04 Macroevolution and EvoDevo

Terminology you should know

gradualism . actualism . microevolution . macroevolution. missing links . punctuate equilibrium . Hopeful Monsters . homeotic mutants . pre-adaptation . functional shift . ABC-model . heterochrony . C4 photosynthesis . 

 

Concepts you should know, be able to explain, and remember

  • You can explain, how gradualism tries to explain macroevolution, and what the weak point is

  • You can explain using examples, what the concept of preadaptation and functional shift means

  • You can explain using examples, what heterochrony is and why it is relevant for evolution

  • You can explain what C4 photosynthesis is, why it is a challenge for evolutionary theory, and how its genesis currently explained

 

To think about

  1. Why did many genes duplicate, when plants conquered terrestrial habitats?
  2. How would a mutation in the promoter of a B-gene that causes precocious expression, change the flower?
  3. Can you think of a simple scenario explaining that DFR (driving antocyanin) becomes expressed in the microsporophylls)?
  4. Can you tell, what the functional shift of oxylipin synthesis was, when predatory insects arose?

 

To read and deepen