Download Intro to Evolution and the Kingdoms of Life

INTRO TO EVOLUTION AND
THE KINGDOMS OF LIFE
Unit 4: The Biosphere
ECOLOGY – WHAT IS IT?
 Scientific discipline that studies the relationships of organisms with
each other and their environments.
Ecologists perform experiments
to understand why these
relationships might occur.
These experiments take place in
the biosphere.
ALL LIVING THINGS ARE
CONNECTED
 Ecosystem – all organisms
living together in their
physical environment
 Do not have clear boundaries
 Basic requirements: energy,
mineral nutrients, CO2, water,
oxygen, and living organisms
 Energy comes from the sun
 Biotic v. Abiotic factors – air,
water, rocks, sand, light, and
temperature
ECOSYSTEM ORGANIZATION
 Organisms, populations, and communities
 What does it mean to be a species?
 Breeding usually occurs within populations
 Community – only biotic components!
 Often characterized by vegetation
HISTORY OF EVOLUTION
 Why are organisms “suited” to where they live?
 Darwin recognized differences were due to heredity, but
postulated the environment exerted a strong influence as well
 Natural Selection – “Survival of the Fittest”
 Evolution – change in genetic characteristics from one generation
to many generations down the road
 Finches on the Galapagos
 Adaptation – inherited trait that increases an organisms chance
of survival
THEMES OF EVOLUTION
 Coevolution – two
organisms evolve
together
 Artificial selection –
selective breeding of
organisms for certain
characteristics
 Evolution of resistance
 Insects to pesticides –
what implications
might this have?
DOMAINS AND KINGDOMS
• In 1990, five kingdoms were reclassified due to the diversity in Bacteria
• Domain Bacteria
• Kingdom Eubacteria
• Domain Archaea – difference in cell wall makeup
• Kingdom Archaebacteria
• Domain Eukarya – eukaryotes!
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Kingdom Protista
Kingdom Fungi – are fungi considered autotrophs?
Kingdom Plantae – “lower plants,” gymnosperms, angiosperms
Kingdom Animalia – vertebrates and invertebrates
• What about viruses?
Eukarya
WORLDLY ADAPTATIONS POSTERS
 In groups, you will be assigned a region: African Desert, South
American Tropical Rainforest, North American Prairie, Australian
Outback, Lake Baikal in Siberia, or the Alaskan Tundra
1. Brainstorm adaptations that plants and animals would need
to have to survive in this region—write them on the top of
your poster
2. Research actual plants and animals that live in that region
A. Draw pictures of the animals below your predictions
B. Detail respective adaptations underneath each picture