Chapter 14 Darwin and Evolution
36 test answers
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answers 36question
theory of uniformitarianism
answer
maintained the extreme geological changes could be caused by slow, natural processes. This suggested that the Earth must be very old, much older than most people believed at the time.
Unlock the answer
question
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829)
answer
offered explanations for the changes in organisms between geological strata found in rocks. published theory of evolution. believed that the environment can bring about inherited change
Unlock the answer
question
theory of evolution
answer
the inheritance of acquired characteristics
Unlock the answer
question
Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)
answer
wrote an essay on human population growth that influenced Darwin, each generation has the same reproductive potential as the previous generation, individuals experience a constant struggle for survival
Unlock the answer
question
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
answer
Naturalist on The Beagle that made observations along the coast of S. America and the Galapagos Islands. Published the Origin of the Species. Held two primary beliefs that life \"descended with modification\" and that this was due to the process of natural selection.
Unlock the answer
question
Darwin's Finches
answer
Darwin speculated that all of the different species could have descended from a single pair of mainland finch. Helped Darwin to formulate his ideas about evolution by means of natural selection
Unlock the answer
question
Adaptive Radiation
answer
population changes as it occupies different habitats within a region
Unlock the answer
question
major points of Darwin's theories
answer
natural populations remain fairly constant in size, natural resources are limited, there is variation within individuals of a population and some of these variations are inherited, only some organisms survive, there is a struggle for existence among individuals in a population, individuals with favorable variations are more likely to survive and reproduce, accumulation of inheritable variation in a population over many generations is evolution
Unlock the answer
question
artificial selection
answer
selective breeding, domesticated plants and animals
Unlock the answer
question
fitness
answer
the relative reproductive success of an individual
Unlock the answer
question
morphological-anatomical adaptations
answer
modifications in form and structure that enhance survival
Unlock the answer
question
biochemical-physiological adaptations
answer
modifications in the production and use of chemicals by organisms
Unlock the answer
question
behavioral adaptations
answer
modifications in animal interactions with others and environment
Unlock the answer
question
species
answer
group of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups, cannot mate with a different species and produce fertile offspring
Unlock the answer
question
Alfred Russel Wallace
answer
independently discovered the idea of evolution by means of natural selection
Unlock the answer
question
phenotype
answer
a physical function, bodily characteristic, or action of an organism
Unlock the answer
question
genotype
answer
the genetic makeup of an individual (determines phenotype)
Unlock the answer
question
fossil record
answer
reveals transitional links between different organismal groups, comparing fossils from ancestors with today's species demonstrates species have evolved
Unlock the answer
question
evidence for evolution
answer
fossils, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, molecular evidence
Unlock the answer
question
how old is earth?
answer
known to be about 4.6 billion years old
Unlock the answer
question
erosion
answer
deposits thick layers of sediment which eventually form sedimentary rocks
Unlock the answer
question
sedimentary rocks
answer
form new land and can expose fossils
Unlock the answer
question
fossil evidence
answer
fossils record the history of life from the past, document a succession of life forms from the simple to the more complex, sometimes the fossil record is complete enough to show descent from an ancestor
Unlock the answer
question
homologous structures
answer
anatomically similar because they are inherited from a common ancestor, may be functionally similar or not ( the wing of a bat, part of a whale, arm of a human)
Unlock the answer
question
analogous structures
answer
serve the same form and function, not constructed similarly, do not share a common ancestor (bats, birds, penguins)
Unlock the answer
question
vestigal structures
answer
fully-developed anatomical structures, reduced or obsolete function, not needed
Unlock the answer
question
convergent evolution
answer
occurs when different organisms acquire similar adaptations (shark and dolphin)
Unlock the answer
question
phylogeny
answer
evolutionary history of an organism
Unlock the answer
question
phylogeny tree
answer
shows pattern of evolutionary relationships, branches represent evolution over time, nodes represent common ancestors
Unlock the answer
question
evolutionary change
answer
living organisms have evolved from the same origin event. the diversity of life is the result
Unlock the answer
question
evolutionary conservation
answer
critical characteristics of early organisms are preserved and passed on to future generations
Unlock the answer
question
when did the first primate first appear?
answer
about 60 million years ago
Unlock the answer
