B17 A Flashcards
What is evolution?
Change in the inherited characteristics of a population overtime through natural selection, which may result in a new species
Who first proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection?
Charles Darwin
What is the theory of evolution by natural selection?
All species of living things evolved from a common ancestor that develop billions of years ago
Describe lamarcks idea of inheritance
Organisms change over their lifetime and these characteristics can be inherited
Why was the theory of evolution by natural selection controversial?
Challenged the idea that God made all of earth’s animals and plants
Insufficient evidence at the time
Gene, inheritance and variation were not understood
What is speciation?
Gradual formation of new species as a result of evolution
What evidence supports the theory of evolution?
Parents pass on their Characteristics to offspring in genes
Fossil record evidence
Evolution of an antibiotic resistant bacteria
What did Mendel discover through breeding experiments on plants
Inheritance and characteristics is determined by units passed on unchanged to offspring
What are fossils?
Remains of organisms from millions of years ago found in rocks
How might fossils be formed?
Parts of an organism do not decay because the conditions needed for decay are absent
Traces of organisms are preserved
Parts of an organism are replaced by minerals
What are the benefits of the fossil record?
Can learn how species change and life developed on earth and contract the movement of species across the world
What are the problems with the fossil record?
Many early organisms with were soft bodies so left few fossils
Gaps in the fossil record as not all fossils have been found and some have been destroyed
What is extinction?
No individuals of a species are still alive
What is the binomial system?
Naming of organisms by their genus or species
What classification system did Carl woese Introduce
Three domain system of archaea, Bacteria and eukaryota
Why can bacteria evolve rapidly?
They reproduced at a fast rate
How do antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria develop?
Mutations that allow the strain to survive and reproduce
