Studied by 12 peopleWhat were Darwin's ideas about population?
His ideas about population were that only a limited number of individuals survive to reproduce in a population. Therefore, survivors of these limiting conditions must have favorable traits, and only the strongest species will go on to have offspring.
In what book did Darwin publish his theory of evolution?
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
Define natural selection.
It is the phenomenon where individuals better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals.
What are the 4 parts of the theory of natural selection?
The 4 parts are overproduction of offspring, struggle for existence, variation and adaption, and survival of the fittest.
What does the population rate force species to do?
It forces species to compete for resources.
What are variations in species due to?
They are due to adaptations to the environment.
What do adaptations affect?
They affect an individual's fitness.
What are high fitness individuals?
Individuals with a better advantage.
What are low fitness individuals?
Individuals with a low advantage, dying before having offspring.
What are the 3 types of adaptations?
The 3 types are structural, physiological, and behavioral.
Is it possible for an advantage in an environment to become a disadvantage?
Yes, it is possible for an advantage in an environment to become a disadvantage if something in the environment changes. This may even cause extinction.
What did Darwin's theory lack?
It lacked an explanation of the inheritance of traits and variation.
What do Mendelian genetics state that the cause of variation is, filling in the gaps of Darwin's theory?
They stated that the cause of variation is differences in genes.
Can adaptations cause successful species to evolve into new species over time?
Yes, adaptations can cause successful species to evolve into new species over time.
What is the principle of common descent?
It is an idea proposed by Darwin that states that all living species are descended from common ancestors (tree of life, descent with modification).
What are the lines of evidence for evolution?
The lines of evidence are biogeography, comparative anatomy, embryology, the fossil record, and DNA sequences.
What is biogeography?
It is the study of the global pattern of distribution of species and their ancestors.
What are the 2 types of patterns in distribution?
The 2 types of patterns in distribution are "closely related but different" and "distantly related but similar".
What is the pattern in distribution where organisms are "closely related but different"?
This is where organisms share a common ancestor and have the same continent, but live in different environments and thus have different adaptations.
What is the pattern in distribution where organisms are "distantly related but similar"?
This is where organisms have no common ancestor and are in different parts of the world, but live in similar environments and thus have similar adaptations.
How was the age of the Earth determined?
It was determined with radioactive dating, which involved a process of comparing isotopes of an element to its known decay rate.
What did the determination that Earth was about 4.5 billion years old conclude?
It concluded that natural selection has enough time to occur.
What does the fossil record provide?
It provides evidence about the order in which species have existed.
True or false: Gaps in the fossil record disproved Darwin's theory at the time, but recent fossil findings have filled in these gaps, tracing modern species to extinct ancestors.
True: Gaps in the fossil record disproved Darwin's theory at the time, but recent fossil findings have filled in these gaps, tracing modern species to extinct ancestors.
What are homologous structures?
They are similarities in structures between species that suggest that they descended from a common ancestor.
What are analogous structures?
They are body parts that share the same function, but not structure, indicating that there is no common ancestor.
What are vestigial structures?
They are structures inherited from ancestors that are no longer necessary and have lost their function.
What did Ernst von Baer say about species and the development of their embryos?
He said that the more closely related any 2 species are, the more similar their development as embryos are.
True or false: Inherited variation (genetics) was a missing piece to Darwin's theory, but now genetics gives evidence of common descent among organisms.
True: Inherited variation (genetics) was a missing piece to Darwin's theory, but now genetics gives evidence of common descent among organisms.
True or false: Species that are more closely related tend to have more similarities in their DNA.
True: Species that are more closely related tend to have more similarities in their DNA.
Note 
Flashcard (27)