5-1-Learning objectives

Question 1

Define “natural selection”

Answer 1

In the struggle for existence, some individuals are more successful than others, allowing them to survive and reproduce.

Question 2

Define “adaptation”

Answer 2

Changes in behavior, physiology, and structure of an organism to become more suited to an environment.

Question 3

What are the main points of Darwin’s theory?

Answer 3

1. Adaptation: all organisms adapt to their environments.
2. Variation: all organisms are variable in their traits.
3. Over-reproduction: all organisms tend to reproduce beyond their environment’s capacity to support them.
4. Natural Selection: Since not all organisms are equally well adapted to their environments, some will survive and reproduce better than others.

Question 4

How do fossil records support evolution?

Answer 4

Fossils are imprints or remains of plants and animals that lived more than 10,000 years ago.
Fossil records from different sediment layers support evolution, because they show changes in some species over time and the extinction of many other species.