Inquiry in the Natural World

Student Guide, Topic 10: How do living things evolve? Spring, 2005

 

Topic Objectives

1.  Appreciate the fact that since species can be arranged in a hierarchy of similar forms, it raises

     the question of what accounts for the apparent relatedness of different groups of organisms?

2.  Know that before Darwin, geologists realized that sedimentary rock of the earth’s crust

     contained a running diary of earth’s history.

3.  Know that the fossil record shows that earth’s organisms have undergone changes over time.

4.  Be aware of some of the observations that seemed particularly important to Darwin, leading him

     to the notion that all organisms were very well adapted to their respective environments.

5.  Know the types of evidence that exist to support the theory that living things have evolved.

6.  Be able to distinguish between the process of evolution that Darwin described and the

     mechanism by which Darwin proposed to explain evolution, i.e., “Natural Selection”.

7.  Be able to explain Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection.  Understand the distinction between

     natural selection’s effect on individuals vs its effects on populations.

8.  Understand that the theory of evolution implies that each organism should contain detailed

     molecular evidence of its relative place in the hierarchy of living things.

 

Monday, 18 April (Murphy Aud) -  Reading: pp. 3-12, “Evolution and the nature of science.”

http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/evolution98/evol3.html 

 

Wednesday, 20 April - Discussion Topics

1.  How are sedimentary rocks laid down and how does this process contribute to information about

     the history of organisms on this earth?

2.  What are the advantages and pitfalls of using the fossil record to document the history of life on

     earth?

3.  How does divergence in the DNA sequences provide evidence of related ancestry?

 

 

Friday, 22 April Reading

Campbell, N. A. and J. B. Reece, Biology, 6th edition, Chapter 22.  “Descent with modification: a Darwinian view of life”  pp. 428-442.

 

Discussion Topics

1.  Describe how Darwin’s observations while on the HMS Beagle and his reading of Lyell and

     Malthus helped shape his theory.

2.  Compare Darwin’s ideas with those of Lamarck.

3.  What kinds of evidence are used to support the theory of evolution?

4.  What is the effect of natural selection on individuals?  What is the effect of natural selection on

     populations?

 

 

Monday, 25 April Reading

Nease, Randolp M. and George C. Williams.  1998.  Evolution and the Origins of Disease.

     Scientific American.  November 1998, pp86-93.

 

Discussion Topics

1.  Explain how traditional medical explanations of disease have changes under the influence of

     modern Darwinian views.

2.  Discuss the evolutionary explanation for some of the following: evolved defenses (e.g., fever and

     diarrhea), the evolution of virulence in pathogens, antibiotic resistance, novel environments, and

     evolutionary trade-offs.