BIOL 520 INTRODUCTION

  I cannot believe I am writing the final blog. My perceptions of evolution changed over the past months have changed a lot. Before taking this class, my knowledge about evolution was it’s a process of evolving from one species to another. Now I know what factors are work behind evolution. R assignment helped to visualize through statistics and for analyzing part it helped to think critically and understand the logic. I have learned critically. I think if I had to take any exam for this class, the knowledge I would get by taking exam preparation would stick with me for a few days. Since I had to think critically to understand the material the knowledge will stick with me for a long time. I think a discussion is a great way of learning. The evolution class will be a lifelong memory for me. T his class, I  enjoyed the most in my entire college life. I liked the teaching method of this class. I do not know my strength yet. I need to improve my weakness about R. Thank you.   ...

 P henotypic Plasticity Option 2  Phenotypic plasticity is the responses by individuals to shifting conditions, such as changes in environmental change. Phenotypic plasticity, the environment-dependent expression of phenotypes by genotypes, can substantially alter the phenotypic distribution of populations over time without a genetic change. Plasticity is evolutionarily favored when the environment is heterogeneous in time or space, selection favors different phenotypes in different environments, no one phenotype has the greatest fitness across all environments, and reliable cues allow organisms to respond effectively There are costs associated with acquiring environmental information, producing different phenotypes, and maintaining the physiological and developmental capacity for facultative responses. however, can substantially constraint the evolution of phenotypic plasticity.      Phenotypic plasticity, the expression of different phenotypes from the same ...

     Fitness    Evolutionary geneticists use fitness to predict changes in the genetic composition of populations through time .   Fitness is defined in evolution by how well a species can reproduce and survive in its environment. Fitness is the quantitative representation of natural and sexual selection within evolutionary biology. Fitness is measured by an organism's ability to survive and reproduce, which determines the size of its genetic contribution to the next generation. The central concept of natural selection is the evolutionary fitness of an organism.      There are several ways to measure fitness; for example, “absolute fitness” measures the ratio of a given genotype before and after selection while “relative fitness” measures differential reproductive success — that is, the proportion of the next generation’s gene pool that is descended from a particular organism (or genotype) compared with competing organisms (or genotyp...

  Mutation The four postulates presented by Darwin are as follows: 1) Individuals within species are variable; 2) Some of these variations are passed on to offspring; 3) In every generation, more offspring are produced than can survive; and 4) The survival and reproduction of individuals are not random; the individuals who survive and go on to reproduce the most are those with the most favorable variation, and they are naturally selected. The mutation is fundamental to evolution because it generates the genetic variation on which selection can act. Darwin's postulates are allied with a variation. There are three main reasons that cause Mutation. Mutations are caused by environmental factors known as mutagens. Types of mutagens include radiation, chemicals, and infectious agents. Mutations are caused by environmental factors known as mutagens. Mutations may be spontaneous in nature. Mutations may be spontaneous in nature. I think the mutation rate can evolve. Under adverse envir...