MOD 3 Notes Final
Inquiry question: How do environmental pressures promote a change in
species diversity and abundance?
● predict the effects of selection pressures on organisms in
ecosystems, including:
– biotic factors
– abiotic factors
Population: All the organisms from the same species living in a particular area
Community: A group of populations in a particular area
Ecosystems: Community of living organism that interact with each other and
their surrounding environment (composed of biotic and abiotic factors)
Biotic Factors: The living components of an ecosystems
E.g. Plants, animals, fungi, bacteria
Abiotic factors: The non living components of an ecosystem
E.g. Light, temperature, wind Ph, salinity, water, shelter, etc
Selection pressures
Abiotic and biotic factors can exert pressure on organisms that live in an
ecosystem – When these pressures effect the ability of an organism to survive.
They affect the organism’s behaviour, survival and reproduction.
e.g. Low light intensity in a forest ecosystem will exert pressure on plants, which
rely on light to perform photosynthesis and survive.
Plants will either adapt to survive, or they will die
Significant changes in biotic or biotic conditions create selection pressures that
act upon organisms
Effects of selection pressures
Organisms best suited to the selection pressures will tend to be more abundant
because they have a better chance of survival, and reproduce more
- Population size changes
Changes in population sizes may affect other species living in the ecosystem
too
e.g. Predator Vs Prey relationship
The changes in population size of predatory organism will effect the
population size of the prey. It will decrease if the predator becomes more
abundant, and vice versa. This could alter the biodiversity of the whole
ecosystem
- Evolutionary changes
Selection pressures make some characteristics favourable and other
unfavourable, driving the evolution of the species towards the favourable trait
(how the organism looks, moves, or behaves)
Individuals with traits that are better suited to an environment are more likely to
reproduce, and pass on favourable trait to offspring. Overtime the favourable
trait will become common in the population.
e.g. Giraffes started off looking horse like but through the combination of biotic
and abiotic factors resulted in food being unable at low heights. Taller giraffes
were advantageous to reaching the leaves. They are more likely to survive and
are more likely to reproduce.
● investigate changes in a population of organisms due to selection
pressures over time, for example:
– cane toads in Australia
– prickly pear distribution in Australia
Cane toads
Impact of selection pressures on the cane toad
- Not native to Australia but they were introduced into Queensland from Hawaii
in 1935 to control he cane beetle
Impact of biotic selection pressure
Pressure 1
Very few native predators in Australia ( favourable)
- Avoid being consumed
- Survive to reproduce
- Increase population size
Pressure 2
Few Australian diseases that can kill cane toads (favourable_
- Avoid contracting disease
- Survive to reproduce
- Increase population size
Impact of Abiotic selection pressures
Cane toads can adapt to the abiotic conditions of many Australian ecosystems
Pressure 1 – suitable conditions (e.g. temperature, humidity, salinity)
- Live in diverse environments
- Survive to reproduce in many environments
- Increase population size
- Increase distribution
The prickly pear cactus
Introduced into Queensland from the Americas in 1788
Impact of Biotic selection pressures
Pressure 1 – No herbivorous predators in Australia
- Avoid being consumed
- Survive to produce seed bearing fruit
- Increase population size
Pressure 2 – Birds that spread seeds in their droppings of the cactus that they
ate
- Increase chance of successful reproduction
- Increase population size and expand distribution
Pressure 3 – Human influence (farming for dye, livestock feed)
- Germinate with the help of livestock manure
- Increase population size and expand distribution
Impact of Abiotic selection pressure
Pressure 1 – Climatic conditions (e.eg. high temperature, intense sunlight)
- Survive to reproduce
- Increase population size
Pressure 2 – Wind and flood waters
- Expand distribution in Australia
Inquiry question: How do adaptations increase the organism’s ability to
survive?
● conduct practical investigations, individually or in teams, or use
secondary sources to examine the adaptations of organisms that
increase their ability to survive in their environment, including:
– structural adaptations
– physiological adaptations
– behavioural adaptations
Adaptation
The development of specific features of an organism that enable them to survive
and reproduce in a specific environment
Adaptations allow organism to:
- Access resources
- Attract mates
- Avoid predation
- Communicate
These increase their chances of survival. Adaptations arise in response to
specific biotic and abiotic factors in the environment.
