Gene sequencing - determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule
gene sequences can be compared to determine relationships between organisms
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Foundations of biology: evidence for evolution, fossil record: observable increase in complexity with passage of time replay of ancestry. Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny: development is a fast action. Homology: derived from a common ancestral feature, e. g. biogeography: unique australian ora & fauna due to protracted evolution on isolated continent: unity of biochemical processes. Darwin"s observations: individuals in a population vary tness, pass on traits ( tness) to offspring heredity, never enough resources competition for survival & reproduction. Evolution is a two-step process: variability, ordering that variability by natural selection. Gene variation leads to ordering the variability by natural selection. Environment changes cause populations to develop: unity of biochemical processes. Retained by evolution: all organisms have dna contains instructions on how that organism will develop, organisms also have proteins the hardware to carry out the instructions. All known living things are made up of one or more cells (excl. viruses) All living cells arise from pre-existing cells by division.
