Title: Goals and Learning Objectives - chp 21
Course: BIO-182 RTZ > Section: Week 1 - Mechanisms of Evolution

MECHANISMS OF EVOLUTION

GOALS:

- Summarize evolutionary theory, inheritance, the role of populations, and the contributions of Charles Darwin
- Explain aspects of evolution including equilibrium, various types of selection, and constraints on evolution

By the end of this chapter you should be able to:

1. Summarize the observations that led to the theory of evolution by natural selection.
2. Explain how modern studies have confirmed Darwin’s theory.
3. Define genotype and allele frequencies and explain their importance for populations.
4. Define locus and explain why the sum of allele frequencies is equal to 1.
5. Define the terms p and q in the Hardy-Weinberg principle and explain why allele frequencies remain the same at equilibrium.
6. Contrast the 5 mechanisms of evolution in terms of how they work and consequences for  genotype frequencies in a population.
7. Define mutation. Explain why mutations are central to the evolutionary process.
8. Define population bottleneck and explain why genetic drift has larger effects in small populations. Give an example of a founder effect in human populations.
9. Contrast the mechanism of natural selection with other evolutionary agents in terms of their effects on population fitness.
10. Explain why stabilizing, directional, and disruptive selection all constitute forms of adaptive natural selection.
11. Contrast the influences that developmental processes and trade-offs have on the evolution of populations.

KEY TERMS:

Adaptation, allele frequency, allele, artificial selection, descent with modification, directional selection, disruptive selection, evolution, evolutionary theory, fitness, founder effect, gene flow, gene pool, genetic drift, genotype, genotype frequency, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, heritable trait, locus, macro evolutionary, micro evolutionary, mutation, natural selection, phenotype, population, population bottleneck, sexual selection, stabilizing selection, trade-off, trait