Evolution and

Biodiversity

Chapter 4
 Key Concepts

 Origins of life

 Evolution and evolutionary processes

 Ecological niches

 Species formation

 Species extinction
 How Did We Become Such a
Powerful Species So Quickly?

 Adaptive traits

 Human weaknesses

 Opposable thumbs

 Walk upright

 Intelligence

 Environmental impacts
p. 67
 Origins of Life

 Chemical evolution

 Biological evolution
 How Do We Know Which
Organisms Lived in the Past?

 Fossil record

 Radiometric dating

 Ice cores

 DNA studies

Fig. 4-2, p. 65
Biological Evolution of Life
Modern humans
(Homo sapiens)
appear about
2 seconds
before midnight

Recorded human
history begins
1/4 second
before midnight

Origin of life
(3.6–3.8 billion
years ago)

Fig. 4-3, p. 66
 Biological Evolution

 Evolution

 Theory of evolution

 Microevolution

 Macroevolution
 Microevolution
 Gene pool

 Genetic variability

 Mutations

 Mutagens

 Natural selection
 Genetic
A human body contains trillions
of cells, each with an identical
set of genes.

Materials
There is a nucleus inside each
human cell (except red blood cells).

Each cell nucleus has an identical

set of chromosomes, which are
found in pairs.

A specific pair of chromosomes

contains one chromosome from
each parent.

Each chromosome contains a long

DNA molecule in the form of a coiled
double helix.

Genes are segments of DNA on

chromosomes that contain instructions
to make proteins—the building blocks
of life.

The genes in each cell are coded

by sequences of nucleotides in
their DNA molecules.
Fig. 2-5 p. 33
 Natural Selection

 Differential reproduction

 Adaptation (adaptive trait)

 Coevolution
 Ecological Niches and
Adaptation
 Ecological niche

 Habitats

 Fundamental niche

 Realized niche
 Specialized Feeding Niches for
Birds
Herring gull is a
Brown pelican dives for fish, tireless scavenger
Black skimmer which it locates from the air
seizes small fish Ruddy turnstone
at water surface Dowitcher probes deeply searches
Avocet sweeps bill through
Scaup and other mud and surface water in into mud in search of under shells and
diving ducks feed on search of small crustaceans, snails, marine worms, pebbles for small
mollusks, crustaceans, insects, and seeds and small crustaceans invertebrates
and aquatic vegetation

Flamingo Knot (a sandpiper) picks up

feeds on worms and small crustaceans
minute Oystercatcher feeds on left by receding tide
organisms clams, mussels, and Piping plover feeds
in mud Louisiana heron wades into other shellfish into which on insects and tiny
it pries its narrow beak crustaceans on
water to seize small fish sandy beaches

Fig. 4-10, p. 72
Broad and Narrow Niches and
Limits of Adaptation
 Generalist species

 Specialist species

 Limits of adaptation
Niches of Specialist and
Generalist Species

Specialist species Generalist species

with a narrow niche with a broad niche
Number of individuals

Niche
separation

Niche
breadth

Region of
niche overlap

Resource use
Fig. 4-4, p. 68
Cockroaches: Nature’s Ultimate
Survivors

Fig. 4-A, p. 69
Evolutionary Divergence of
Honeycreepers
Fruit and seed eaters Insect and nectar eaters
Greater Koa-finch

Kuai Akialaoa

Amakihi

Kona Grosbeak

Crested Honeycreeper
Akiapolaau

Maui Parrotbill Apapane

Unknown finch ancestor

Fig. 4-6, p. 70
Misconceptions of Evolution

 “Survival of the fittest”

 “Progress to perfection”
 Speciation

 What is speciation?

 Geographic isolation

 Reproduction isolation
 Geographic Isolation can Lead to
Speciation
Arctic Fox Adapted to cold
through heavier
fur, short ears,
short legs, short
Northern nose. White fur
population matches snow
for camouflage.
Spreads northward
Early fox and southward
Different environmental
population conditions lead to different
and separates selective pressures and evolution
into two different species.

Gray Fox Adapted to heat

through
Southern lightweight fur
population and long ears,
legs, and nose,
which give off
more heat.

Fig. 4-9, p. 70
Factors Leading to Extinction
 Plate tectonics

 Climatic changes over time

 Natural catastrophes

 Human impacts
 Extinctions
 Background extinctions

 Mass extinctions

 Mass depletions

 Human impacts
“Continental Drift” (Plate Tectonics): The
Breakup of Pangaea

LAURASIA
AEA
ANG
P GO
NDW
ANA
LAN
D

225 million years ago 135 million years ago

RICA
M E
THA EURASIA
R
NO
SO

AFRICA
UT

IA
IND
H
AM

MAD
A
GASC
ER

AR A
I
RAL
IC

S T
AU
A

ANTARTICA
65 million years ago Present

Fig. 4-8, 4-9 p. 69

Mass Extinctions of the Earth’s Past

Fig. 4-9, p. 73
 Changes in Biodiversity over
Geologic Time
1600
Terrestrial
Ordovician

Jurassic
Devonian

Cretaceous
Carboniferous
Silurian
Cambrian

Permian
Pre-cambrain

Triassic
organisms
Number of families

1200
Marine
organisms
800

Quaternary
Tertiary
400

0
3500 545 500 440 410 355 290 250 205 145 65 1.8 0

Millions of years ago

Fig. 4-10, p. 74
 Future of Evolution
 Artificial selection

 Genetic engineering (gene splicing)

 Genetic modified organisms (GMOs)

 Cloning

 Ethical concerns
 Genetic Engineering

Phase 1
Make Modified Gene
E. coli

Cell Extract Genetically

plasmid modified
Extract DNA plasmid

plasmid
Gene of DNA
interest

Identify and extract Identify and remove Remove plasmid Insert extracted DNA Insert modified Grow in tissue
gene with desired trait portion of DNA from DNA of E. coli (step 2) into plasmid plasmid into E. coli culture to
with desired trait (step3) make copies

Fig. 4-11, p. 75
 Genetic Engineering
Phase 2
Make Transgenic Cell

A. tumefaciens Foreign DNA

E. coli
(agrobacterium) Host DNA

Transfer plasmid copies to
a carrier agrobacterium
Nucleus
Agrobacterium inserts foreign
DNA into plant cell to yield
transgenic cell

Transfer plasmid
Use gene gun
to surface
to inject DNA
microscopic metal
into plant cell
particle

Fig. 4-11, p. 75
Genetic Engineering
Phase 3
Grow Genetically Engineered Plant

Transgenic cell
from Phase 2

Cell division of
transgenic cells

Culture cells
to form plantlets
Transfer
to soil

Transgenic plants
with new traits

Fig. 4-11, p. 75
Genetically Engineered Mouse

p. 71