Biology Evolution Quiz

Biological Evolution

Change in Populations organisms over generations. Overtime species change as certain traits become more common

Darwin personal

He was 22, it lasted 5 years. First trained as doctor then a minister.

Darwins yoyage

He traveled on the HMS Beagle. He traveled around the world collecting observations. HE observed different plants and animals, also with fossils and similar species with small differences. All of these observations went into him developing the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Natrual selection

Natural selection is the process by which organisms with beneficial traits survive and reproduce more successfully. Variation exists among individuals

1. Organisms produce more offspring than can survive

2. There is competition for resources

3. Individuals with helpful adaptations survive better

4. Helpful traits become more common over generations

Fossil Record

Fossils are preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms.

Fossils Show:

• Many organisms became extinct

• Organisms changed over time

• Relationships between ancient and modern organisms

• Variation in species

•  Fossils showed much variation

•  Fossils showed that many organisms became extinct

•  Fossils showed how organisms could be related

  Law of Superposition:  in an undisturbed area, deeper layers are older

  
  Fossils provide a chronological timeline of life on Earth. They map out transitional forms that clearly show intermediate stages between ancient ancestors and modern species (e.g., the evolution of whales from land-dwelling mammals).
  
  

Biography

Biogeography is the study of where organisms live.

Darwin noticed species on islands were similar to mainland species but had unique adaptations.

Example:

Galápagos finches had different beaks depending on food sources.

The geographic distribution of organisms across the planet follows patterns best explained by evolution and tectonic plate movements. For example, unique species evolve in isolated regions like islands or Australia because they adapt independently from mainland populations.

Homologus structures

Structures that:

• develop from similar tissues

• may have different functions

• indicate common ancestry

Example:

Human arm, whale flipper, bat wing

•  Develop from similar tissues during development

• May have similar structure but different function

•  Indicates that these organisms share a common ancestor

•  Became modified over time

Analogous structures

Structures that:

• perform the same function

• are built differently

• develop from different tissues

• do NOT indicate a recent common ancestor

Example:

Bird wings and insect wings

•  Perform the same function (ex. Flight)

•  Built from different structures 

•  Develop from different tissues during development

•  Organisms did not share a recent common ancestor

Vestigal structures

Vestigial structures are remnants of body parts that had a function in ancestors.

They are a type of homologous structure.

Examples:

• Human appendix

• Whale pelvis

• Snake leg bones

• Eyes under the skin of blind cave salamanders

• Wings hidden under fused covers in some flightless beetles

•  Indicate that organisms share a common ancestor (these are a type of homologous structure)

* Remnant of a structure with no clear function; may have served a function in an ancestor(s) 

A blind cave salamander – 

look closely for the eyes

buried underneath

the skin.

•   Apterocyclus honolulensis, a flightless weevil. 

The black wing covers cannot open, as they are fused, 

yet underneath are perfectly formed beetle wings. 

comparative Embryology

Scientists compare embryos of different organisms.

Key Idea:

The more similar embryos are, the more closely related the organisms are.

This suggests organisms share a common ancestor.

•  When comparing embryo development, the more similar the embryos, the more 

  closely related the organisms (in other words, the more recent their 

  common ancestor)

Many species share similar physical features because they inherited them from a common ancestor, even if those features now serve different purposes. Additionally, unrelated species can develop similar physical traits because they live in similar environments. Vestigial structures—like the tiny, non-functional hind leg bones found in modern whales—are anatomical remnants from ancestors.

Molecular Biology

Scientists compare:

• DNA sequences

• amino acid sequences

Key Idea:

The more similar the sequences, the more closely related the species.

Example:

• Human and gorilla hemoglobin differ by only 1 amino acid

• Humans and frogs differ by 67 amino acids

This suggests humans are more closely related to gorillas.

• The more similar the nucleotide and amino acid sequences between different species, the more closely related the species are thought to be

• Example, human hemoglobin and gorilla hemoglobin have one difference in amino acids whereas human hemoglobin has 67 amino acid differences when compared to frog hemoglobin

• Fossils provide a chronological timeline of life on Earth. They map out transitional forms that clearly show intermediate stages between ancient ancestors and modern species (e.g., the evolution of whales from land-dwelling mammals).

Variation

Variation means differences between individuals of the same species.

Example:

Different colors in male and female frogs.

This is:
✅ diversity within a species

Variation is important because natural selection can only occur if organisms are different.

Evidnece for evolution

Scientists use many kinds of evidence to support evolution. Evidence for evolution can be defined as, comparative embryology, molecular Biology, The fossil record and also geobiology. Evidence for evolution comes from these sources