Chapter 15-3 Flashcards
Who wrote the book ‘Origin of Species’?
Charles Darwin.
What is the main evidence of evolution?
Evolution has taken place for millions of years and continues in all living things.
What is inherited variation?
Differences in characteristics passed from parents to offspring, resulting in variation among members of the same species.
What is artificial selection?
Humans selecting for desirable traits by breeding organisms together based on traits/characteristics they have.
What is natural selection?
Nature’s artificial selection where there is a struggle for existence and competition for resources.
What does ‘survival of the fittest’ mean?
Those who are most fit to outcompete for resources will survive, with ‘fittest’ referring to the ability to survive and reproduce in the environment.
What is an adaptation?
An inherited characteristic that increases an organism’s chance of survival.
What happens to adaptations over time?
The adaptations of the fittest members are passed on to following generations, leading to evolution.
What is descent with modification?
Over long periods of time, organisms change and evolve from common ancestors.
What does the fossil record provide?
Evidence that living things have been evolving for millions of years.
What did Darwin observe about geographic distribution of living species?
Similar environments on different continents have different animals, but these animals have similar anatomies and behaviors.
What are homologous body structures?
Similar anatomical structures that vary in function, such as limbs of birds, mammals, and reptiles.
What is similarity in embryology?
The early stages of many animals with backbones are very similar, with the same groups of embryonic cells developing in similar patterns.
What is divergent evolution?
The process where two or more related species become more dissimilar.
What is convergent evolution?
The process whereby organisms not closely related independently evolve similar traits due to adapting to similar environments.
What are analogous structures?
Structures that serve the same function in different species but evolved independently.
What are vestigial organs?
Organs reduced in size that are just traces of homologous structures in other species, such as the appendix in humans.
