Evolution Quiz 1

Question 1

Evolution

Answer 1

the idea that all species are descendants of an ancient species that were different from the modern day species

Question 2

darwin’s four main ideas about evolution

Answer 2

1) organisms produce more offspring than can survive
2) individuals of a population vary extensively, much of the variation is inheritable
3) individuals that are better suited to local conditions survive
4) processes for change are slow and gradual

Question 3

the three patterns Darwin noticed on his journey

Answer 3

1) species varied globally but there were similarities between some species
2) species varied locally especially on islands, similar species in different habitats have different features
3) species varied over time

Question 4

theory of evolution

Answer 4

a large population can reduce resources, causing a struggle for survival and allowing only the strongest to survive

Question 5

Georges Cuvier

Answer 5

challenged the first idea by examining fossils, he thought species changed over time

Question 6

inherited characteristic

Answer 6

an adaptation that allows for survival and successful reproduction

Question 7

structural adaptation

Answer 7

• physical features that enable an organism to survive in their environment
• existing structures can takes on new functions
  example: Natural selection has remodelled the wings of penguins into powerful flippers for swimming and hunting small fish and other prey, allowing them to “fly” through the water.

Question 8

mimicry

Answer 8

a type of structural adaptation, harmless species physically resemble harmful species, predators will avoid the harmless species as much as the harmful ones

Question 9

physiological adaptation

Answer 9

• internal or cellular features of an organism that enable them to survive in their environment
• desert plants that have specialized tissues (cacti)
• animals that make poison
  example: milkweed plants produce toxins so they are not eaten by many insects, but monarch butterflies have adapted to be immune to the toxin but also able to collect and store it to make themselves toxic

Question 10

behaviour adaptation

Answer 10

• organisms change their behaviour in order to evolve
  example: poison dart frogs skin has evolved to be both bright coloured and toxic this affects all the organisms around them as the frogs predators recognize what the bright coloured skin means, only the animals that don’t eat the frogs will survive and reproduce (they change there behaviour to survive)
• hibernation is an example of behavioural adaptation it allows animals to survive in harsh climates

Question 11

co-evolution

Answer 11

the process in which one species evolves in response to the evolutionary changes in another species