BIOL 3040 Chapter : BIOL 3040 Ch 1 Objectives
Chapter Learning Objectives
Chapter 1: An Overview of Evolutionary Biology
1.1 A Brief Introduction to Evolution and Natural Selection
• Define selective breeding and artificial selection
o Selective breeding = artificial selection
▪ In nature, competition occurs; therefore, ones with most sustainable traits kept
surviving
• Describe the process of artificial selection
o The breeding of plants and animals to produce desirable traits. Organisms with the
desired traits, such as size or taste, are artificially mated or cross-pollinated with
organisms with similar desired traits.
• Describe the process of natural selection in the acquisition of resistance due to human influence
in various organisms
o Resistance= natural selection (natural interaction of environment)
▪ Natural selection is a way that humans can affect the offspring of organisms
over time.
▪ Resistance, however, can occur, such as bacteria; these are traits we don’t want
to see, but can occur because of the process of picking traits. This is a direct
result from natural selection
▪ Resistance occurs rapidly.
▪ HIV resistance to multiple drugs occurs because HIV evolves very rapidly
▪ Both of these affect agriculture
• Explain how the acquisition of resistance is different from artificial selection
o Resistant strains survive the antimicrobial, which allows them to reproduce with other
resistant strains. And eventually, all the strains will be resistant to that antimicrobial.
o Artificial selection is when one purposely breeds two species to get the desired trait.
• Explain how “tree thinking” can help in making decisions regarding species conservation
o This can show how we can develop strategies that show how to preserve biodiversity,
by identifying different species, location, and relation. By looking at the relationships
you can decide the value of conserving one species over another. It is also imperative to
look at the phylogeny in order to see whether certain traits of the organisms will be
gone if extinct. (Don’t want to lose a whole lineage)
o Nile perch- introduce into the population. This fish is very big, and provided a good
source of food for the people however they eat schiclids, and there was a decline in that
species are the Nile perch was introduced.
1.2 Empirical and Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Evolution
• Describe the empirical studies from comparative anatomy to molecular genetics that help to
elucidate the relationship between humans and other primates
o Studying fossils
o Inferring evolutionary history from genetic sequences
o Measuring behaviors occurring in natural populations
o experiments
• Describe the experimental approaches used by Pizzari et al. to examine the role of sperm
competition in chickens
