Macroevolution and the Diversity of Life Chapter 14 Macroevolution Microevolution A generation-to-generation change in a population s frequencies of alleles. Macroevolution Major changes in the history of life (fossil record) Formation of new species which generates biological diversity. The formation of new species: Speciation In nonbranching evolution, a population transforms but does not create a new species. In branching evolution, one or more new species branch from a parent species that may continue to exist. What Is a Species? Species is a Latin word meaning kind or appearance. The biological species concept defines a species as A population or group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Important exceptions: The biological species concept cannot be applied in all situations, for example, with fossils and asexual organisms. Reproductive Barriers between Species Prezygotic barriers prevent mating between species. 1
Examples of behavioral isolation: Reproductive Barriers between Species Postzygotic barriers Albatross Courtship Ritual Giraffe Courtship Ritual Blue-Footed Boobies Courtship Ritual Are mechanisms that operate should interspecies mating actually occur and form hybrid zygotes. Postzygotic barriers include Hybrid inviability. Hybrid sterility. Mechanisms of Speciation A key event in the potential origin of a species occurs when a population is somehow severed from other populations of the parent species. The two modes of speciation are Allopatric speciation. Sympatric speciation. Allopatric Speciation Geologic processes Can fragment a population into two or more isolated populations. Can contribute to allopatric speciation. 2
Speciation occurs only with the evolution of reproductive barriers between the isolated population and its parent population. Sympatric Speciation Sympatric speciation occurs if a genetic change produces a reproductive barrier between mutants and the parent population. Polyploidy, a mechanism of sympatric speciation, was first observed by Hugo de Vries. Polyploids How Accidents During Meiosis Can Alter Chromosome Number Can originate from accidents during meiosis (nondisjunction). Can result from the hybridization of two parent species. In nondisjunction, The members of a chromosome pair fail to separate during anaphase. Gametes with an incorrect number of chromosomes are produced. Many domesticated plants are the result of sympatric speciation. Copyright 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings The result of nondisjunction Figure 8.20 3
Down Syndrome: An Extra Chromosome 21 Down Syndrome Is a condition where an individual has an extra chromosome 21. Is also called trisomy 21. Polyploids Can originate from accidents during meiosis (nondisjunction). Can result from the hybridization of two parent species. Many domesticated plants are the result of sympatric speciation. What Is the Tempo of Speciation? Traditional evolutionary trees diagram the descent of species as gradual divergence. Punctuated equilibrium Is a contrasting model of evolution. States that species most often diverge in spurts of relatively sudden change. Accounts for the relative rarity of transitional fossils. The Evolution of Biological Novelty What accounts for the evolution of biological novelty? Adaptation of Old Structures for New Functions Birds Are derived from a lineage of earthbound reptiles. Developed from flightless ancestors, but how? 4
An exaptation: Is a structure that evolves in one context, but becomes adapted for another function Is a type of evolutionary remodeling Exaptations can account for the gradual evolution of novel structures. Bird wings are modified forelimbs that were previously adapted for non-flight functions, such as: Thermal regulation Courtship displays Camouflage The first flights may have been only glides or extended hops as the animal pursued prey or fled from a predator. Evo-Devo: Development and Evolutionary Novelty A subtle change in a species developmental program can have profound effects, changing the: Rate Timing Spatial pattern of development Evo-devo, evolutionary developmental biology, is the study of the evolution of developmental processes in multicellular organisms. Homeotic genes are master control genes that regulate: When structures develop How structures develop Where structures develop Mutations in homeotic genes can profoundly affect body form. 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Watch PBS movie What Darwin Never Knew Earth History and Macroevolution Macroevolution Major changes in the history of life (fossil record) Formation of new species which generates biological diversity. Geologic Time and the Fossil Record The fossil record Is an archive of macroevolution. Is closely tied to the history of the Earth. 5
Geologists have established a geologic time scale reflecting a consistent sequence of geologic periods. pg 281 in your text Plate Tectonics and Macroevolution The continents are not locked in place. They drift about Earth s surface on plates of crust floating on a flexible layer called the mantle. California s infamous San Andreas fault Is at a border where two plates slide past each other. Mass Extinctions and Explosive Diversifications of Life Radiometric dating Is the most common method for dating fossils. Has helped establish the geologic time scale. About 250 million years ago Plate movements formed the supercontinent Pangaea. Many extinctions occurred, allowing survivors to diversify. About 180 million years ago Pangaea began to break up, causing geographic isolation. Extinction is inevitable in a changing world and occurs all the time. However, extinction rates have not been steady. The fossil record reveals an episodic history, With long, relatively stable periods punctuated by briefer intervals when the turnover in species composition was much more extensive. Extinctions typically eliminate various species of organisms And are followed by explosive diversifications of organisms. Copyright 2007 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings 6
