BIS 2B Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Catastrophism, Comparative Anatomy, Exponential Growth

• School: UC-Davis
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIS 2B
• Professor: Mark Schwartz; Sharon Strauss

Document Summary

A lot about the mechanisms of theory of evolution by natural selection and evidence that. Tiny bit about alternative ideas to evolution by process of natural selection tests the theory. Fossil records shows changes over time within particular location due to catastrophism (earth is shaped by sudden and violent events) The boundaries between fossil strata are caused by catastrophic events such as floods. New species appear in more recent layers by re-populating from elsewhere. Gradualism is the theory that the earth is primarily shaped by geological forces that, acting over millions of years, gradually create the landforms we see (as opposed to catastrophism). In evolution it is the theory that natural selection works over millions of years fostering organisms that are best adapted to their environments through generations of selection (as opposed to catastrophic or rapid origin of species through massive change)