Darwin's Theory of Evolution Flashcards
(45 cards)
What is evolution?
Evolution is a process of biological change by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors.
What does ‘survival of the fittest’ mean?
It means that individuals must be accustomed to their surroundings to survive.
Define a species.
A species is a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can reproduce and have fertile offspring.
Who was Carolus Linnaeus?
A Swedish botanist who opened a classification system for all types of organisms based on similarities.
What did George Louis Leclerc de Buffon propose?
He proposed that species shared ancestors instead of arising separately and rejected the idea that Earth was only 6000 years old.
Who was Erasmus Darwin?
The grandfather of Charles Darwin who proposed that all living things descended from a common ancestor.
What was Jean-Baptiste Lamarck’s theory?
He proposed that all organisms evolved toward perfection and complexity, and that environmental changes lead to structural changes.
What is catastrophism?
A theory that natural disasters have shaped landforms and caused species extinction.
Define gradualism.
A theory that suggests slow changes occur over a long period of time.
What is uniformitarianism?
The theory that geological changes are uniform over time and occur at a constant rate.
What was significant about Darwin’s voyage on the HMS Beagle?
It provided insight into evolution as Darwin observed variations among species and collected many organisms.
What is variation?
Variation is the difference in physical traits of an individual from others in the same group.
What is an adaptation?
A heritable physical or behavioral trait that serves a specific function and improves an organism’s fitness.
What is artificial selection?
The process by which humans select traits through breeding, leading to faster changes than natural selection.
What is heritability?
The ability of a trait to be passed down from parents to offspring.
What is the role of variation in natural selection?
Variation increases the likelihood that some members of a species will survive under changing environmental conditions.
Define natural selection.
A mechanism by which individuals with beneficial adaptations produce more offspring than others.
What is fitness in the context of natural selection?
Fitness is a measure of the ability to survive and produce more offspring relative to others in the population.
What is descent with modification?
The principle that over time, natural selection results in species with adaptations suited for survival and reproduction.
What are homologous structures?
Structures that are similar in structure but different in function, suggesting a common ancestry.
What are vestigial structures?
Remnants of organs or structures that had a function in an early ancestor.
What is the significance of fossils in evolution?
Fossils provide evidence of change over time and support Darwin’s concept of descent with modification.
What is relative dating?
A method that estimates the time during which an organism lived by comparing the placement of fossils in rock layers.
What is embryology’s role in evolution?
Similar features of embryos in different organisms suggest evolution from a common ancestor.