Adaptation is an evolutionary response driven by natural selection.
Categories of adaptations
Structural
The physical features of an organism that allow it to be better suited to tis
environment
e.g. size, shape, colour
Red kangaroo – The lightly covered fur helps to reflect sunlight -> minimise heat
that is absorbed, therefore increase survival by decreasing chance of being
overheated
Physiological
The internal bodily functions of an organism that help it to be better suited to its
environment (involve a process)
e.g. Panting, producing venom, altering urine concentrations
The grey mangrove that is subjected to salty environment. To get rid of the salt,
the leaves have specialised glands that excrete salt, allowing it to crystallise and
be removed by wind and rain. The mangrove can maintain osmotic balance. The
glands prevent the plants from dehydrating in the saline environment.
Behavioural
The actions that an organism makes to improve its ability to survive in its
environment
e.g. Seeking shade, huddling, migrating
The tawny frogmouth bird when it feels threatened it elongates its neck to form
a straight line from the neck to beak. The frogmouth is able to mirror a branch
shape, emulating physical characteristics of the environment. The frog mouth is
able to avoid predation and increase its chance of survival.
● investigate, through secondary sources, the observations and
collection of data that were obtained by Charles Darwin to support the
Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, for example:
– finches of the Galapagos Islands
– Australian flora and fauna
Natural selection (survival of the fittest)
The process whereby organisms with trait most favourable to their environment
tend to survive with higher probability, produce more offspring and pass their
favourable trait to their offspring.
Survival of the fittest – least suited species die out or reproduce less
frequently and the better suited species reproduce more frequently.
Selection pressures drive natural selection
Darwin’s observations of finches of the Galapagos Islands
Darwin noticed that each island had a unique species of finch in the
Galapagos Island.
Narrow pointed beaks
Strong, wide and sturdy beaks
He noted that :
Each finch species in different island, differed.
Each island had a different environment with different food sources (cacti,
seeds, insects) – selection pressures
The island differing environments provided different selection pressures
that acted on the finches
e.g. The finches with narrow and pointed beaks, where better adapted to
islands with insects (as their beaks were too small to break seeds)
Darwin proposed that the finches adapted to suit the food source of each
island. The process of this is called natural selection.
Darwin’s observations of Australian Flora and Fauna
Observation 1
Unrelated organisms that lived in similar environment had similar
adaptations
The Australian marsupial Mole and north American placental mole are not
related, but they both have:
- Short and powerful limbs
- Large front claws
- Streamlines bodies
- Velvety fur
Darwin proposed that these characteristics, were shared adaptations that
allowed these organism to survive in their underground habitat
Therefore these unrelated organisms supports natural selection because it
shows how organisms evolve adaptations that match the specific selection
pressures of their environment
Observation 2
Australian organisms were well adapted to the unique Australian
environmental conditions
Australian Eucalyptus; leaves hand vertically
Adaptation that evolved through natural selection, to allow the eucalyptus
to decrease surface area exposed to the sun.
Inquiry question: What is the relationship between evolution and
biodiversity?
● explain biological diversity in terms of the Theory of Evolution by
Natural Selection by examining the changes in and diversification of life
since it first appeared on the Earth
Diversity and evolution
Diversity – Refers to the variability among Earth’s living organisms
Bio diversity
1. Variation exist between different species
2. Variation between the same species
Evolution of Eukaryotic cells
1. Prokaryotes east another small prokaryote
2. The cells that the larger prokaryotes ingested, passed onto the next
generation
3. Once inside the larger cells, the small prokaryotic cells formed chloroplast,
mitochondria, etc
4. Begin functioning as an organelle
Preferred trait
Possessing organelles gave eukaryotes a selective advantage by
increasing efficiency
Life diversified from prokaryotes into eukaryotes due to a selective
advantage
Evolution of Multicellular organism
Single celled organism combined together to form a multicellular
organism
Multicellular organisms can develop specialised organ and tissue system
e.g. Allows us to have systems that transport waste, food and oxygen
Preferred traits
Being multicellular is an advantageous trait
Over time, unicellular organisms began to branch into multicellular
organisms through natural selection.
