Biology Chapter 15 Flashcards
What was Darwin looking for when he set out on his journey around the world?
A scientific explanation for the diversity of life on Earth.
What is the process where modern organisms descend from ancient organisms?
Evolution
What are fossils?
The preserved remains of ancient organisms.
What was a common difference in birds on the Galápagos Islands?
They all had differently shaped beaks.
Who were the two main scientists who helped Darwin and other recognize how old the Earth is?
James Hutton and Charles Lyell.
Who proposed that geological processes are extremely slow and that layer of rock are moved by forces under Earth’s surface?
James Hutton.
What main thing did Charles Lyell stress that scientists must do?
Explain past events with events that are happening in the present.
What elements made up Lamarck’s theory of evolution?
Species constantly adapt to their environment and gain new features that help them live more successfully. These features are passed on to the species’ offspring.
What were the beliefs of Malthus?
He believed that war, famine, and disease limit population growth.
True or false: Darwin waited years before he published his ideas.
True
What were some contents of Darwin’s book “On the Origin of Species?”
Evidence of evolution and the idea of natural selection.
What are differences among individuals of a species?
Natural variation.
What is fitness?
The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its specific environment.
What is an adaptation?
Any inherited characteristic that increases an organism’s chances for survival.
What is another phrase for natural selection?
Survival of the fittest
What is artificial selection?
The process of humans breeding animals that they find useful, also called selective breeding.
What is meant by the phrase struggle for existence?
Members of species compete regularly for essential resources.
What did Darwin mean by the phrase “survival of the fittest?”
The individuals that are better suited for their environment survive and reproduce more successfully.
What is the principle that living species descend, with changes, from other species over time?
Descent with modification.
What does the phrase common descent mean?
The principle that all species were derived from other species over time.
What are five forms of evidence for evolution?
Fossils Geographic distribution of living species Homologous body structures Similarities in embryology DNA
How do fossils in different rock layers provide evidence for evolution?
Different rock layers show age of fossils and the fossils can come together to form a timeline of a species.
What are homologous structures?
Structures that have different mature forms but develop from the same embryonic tissue.
What are organs that are so reduced in size that they are just vestiges, or traces, of homologous organs in other species?
Vestigial organs.
