Understanding Evolution
•Evolution: a simplistic example
•Macro vs. Micro
•What is “science”
•The Scientific Process
•Questions in Evolutionary Biology
•Hypotheses & Strong Inference
•Public understanding
•Misconceptions
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Understanding Evolution Lec 1, Slides of Evolutionary biology
Evolution: a simplistic example • Macro vs. Micro • What is “science” • The Scientific Process • Questions in Evolutionary Biology • Hypotheses & Strong Inference • Public understanding • Misconceptions
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2022/2023
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Understanding Evolution
- Evolution: a simplistic example
- Macro vs. Micro
- What is “science”
- The Scientific Process
- Questions in Evolutionary Biology
- Hypotheses & Strong Inference
- Public understanding
- Misconceptions
What is
“Evolution”
What is “Evolution”
A population of fish live in the lake…
What is “Evolution”
A rockslide divides the lake
New alleles spread; Populations diverge
What is “Evolution”
Barrier goes away; Populations unable to interbreed
What is “Evolution”
Active Learning
What is “Evolution” Think: What do you know about evolution? What do we mean by “evolution”? Pair: Brainstorm with your table group:
- ID key components
- Come up with a definition Compare: Be prepared to discuss how your definition compares to our class definition. Activity Group ~3 min
Descendent species Descendent species
Examining evolution at two levels
12 Ancestral species Time
§ Microevolution^ =^ Small-scale changes
within populations
- Describes the process that explains pattern
- Changes in allele frequencies over time
§ Macroevolution^ =^ Large-scale changes observed above the species level
- Describes a pattern that arises from the process
- Descent with modification
large
scale (^) changes
§ What are our assumptions?
§ What are our observations?
§ What are our hypotheses and
how do we test them?
§ What can we infer from our data?
§ Do the data support our
hypotheses or not?
Science as a way of knowing
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/scienceflowchart^15 EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY COMMUNITY ANALYSIS AND FEEDBACK BENEFITS AND OUTCOMES TESTING IDEAS How science works © 2008 The University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, and the Regents of the University of California^ www.understandingscience.org
The Scientific Process
Evolutionary Biologists ask…
What is the history of life?
Evolutionary Biologists ask…
Why are some species so similar?
Evolutionary Biologists ask…
Bee orchid Bee Banded snake eel Banded sea snake
Evolutionary Biologists ask…
Make predictions Test predictions …does it take 3-4 years for this to bloom? …does this male have such a dramatic display? …do zebras have stripes? …do penguins live in the Antarctic?
Hypotheses
22
Proposing explanations for the question of “why”
Hypothesis
- proposed explanation to describe processes & patterns of the natural world ü Testable & Falsifiable ü Tentative conclusions ü Change with new evidence
Theory
- well-substantiated explanation of the natural world ü Based on sets of principles ü Repeated testing and confirmation ü Generally accepted at “true” Can never prove! Consider what you know about how we use the word “theory” in everyday language (vernacular). How does it differ from this definition? Activity Group
Finer