Evolution

Question 1

Evolution

Answer 1

The process in which significant changes in the inheritable traits (i.e. genes) of a species occur over time.

Question 2

Variation

Answer 2

a different or distinct form or version of something.

Question 3

Selection

Answer 3

mechanism that drives the evolution of a species

Question 4

Recombination

Answer 4

New combinations of alleles as frequencies and favourability changes

Question 5

Mutations

Answer 5

Genetic variations different than the norm

Question 6

Gregor Mendel

Answer 6

Answered the questions of heredity left in Darwin’s work

Question 7

Immutable

Answer 7

Unchangeable.

Question 8

The age of the Earth

Answer 8

4.54 billion years old

Question 9

Radiometric dating

Answer 9

Tool used to determine the age of the earth

Question 10

Fossil records

Answer 10

fossils can be dated; show previous evolutionary forms of modern animals

Question 11

Excess offspring

Answer 11

an organism produces more offspring to accomodate for the death rate

Question 12

Spontaneous generation

Answer 12

Life comes from non-living things.

Question 13

Creationism

Answer 13

Creator made things as we see now

Question 14

Catastrophism

Answer 14

natural disasters killed off old species (explaining fossils)

Question 15

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Answer 15

The Theory of Acquired Characteristics; if an organism changes during its life, those changes are passed down (e.g. bodybuilder passes down muscles). Wrong but close

Question 16

Charles Darwin

Answer 16

First to theorize evolution but could not explain heredity.

Question 17

Darwin’s voyage

Answer 17

5 year voyage started in 1831; goal was to observe, collect and record specimens

Question 18

Darwin’s finches

Answer 18

Different variations of the same species due to environmental factors

Question 19

Galapagos Islands

Answer 19

One of Darwin’s stops during his voyage; he found each island has different variations of the tortoise, depending on the environment

Question 20

Heredity

Answer 20

passing on of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another.

Question 21

Punctuated equilibrium

Answer 21

After the initial burst of evolution, species do not change significantly over long periods of time.

Question 22

Species

Answer 22

Different variations of a genus

Question 23

Pentadactyl limb

Answer 23

five-fingered limb possessed by many different species (whale, bat, human, mole, etc.)

Question 24

Homologous structures

Answer 24

Similar in origin but different in functions (ex: dolphin flipper and human hand)

Question 25

Divergent evolution

Answer 25

Ancestral line started out similar but diverged in different directions, towards different structures or functions

Question 26

Common ancestor

Answer 26

ancestor shared by different animals

Question 27

Analogous structures

Answer 27

similar in function but different in origin (ex: wings of birds and butterflies)

Question 28

Convergent evolution

Answer 28

different ancestors converge towards a similar function or structure

Question 29

Embryology

Answer 29

Study of embryos and their development

Question 30

Vestigial structures

Answer 30

structures that are reduced forms of structures that were functional in the animal's ancestor but are no longer useful/effective (ex: tiny detached pelvic bone in whales)

Question 31

DNA

Answer 31

a clue to how closely related different organisms are

Question 32

Fitness

Answer 32

the lifetime reproductive success of an individual

Question 33

Allele frequency

Answer 33

frequency (how often) alleles are present in a population

Question 34

Founder effect

Answer 34

a few individuals from a large population leave and form a new population, resulting in new allele frequency

Question 35

Bottleneck effect

Answer 35

Type of genetic drift; dramatic but temporary reduction in population size, resulting in significant genetic drift.

Question 36

Genetic drift

Answer 36

change in the genetic makeup of a population, resulting from chance

Question 37

Gene flow

Answer 37

net movement of alleles from one population to another (i.e. migration)

Question 38

Migration

Answer 38

Example of gene flow

Question 39

Natural selection

Answer 39

shows that certain alleles are more successful than others when they enhance the phenotype of the individual and contribute to their reproductive success.

Question 40

Stabilizing selection

Answer 40

Type of natural selection; the most common phenotype is the most favoured by the environment

Question 41

Directional selection

Answer 41

Type of natural selection; the environment favours one extreme of a trait

Question 42

Disruptive selection

Answer 42

Type of natural selection; the environment favours both extremes of a trait

Question 43

Sexual selection

Answer 43

favours the selection of any trait that influence the mating success of an organism; produces traits that are ONLY beneficial for mating and are otherwise detrimental

Question 44

Sexual dimorphism

Answer 44

obvious differences in the physical appearance between males and females (ex: bright feathers)

Question 45

Female choice

Answer 45

Type of sexual selection

Question 46

Male-male competition

Answer 46

Type of sexual selection

Question 47

Speciation

Answer 47

rapid bursts of evolution of species in a short amount of time; normally occur in small isolated populations