Topic 4 - Natural Selection and Genetic Modification

Question 1

Ancestor

Answer 1

An organism from which more recent organisms are descended.

Question 2

Antibiotic

Answer 2

Medicine that helps people recover from a bacterial infection by killing the pathogen.

Question 3

Resistant

Answer 3

Unaffected or less affected by something.

Question 4

Competition

Answer 4

There is competition between organisms that need the same things as each other (such as food). We say that they ‘compete’ for those things.

Question 5

Genetic Variation

Answer 5

Differences between organisms caused by differences in genes and passed onto offspring by their parents through reproduction. Also called inherited variation.

Question 6

Natural Selection

Answer 6

A process in which certain organisms are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species, because they possess certain genetic variations.

Question 7

Ardi

Answer 7

Nickname for a 4.4-million-year-old fossilised specimen of Ardipithecus ramidus.

Question 8

Lucy

Answer 8

Nickname for a 3.2-million-year-old fossilised specimen of Australopithecus afarensis.

Question 9

Leakey

Answer 9

Discovered fossils from 1.6 million years ago

Question 10

Binomial System

Answer 10

System of naming organisms using two Latin words.

Question 11

Evolution

Answer 11

A change in one or more characteristics of a population over a long period of time.

Question 12

Hominid

Answer 12

A primate of a family ( Hominidae ) which includes humans and their fossil ancestors.

Question 13

Species

Answer 13

A group of organisms that can reproduce with each other to produce offspring that will
also be able to reproduce. Organism names have two Latin words – the first is its genus
and the second is its species.

Question 14

Classification

Answer 14

Sorting things into groups.

Question 15

Domain

Answer 15

The three main groups that organisms are now sorted into: Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya.

Question 16

Genus

Answer 16

A group of similar organisms. The genus name is the first word in the scientific name for a
species (the second word is the ‘species name’). Different closely related species belong to
the same genus.

Question 17

Kingdom

Answer 17

There are five kingdoms into which organisms are divided: plants, animals, fungi, protists and prokaryotes.

Question 18

Species

Answer 18

A group of organisms that can reproduce with each other to produce offspring that will
also be able to reproduce. Organism names have two Latin words – the first is its genus
and the second is its species.

Question 19

Bacteria

Answer 19

Cells with a nucleus, no unused sections in genes, can cause harm to humans

Question 20

Archaea

Answer 20

Has a nucleus and genes, unused sections of genes, live in extreme environments and cannot cause harm to humans.

Question 21

Eukarya

Answer 21

Has a nucleus and unused sections of genes.