Changes over time flash cards
(23 cards)
Darwin’s observations included the diversity of living things, the remains of ancient organisms, and the characteristics of organisms of the Galapagos Islands.
Can you give an example of the diversity of living things?
A fish can breathe underwater and a lion can breathe on land.
Can you give an example of the fossils that Darwin observed?
Darwin found that fossil bones back then were much larger than those of the sloths that were alive in his time
What are some similarities and differences that existed among the organisms on the mainland and island?
The same species of bird looked different at every island. An island full of small foods would have birds with smaller, more precise beaks, and an island full of larger foods would have birds with larger beaks and mouths.
An example of a difference would be if two lizards lived on two separate islands. One with rocks and one with grass. The lizard that lives by the rocks would have grippy feet and the one with grass would have soft feet.
What did Darwin hypothesize about the Galapagos Islands?
Darwin hypothesized that the species gradually changed over many generations and became better adapted to new conditions
How does the “Battle of the Beaks” lab relate to the idea of natural selection?
It relates to natural selection because if your beak wasn’t good than you would die
Based on how effective your beak was ,then you would either survive or die. Species that live in different conditions will adapt based on the needs of the food, climate, etc.
Just like how a bird who only lives by bugs would have a smaller beak to easily eat the bugs in order to survive.
a group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce fertile offspring. There is 1.7 million of them
Species
the preserved remains or traces of an organism that has lived in the past
Fossil
a trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce
Adaptation
the gradual change in a species
Evolution
the process in which individuals that are better adapted to the environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species
Natural Selection
How do most fossils form?
First, the organism dies (skin and meat go away)
Sediment covers the animal or organisms that dies
Pressure and heat are present in the sediment
Minerals dissolve in water
Then it soaks into the remains then enter and preserve the fossil
What parts of an organism usually form fossils?
The bones
What, other than sediment, can fossils be preserved in?
Ice
What is relative dating?
Relative Dating: a technique used to determine which of two fossils is older
If you were given data about the location of a preserved fossil in relation to the top of the soil, how do you tell which fossil is older?
You can tell which fossil is older by how deep it is in the sedimentary rock. Radioactive dating gives a precise age, while relative dating just gives clues to which is older out of two or more fossils
What is radioactive dating? How does it determine the age of a fossil?
Radioactive Dating: allows scientists to determine the actual age of fossils
It determines the age of a fossil because it allows you to measure the difference/quantity of parent isotopes and daughter isotopes to see which one is older
a fossil formed when minerals replaces all or part of the organism
Petrified Fossils
hollow space in a sediment in the shape of an organism
Mold
copy of the shape of the organism that made the mold
Cast
unstable elements that decay, or break down, into different elements
Radioactive Elements
Would a rose or snail produce a fossil? Why?
A snail because of its shell (a rose would decay)
True or False: Darwin found a small diversity of animals in his travels?
False he found a large diversity
