TMJC Biological Evolution Notes

Page 1 of 63 Tampines Meridian Junior College JC2 H2/9744 Biology 2024 Core Idea 4A | 4B 13. Biological Evolution SYLLABUS OVERVIEW No. Overarching Idea Topics 1 Core Idea 1 The Cell and Biomolecules of Life Cell – The Basic Unit of Life 2 Biomolecules of Life and Cellular Transport 3 Core Idea 2 Genetics and Inheritance Genetics and Inheritance (I) – The Cell Cycle 4 Genetics and Inheritance (II) – DNA Replication and Gene Expression 5 Genetics and Inheritance (III) – DNA Mutations and their Consequences 6 Genetics and Inheritance (IV) – Organisation of Genome & Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes [Includes Core Idea 1D: Stem Cells] 7 Genetics and Inheritance (V) – Molecular Techniques in DNA Analysis 8 Genetics and Inheritance (VI) – Organisation and Inheritance of Viral Genomes 9 Genetics and Inheritance (VII) – Organisation of Genome & Control of Gene Expression in Prokaryotes 10 Core Idea 3 Energy and Equilibrium Transformation of Energy – Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration 11 Core Idea 2 Genetics and Inheritance Genetics and Inheritance (VIII) - Inheritance 12 Core Idea 3 Energy and Equilibrium Communication and Equilibrium in Multicellular Organisms 13 Core Idea 4 Biological Evolution Biological Evolution 14 Extension Topic A Infectious Diseases Immunity and Infectious Diseases 15 Extension Topic B Impact of Climate Change on Animals & Plants Climate Change – Causes and Impacts on Animals and Plants

Page 2 of 63 NARRATIVES Core Idea 4 – Biological Evolution – helps students make sense of biology and the biodiversity of life on earth. Three important concepts within evolutionary biology are the: 1. definition of evolution and descent with modification; 2. processes of evolutionary change, natural selection and genetic drift; and 3. patterns of evolutionary relationships (depicted as phylogenetic trees or cladograms). The following questions should help students frame their learning: • Why are there so many similarities among organisms yet so many different plants, animals and microorganisms? • Why does biodiversity matter? Natural selection is the major driving mechanism of evolution The essential features of natural selection contribute to the change in the genetic makeup of a population over time. Darwin’s theory of natural selection (and, in parallel, Wallace’s similar observations and conclusions) states that inheritable variation occurs in individuals in a population. Due to competition for resources that are often limited, individuals with more favourable variations or phenotypes are more likely to survive and produce more offspring, thus passing on the alleles that code for those traits to subsequent generations. Fitness is a measure of evolutionary success as indicated by the number of surviving offspring left to produce the next generation. It is worth noting that individual organisms do not evolve; rather, it is populations that evolve. A