Evolution of Terrestrial organism
1. All the development of multicellular life occurred in aquatic
environments
2. Biotic and abiotic factors were unfavourable (environmental
pressures) – in the aquatic
3. At the same time, on terrestrial land, there was less danger of
predation and less competition with other species
4. Some aquatic creatures mutated to have genetic variations suitable
to life on land
Natural selection allowed for life to diversify and evolve from purely
aquatic organisms to terrestrial organisms
● explain, using examples, how Darwin and Wallace’s Theory of
Evolution by Natural Selection accounts for:
– convergent evolution
Instead of becoming more different, organisms can become more similar
Convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms that are not closely
related evolve similar structures in response to similar environmental conditions
1. Unrelated organism
2. They gradually evolving similar adaptations (because they are subject to
similar environments)
e.g. Dolphins and sharks have streamlined bodies and similar fins and similar tail
(BUT THEY ARE UNREALTED ANIMALS). They evolved to be so similar because of
convergent evolution because they live in aquatic environments and both have
similar adaptations
– divergent evolution
One species branches out into different environment, productive organisms that
possess different characteristics
1. If you have related organisms
2. They both have different selection pressures (because of different
environments
3. Natural selection will lead them to be different species
Populations need to be in different environments for divergent evolution to occur
e.g. Galapagos Finches (14 species) -> they have common ancestor -> It had
birthed a lot of finches -> due to them being isolated to different islands they
had different environments -> Different selection pressures -> different beak
types -> 14 different species of finch branched out from just one common
ancestor
Macro evolution – house
Horses migrated at a time during ice age; human beings in North America and
climate change, caused their extinction. The ones in Eurasia, had survived due to
the different climate.
Stages of Horse evolution
1. Eohippus; 50 million years ago (in North America)
4 toes, short face, soft feet (they needed to creep around and not be hunted),
lived in woodlands. They ate soft herbs, and didn’t need to have rough teeth, and
coped with herbivore teeth. Speckled coats to help them to hide from predators.
2. Mesohippus
Climate change; got dryer and cooler. Now it is open grasslands, and significant
drop in carbon dioxide, which meant it favoured grass rather than trees and
bushes. They have got 3 toes, and developed a hard covering and the hoof made
of keratin, and developed a man and protected them from sun and rain. Those
creatures that were naturally standing on tippy toes, where running faster, and
they were a selection pressure favouring faster horses. All of the horses with the
three toes on the ground were killed.
3. Merychippus
They are not living gin forests anymore, and they’ve gotten taller, and the feet
are good at weight bearing. Shift from forest to grassland. In north America they
had Mega fauna, and were heavily hunted by other predators. The horse with the
eyes on the side of their heads, had an advantage because the selection
pressure was predation, and if they can see something coming from them, they
can run away from them.
4. Equus
Massive tippy toed running animal. They are the most efficient runners and use
the least energy. The teeth are massive because they need to grind the grass
with the rough surfaces to swallow it.
Microevolution – still continuing (different traits selected by climate or selected
by human beings)
Coat colour
Because they are in different environments (selection pressure); so in
places which are cold, they might be smaller or light coloured to reflect
the sunlight
Humans have selected big horses to pull things and carry things
Why does Microevolution matter.
- Contributed to biodiversity
- Importance for survival
Question on evolution
1. Talk about legs, and because of selection pressure in the environment
because they used to be hidden in forests, but not they were exposed to
predators, they couldn’t use their soft feet, so that was speed, and to get
fast they stand on their tippy toes. Those who already had that mutation,
passed that gene onto the next generation.
2. Talk about teach. They used to eat soft herbs and needed small teeth but
then because the forests disappeared and needed to eat rough grass, they
needed teeth that were rough and big, so that hey can consume. The
volume of food also increased, so the increases crown (tooth), also needed
to be rough
The selection pressures for horses: climate change; lead to strategies had to be
different