The Process of Science: Did a Meteor Kill the Dinosaurs? Scientists believe that about 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, A meteor impact contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. CLASSIFYING THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE Systematics focuses on: Classifying organisms Determining their evolutionary relationships Taxonomy is the: Identification of species Naming of species Classification of species Copyright 2007 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings Some Basics of Taxonomy Scientific names ease communication by: Unambiguously identifying organisms Making it easier to recognize the discovery of a new species Carolus Linnaeus (1707 1778) proposed the current taxonomic system based upon: A two-part name for each species A hierarchical classification of species into broader groups of organisms Naming Species Each species is assigned a two-part name or binomial, consisting of: The genus A name unique for each species The scientific name for humans is Homo sapiens, a two part name, italicized and latinized, and with the first letter of the genus capitalized. Hierarchical Classification Species that are closely related are placed into the same genus. Leopard (Panthera pardus) The taxonomic hierarchy extends to progressively broader categories of classification Species Panthera pardus Genus Panthera Tiger (Panthera tigris) Lion (Panthera leo) Jaguar (Panthera onca) Leopard (Panthera pardus) Dumb Kids Play Chess On Full Guy s Stomach Family Felidae Order Carnivora Class Mammalia Phylum Chordata Kingdom Animalia Domain Eukarya 7
Classification and Phylogeny Order Family Genus Species The goal of systematics is to reflect evolutionary relationships. Biologists use phylogenetic trees to: Depict hypotheses about the evolutionary history of species Reflect the hierarchical classification of groups nested within more inclusive groups Carnivora Felidae Mustelidae Panthera Mephitis Lutra Panthera pardus (leopard) Mephitis mephitis (striped skunk) Lutra lutra (European otter) Canidae Canis Canis latrans (coyote) Canis lupus (wolf) Figure 14.21 Sorting Homology from Analogy Homologous structures: Reflect variations of a common ancestral plan Are the best sources of information used to Develop phylogenetic trees Classify organisms according to their evolutionary history Analogous Structures emerge through Convergent evolution: Involves superficially similar structures in unrelated organisms Is based on natural selection Similarity due to convergence: Is called analogy, not homology Can obscure homologies Molecular Biology as a Tool in Systematics Molecular systematics: Compares DNA and amino acid sequences between organisms Can reveal evolutionary relationships Some fossils are preserved in such a way that DNA fragments can be extracted for comparison with living organisms. The Cladistic Revolution Cladistics is the scientific search for clades. A clade: Consists of an ancestral species and all its descendants Forms a distinct branch in the tree of life This is what Neil Shubin did in our reading selection from his book Your Inner Fish (2009). 8
Human Family Tree from Shubin s Your Inner Fish (2009) Iguana Outgroup (reptile) Cladistics in action Hair, mammary glands Duck-billed platypus Kangaroo Ingroup (mammals) Gestation Long gestation Beaver Figure 14.23 Cladistics has changed the traditional classification of some organisms Lizards and snakes Classification: A Work in Progress Common ancestor of crocodilians, dinosaurs, and birds Crocodilians Pterosaurs Ornithischian dinosaurs Saurischian dinosaurs Birds Linnaeus: Divided all known forms of life between the plant and animal kingdoms Prevailed with his two-kingdom system for over 200 years In the mid-1900s, the two-kingdom system was replaced by a five-kingdom system that: Placed all prokaryotes in one kingdom Divided the eukaryotes among four other kingdoms In the late 20th century, molecular studies and cladistics led to the development of a three-domain system Evolution Connection: Rise of the Mammals Earliest organisms Domain Bacteria Domain Archaea The protists (multiple kingdoms) Mass extinctions: Have repeatedly occurred throughout Earth s history Were followed by a period of great evolutionary change Domain Eukarya Kingdom Plantae Kingdom Fungi Kingdom Animalia 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. 9
Fossil evidence indicates that: Mammals first appeared about 180 million years ago The number of mammalian species Remained steady and low in number until about 65 million years ago and then Greatly increased after most of the dinosaurs became extinct Ancestral mammal Reptilian ancestor Extinction of dinosaurs Monotremes (5 species) Marsupials (324 species) Eutherians (5,010 species) 250 200 150 100 65 50 0 Millions of years ago American black bear Figure 14.26 10