History — Geological Maps, Darwin, and Early Evolution Concepts (Lecture Flashcards)

A set of practice flashcards covering key topics from the lecture notes on continental drift, early geology, Darwin, natural selection, and related concepts.

What explains the warm and wet climate Iowa had 300 million years ago according to the lecture?

Continental movements; Iowa lay near the Paleo Equator (about 10 degrees), so it was very warm and very wet.

Who published the first geological map of Great Britain and when was it published?

William Smith; 1799 (early 1800s).

Why was mining in early Britain typically done by hand rather than with power tools?

Ventilation underground was poor and fumes were dangerous; miners lacked well-ventilated spaces and steam engines couldn't be used underground.

Which giant fossil skeleton did Napoleon invest in describing, and when was it described?

The giant sloth; described in 1796.

Who reconstructed the mammoth in 1812?

Georges Cuvier.

What were the main limitations for early underwater divers described in the notes?

There were no gasoline engines to supply compressed air; air had to be pumped from the surface, limiting depth to around 20 meters.

Who is credited in the notes with the concept of falsification in science?

Karl Hopper.

What is the basic idea of falsification of scientific theories?

Scientific hypotheses must be testable and could be proven wrong by observations or experiments.

What is Darwin's first key observation about populations?

Populations vary in the wild.

What is Darwin's second key observation about traits?

Traits can be passed from parents to offspring.

What is Darwin's third key observation about traits and reproduction?

Some traits increase reproductive fitness, while others do not.

What is Darwin's fourth key observation about population growth and environment?

Species produce more offspring than the environment can support.

How is 'reproductive fitness' defined in the notes?

The number of offspring that survive to reproduce.

Why is the number of seeds not the sole determinant of reproductive success in plants?

Because many seeds fail to become offspring; only those that survive to reproduce contribute to reproductive fitness.

How did Darwin relate artificial selection (in crops and breeds) to natural selection?

He showed that selective breeding for desired traits parallels natural selection where certain traits increase fitness in the wild.

What is an example Darwin used to illustrate selection in domesticated plants involving peaches?

Grafting a mutant peach branch that lacks fuzz onto peach trees to propagate fuzzless peaches.

What was the British Agricultural Revolution about, according to the notes?

A period (roughly 1600s–1800s) of rapid improvements in animal breeding and horticulture that created new varieties and supported industrial labor.

What economist's idea influenced Darwin's thinking by describing how population grows relative to resources?

Thomas Malthus; the idea that more resources enable more offspring, shaping Darwin's theory.

What distinction does the notes make between development and evolution?

Organisms develop and change as they grow; evolution occurs in populations over generations.