Question | Answer |
The Grants conducted their experiment to test which of the following processes? | Natural selection |
The data that the Grants collected proved that there is | great variation of heritable traits among Galapagos finches. |
Which of the following hypotheses did the Grants test? | Differences in beak size and shape produce differences in fitness. |
animals with similar structures evolved from a common ancestor | comparative anatomy |
similar types of proteins and other molecules are found in related organisms | homologous molecules |
the early developmental phases of related organisms look similar | comparative embryology |
recently discovered intermediate forms trace the evolution of modern forms from extinct ancestors | fossils |
the genetic code is universal among almost all organisms | genetics |
Structures that are shared by related species and that have been inherited from a common ancestor | homologous structures |
Body parts that share common function, but not structure | analogous structures |
Body parts in animals that are so reduced in size that they are just vestiges, or traces, of homologous structures in other species | vestigial structures |
Natural selection acts on acquired traits. | false |
Any inherited characteristic that increases an organism’s chance of survival is considered an adaptation. | true |
Natural selection is the ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its specific environment. | false |
Malthus’s ideas led Darwin to conclude that | many more organisms are born than will survive and reproduce. |
Which of the following is an idea attributed to Malthus? | If the human population grew unchecked, there wouldn’t be enough living space and food for everyone. |
Which observation caused Thomas Malthus to form his theory about population growth? | Human birth rate was higher than the death rate. |
How did Lamarck propose that species change over time? | both use and disuse and inheritance of acquired characteristics |
The Earth is millions of years old. | James Hutton |
The processes that changed the earth in the past are still changing earth in the present. | Charles Lyell |
Organisms can change to live more successfully in their environments. | Jean Baptiste Lamarck |
If human population continues to grow unchecked, we will run out of living space and food. | Thomas Malthus |
Some fossils of extinct organisms are similar to living species | Species vary over time |
Different types of tortoises and finches are found on the Galapagos Islands | Species vary locally |
Similar flightless birds can be found on 3 different continents | Species vary globally |
Which of these continents did Darwin not visit? | Antarctica, Asia North America |
Which continent did Darwin spend the most time exploring? | South America |
What is the half-life of an isotope? | The amount of time is takes for one-half of a radioactive substance to decay. |
What are the 5 different ways that fossils are formed? | Fossils are formed in sedimentary rocks, frozen in ice, captured in amber, preserved in peat bogs, and preserved in tar pits. |
Name at least four introduced species to the Galapagos Islands. | Fire ants, goats, pigs, cats, rats, dogs, donkeys, cattle, horses |
What is fitness? | The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce. |
What is the evidence for shared ancestors that supports the idea of common descent? | Comparative embryology, Comparative anatomy,
Comparative biochemistry
Fossil records,
Comparative Genetics |
What are adaptations? | heritable traits that enable organisms to survive and reproduce. |
What are the three types of adaptations? | Behavioral, morphological, and physiological. |
What are behavioral adaptations? | They usually have to do with mating rituals, or behaviors that improve survival |
What are morphological adaptations? | Structural variations within a species. |
What are physiological adaptations? | Chemical adaptations such as the ability to produce milk or venom, or the ability to change colors. |
What is natural selection? | Selection of organisms who survive because they have the best adaptations for their environment |
What is industrial melanism? | A type of human influences natural selection of the color of an organism. The Peppered Moths are a classical example. |
What is evolution? | The process in which organisms change over time. |
What were Darwin’s 3 general findings about variations among species? | Species vary globally
Species vary locally
Species vary over time |
What is an example of species varying locally? | The Galapagos tortoises whose shell shapes varied based on which island they were on. |
What is an example of species varying over time? | The extinct glyptodont and the modern armadillo. |
What is Common Descent? | Species alive today share common ancestry |
What is comparative embryology? | Similarities between unborn organisms |
What are fossils? | Preserved remains of once living things |
What is genetics? | Provides the mechanism or seeds of evolution |
Who was James Hutton? | The father of geology |
What is the age of the earth? | 4.5 billion years |
What is behavioral? | Birds build nests |
What is morphological? | Shark skin |
What is paleoanthropology? | The study of early humans |
What does totipotent mean? | Stem cells become any cell |
What is the evidence for evolution provided by comparative embryology? | Organisms' embryological development are similar longer the more closely related they are. |
What are introduced species? | Newcomers to an area that upset the ecology. |
What was Darwin's idea about evolution? | There are trait variations within a species. The variations that work best in a given environment will increase and the variations that are harmful to survival will decrease. These variations are heritable. |
What is the main mechanism, the main driving force, the underlying cause promoting evolution? | DNA mutations are the main underlying mechanism for evolution. Different combinations of genes through sexual reproduction also contributes. |
What can a zygote do? | It's the start and from there it can become anything |
What was the title of Charles Darwin's first book? | On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection |
What were the 3 main influences on Darwin as he was formulating his idea about "descent with modifications aboard the HMS Beagle? | Geology, agriculture, and population growth. |
Who was Darwin? | father of evolution |
Darwin went on a trip that lasted how many years? | 5 |
Those with favorable variations survive, reproduce and pass on their variations
“Survival of the Fittest” | Natural Selection |
all living things are descended from species that lived before them | Common Descent |
Individuals in a species have inherited variations
Species produce more offspring than can survive
They must then compete to survive and reproduce | Natural Selection |
Comparative Biochemistry | Similarities in DNA, RNA, proteins, and enzymes |
How do we know? | Radioactive dating
Rock layers
Geologic features
Fossils |