1.3 Evolution and the Diversity of Life Flashcards
How has the current diversity of life come about? (1.3)
-All life is descended from one single ancestor
-Altered organisms are created through random mutations of genome
-Changes occur over time
Species that possesses an advantage are being passed down
-Some species are eliminated over time
What is the evolutionary relationship between humans and chimpanzees? (1.3)
- Human DNA is 98.8% identical to chimpanzee’s DNA
- Humans and chimpanzees share the same ancestor
What are the three domains of life? Which one do we belong to? (1.3)
- Prokaryotes: Domain bacteria & archaea
- Lack nucleus and membrane-found organelles, single-celled
- Archaea are similar to bacteria, both live in harsh environments
- Eukaryotes: Domain Eukarya
- Animals, plants, fungi
- Have a nucleus and membrane bound organelles, multicellular
- Small amounts of eukaryotic cells are single celled
What are some characteristics shared by all known life? How do these similarities provide evidence for evolution? (1.3)
- Similar chemistry
- Uses DNA, RNA, protein and other biological molecules the same way
- Made of cells
What observations led Charles Darwin to develop his theory of Natural Selection? (1.3)
- He observed there are a lot of variabilities for an animal
- The nature has too many populations that the environment can support, resulting in competition
- Observations were based on traveling around the world, mainly in Galapagos Islands in SA.
- Traits of species allowed them to fit into the environment
What were Darwin’s two main points in the “Origin of Species?” (1.3)
- Species accumulate different traits from their ancestors when adapt to different environments
- Natural selection is the cause of the accumulation of differences
What is Natural Selection/how does it work? (1.3)
Organisms with traits that are best suited for the environment will survive better, and passes on traits to the next generation. The characteristic of the population changes overtime.
