Evolution__3rd_Edition

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Full Contents
Preface xxii
PART 1. INTRODUCTION 1
1. The Rise of Evolutionary Biology 3
1.1 Evolution means change in living things by descent with modification 4
1.2 Living things show adaptations 5
1.3 A short history of evolutionary biology 6
1.3.1 Evolution before Darwin 7
1.3.2 Charles Darwin 9
1.3.3 Darwin’s reception 10
1.3.4 The modern synthesis 14
Summary Further reading Study and review questions
2. Molecular and Mendelian Genetics 21
2.1 Inheritance is caused by DNA molecules, which are physically
passed from parent to offspring 22
2.2 DNA structurally encodes information used to build
the body’s proteins 23
2.3 Information in DNA is decoded by transcription and translation 25
2.4 Large amounts of non-coding DNA exist in some species 27
2.5 Mutational errors may occur during DNA replication 27
2.6 Rates of mutation can be measured 31
2.7 Diploid organisms inherit a double set of genes 33
2.8 Genes are inherited in characteristic Mendelian ratios 34
2.9 Darwin’s theory would probably not work if there was a
non-Mendelian blending mechanism of heredity 37
Summary Further reading Study and review questions
3. The Evidence for Evolution 43
3.1 We distinguish three possible theories of the history of life 44
3.2 On a small scale, evolution can be observed in action 45
3.3 Evolution can also be produced experimentally 47
3.4 Interbreeding and phenotypic similarity provide two concepts of
species 48