Terminology you should know
gradualism . actualism . microevolution . macroevolution. missing links . punctuate equilibrium . Hopeful Monsters . homeotic mutants . pre-adaptation . functional shift . ABC-model . heterochrony .
Concepts you should know, be able to explain, and remember
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You can explain, how gradualism tries to explain macroevolution, and what the weak point is
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You can explain using examples, what the concept of preadaptation and functional shift means
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You can explain using examples, what heterochrony is and why it is relevant for evolution
- You can give an example for modular structures in plants and animals
To think about
- Why did many genes duplicate, when plants conquered terrestrial habitats?
- How would a mutation in the promoter of a B-gene that causes precocious expression, change the flower?
- Can you think of a simple scenario explaining that DFR (driving antocyanin) becomes expressed in the microsporophylls)?
- Can you tell, what the functional shift of oxylipin synthesis was, when predatory insects arose?
To read and deepen
- Evolution of oxylipin pathway can be explained by gene duplication and functional diversification. Lee et al. 2008 (via KIT-Lizenz)
- Heterochrony can explain evolution of leaf shape. Cartolano et al. 2015 (open access)