Ch 4 Test Flashcards
What does the fossil record do?
It organizes organisms by age and similarities. It also compares fossils to living organisms
What are two pieces of evidence that show that organisms have changed over time?
Fossils and living organisms
Describe one pathway through which a modern whale could have arisen from an ancient mammal
It was probably a mammal that walked on four legs. And environmental change required it to swim, so it eventually lost its legs through natural selection
How does comparing organisms provided that they have ancestors in common?
Csimilar characteristics usually shows they have a common ancestor. More common DNA equals a more recent common ancestor
How can you tell whether organisms are a member of the same species?
If they can meet to produce fertile offspring
Describe how somethings species of the Galapagos Islands developed adaptations in response to their environment
Some finches left the mainland and reach one of the islands. The finches reproduced and adapted to the environment. Some of the finches flew to a second island. These finches reproduced and adapted to the second islands environment. Some finches flew back to the first Island but could no longer interbreed with the finches there. (Division)This process may have occurred over and over
What evidence supports the hypothesis that the ancient ancestor of whales was a land mammal?
They have hip-bones and breathe air
What are the four parts of Charles Darwin’s process of natural selection?
- Overproduction
- Inherited variation
- Struggle to survive
- Successful reproduction
Explain how variation in each species occurs
A result of a combination of genetic information passed from parent to offspring
Where are the Galapagos Islands?
In the Pacific ocean, south of the equator, and south of Ecuador
What structural change occurred among the finches that help them adapt to their environment?
They each adapted different beaks depending on their prey
Why do only a limited number of individuals of a species live long enough to reproduce?
Because there isn’t enough resources for all of the organisms to survive so natural selection takes place
What is speciation? Give an outline
A group of a species get separated and evolves separately according to its new environment
How can parts of a population becomes separated?
The formation of a canyon, mountain range, or lake divides a population
