Principles of Evolution Flash Cards

Evolution

The change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

Scientific Theory

A well-substantiated explanation acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation.

False

The scientific Theory of Evolution does not explain how life began; it explains how life changes and evolves over time.

Lamarck's Theory

Lamarck claimed that organisms evolve through the inheritance of acquired characteristics.

Uniformitarianism

The geological principle that the same processes operating today also operated in the past, suggesting an ancient and changing Earth.

Earth's age

Today’s scientists theorize the Earth is actually around 4.5 billion years old.

HMS Beagle

The ship on which Charles Darwin made observations that contributed to his theory of evolution.

Interspecies Variations

Differences between species, while intraspecies variations refer to variations within the same species.

Adaptation

A trait that enhances an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment. Example: Darwin observed the beak sizes of finches.

Natural Selection

The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Survival of the Fittest

A phrase that sums up the concept of natural selection; it refers to the survival of individuals with the most advantageous traits.

Fitness

The ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Giraffe Evolution

Lamarck believed that giraffes' necks lengthened as they stretched to reach high leaves, while Darwin believed natural selection favored longer-necked giraffes.

Natural Selection Principles

The four principles are Variation, Overproduction, Adaptation, and Descent with Modification.

Darwin’s Finches

Darwin studied variations among finches on the Galapagos Islands, concluding they adapted their beaks based on available food sources.

Peter and Rosemary Grant

Ecologists whose research on finches demonstrated observable evolution in action, supporting Darwin’s conclusions.