Darwin's view

Question 1

What is Lamarks hypothesis of Use and Disuse?

Answer 1

Traits used more often strengthen , those that are not you will lose.

Question 2

Lamarks Inheritance of acquired characteristics hypothesis?

Answer 2

That physiological changes acquired over time of the organisms may be passed on to their offspring.

Question 3

What is natural selection?

Answer 3

Those organisms which are best suited to their environment will have the greatest chance of success ; reproduction of different genotype due to environment factors.

Question 4

What are some stages of natural selection?

Answer 4

Overproduction, variation, limiting resources , competition , survival of the fittest, reproduction, speciation/extinction.

Question 5

What is adaption?

Answer 5

any alteration to an organism, preferably for competitive advantage.

Question 6

What is acclimation?

Answer 6

non-genetic adjustment to appearance/behavior.

Question 7

What are the three conditions of natural selection?

Answer 7

–populational variation
–variation must lead to differences among individuals in reproductive success
–variation is genetically transmitted to next generation

Question 8

What is the industrial melanism phenomenon?

Answer 8

is a phenomenon in which darker individuals come to predominate over lighter ones

Question 9

What is artificial selection?

Answer 9

humans select which genotypes reproduce, may lead to evolution

Question 10

What is a fossil? And what are the events for rock fossilization?

Answer 10

any preserved remnants or remains of an organism that once existed.
–organism buried in sediment
–calcium in material must mineralize
–surrounding sediment hardens

Question 11

What is relative dating?

Answer 11

Fossil age estimated due to its position in sediment strata.

Question 12

What is absolute dating?

Answer 12

fossil age estimated by radioactive decay rates of known isotopes (C14, K40, U238)

Question 13

What is half-life?

Answer 13

rate of decay; time required for ½ of a radioactive mass to degrade

Question 14

What is transitional fossil?

Answer 14

Any fossilized remains of a life that exhibits traits common to both an ancestral group and it’s derived descendant group. Like the archaeopteryx . Ancestor of theropod dinosaur and closely related to birds.

Question 15

What is gradualism?

Answer 15

Change is slow, prodding, occurs in small steps. Ex: four legged aquatic mammals. Link between whales/ dolphins from land dwelling, hoofed ancestors.
Fossil of a legged snake. Took awhile to lose the legs. Gradualism.

Question 16

What is punctured equilibrium ?

Answer 16

Limited change for a long period of time them dramatic change. Example: horses.

Question 17

What is homology?

Answer 17

–structures with different appearances and functions that all derived from the same body part in a common ancestor
–same structure, different function

Question 18

What is development in evolution?

Answer 18

–different organisms exhibit similar embryological forms
–Strongest anatomical evidence supporting evolution comes from comparisons of how organisms develop
–Early vertebrate embryos possess pharyngeal pouches that develop into:
glands and ducts in humans
gill slits in fish

Question 19

What is imperfect structures in evolution?

Answer 19

–Some organisms do not appear perfectly adapted to their environment.
Vertebrae number in long necks
vgeese (25)
vplesiosaurs (76)
vgiraffe (7)

Question 20

What are vestigial structures?

Answer 20

organs with no apparent modern function, but resemble ancestral structures.
Ex: pelvic bone in a whale.
-point to common ancestor.

Question 21

What is Analogous?

Answer 21

Traits found between two different species such as wings in birds and insects that have same function but derived from environment in different species and have different forms.
- does not have common ancestor.

Question 22

What is biography?

Answer 22

the study of the geographic distribution of species.

-Some plants and animals have similar appearance or function but are distantly related

Question 23

What is divergent evolution ?

Answer 23

selection that favors changes making two or more groups less similar.
–exposure to different selective pressures
–two species with same ancestor but evolve differently

Question 24

What is convergent evolution ?

Answer 24

selection that favors changes making two or more groups MORE similar.
–similar solutions to similar problems
–independent development of similar structures in organisms not directly related

Question 25

Some of the critics of evolution ?

Answer 25

• evolution not solidly demonstrated
• there are no fossil intermediates
• intelligent design
• evolution violates Second Law of Thermodynamics
• proteins too improbable
• natural selection does not imply evolution
• irreducible complexity argument

Question 26

What is the most important part of natural selection and evolution?

Answer 26

Reproduction and passing on traits!