chapter 1: intro

Question 1

theory of evolution

Answer 1

-living things change gradually over time
-adaptation through natural selection
-challenges view of special creation

Question 2

special creation

Answer 2

direct creation of things in their present form

Question 3

conclusions about evolution verified by science

Answer 3

-gradual change over time
-lineages split by speciation results in biodiversity
-common ancestors
-adaptation through natural selection

Question 4

biodiversity

Answer 4

-variety of life on earth
-number and kinds of living organisms in a given area
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Question 5

adaptation

Answer 5

-trait that makes an organism better able to survive or reproduce (state)
-evolutionary process that leads to the origin and maintenance of such traits (process)

Question 6

evolutionary history

Answer 6

-macroevolution
-evolutionary relationships in terms of common ancestry
-long-term patterns in evolution

Question 7

evolutionary mechanisms

Answer 7

-microevolution
-processes responsible for evolutionary change
-focus on population level
-experimental and comparative studies of population genetics and ecology

Question 8

approaches used in evolutionary biology

Answer 8

-observational: describe and quantify
-theoretical: verbal, graphical, mathematical, computational models
-comparative: same data from many species
-experimental: manipulate system to address a specific hypothesis, experimental design and statistical analysis

Question 9

scientific theories

Answer 9

-supported by empirical evidence
-testable and falsifiable hypotheses
-principles inferred from observation and experimentation