5.1 Evidence for Evolution Flashcards
5.1.U1 When does evolution occur?
Evolution occurs when heritable characteristics of a species change.
5.1.U2 What is the fossil record?
The fossil record provides evidence for evolution
5.1.U1 What is evolution?
The cumulative change in the heritable characteristics of a population.
5.1 Name three pieces of evidence for evolution
Fossil Records, Homologous Structures, Selective Breeding
5.1.U2 How are fossils formed?
As layers of sedimentary rock are put down, the inorganic components of plants, animals and prokaryotes are preserved.
5.1.U2 What is a fossil?
A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of any organism from the remote past.
5.1.U2 What are the two types of fossils?
Indirect and Direct
5.1.U2 Name three examples of an indirect fossil
Footprints, tooth marks, burrows
5.1.U2 Name three examples of a direct fossil
Bones, teeth, shells
5.1.U2 What is a transitional fossil?
Shows the links between groups or species by exhibits traits common to both the ancestral group/species and its derived descendant group/species.
what example represents homologous structures?
the appendix in humans and horses
what can be used as evidence for evolution
homologous structures and selective breeding
Explain why the development of melanistic insects in polluted areas can be used as evidence in support of the theory of evolution.
Before the industrial revolution, the environment was largely unpolluted and the lighter moth had a survival advantage
Following the industrial revolution, the environment became heavily polluted, conferring a survival advantage to the darker moth
Outline the evidence for evolution provided by fossils.
Fossils provide evidence for the existence of now-extinct past species. Fossils can help scientists reconstruct the evolutionary histories of present-day species by providing evidence of the species changing over time
