chapter 15 Flashcards
What is evolution?
The process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.
Who is Charles Darwin?
A naturalist who sailed around the world on H.M.S. Beagle for 5 years and proposed a revolutionary hypothesis about life changes over time.
What did Darwin observe regarding patterns of diversity?
Organisms are well suited for their environments and do not exist in similar ecosystems despite similar conditions.
Give an example of Darwin’s observation on diversity.
No kangaroos in England, no rabbits in Australia.
What did Darwin find regarding living organisms and fossils?
Fossils that resembled living organisms and organisms he had never seen before.
Where are the Galapagos Islands located?
West of South America.
What climatic differences exist in the Galapagos Islands?
Higher islands have greater rainfall and more variety of plants and animals; lower islands are hot and dry with little vegetation.
What differences did Darwin note in tortoises on the Galapagos Islands?
Neck size for reaching tall plants.
What differences did Darwin observe in birds on the Galapagos Islands?
Beak shape for different food sources.
Who were Hutton and Lyell?
Scientists who helped recognize that Earth is millions of years old.
What was Hutton’s contribution to geology?
Hypothesized that geological changes occur slowly over millions of years.
What did Lyell publish that influenced Darwin?
Principle of Geology.
What was Jean-Baptiste Lamarck known for?
Publishing theories of Inheritance of Acquired Traits in 1809.
What did Lamarck realize about organisms?
Organisms adapted to their environment.
What is the first theory proposed by Lamarck?
Tendency towards perfection.
What does the ‘Tendency towards perfection’ theory suggest?
All organisms strive to become perfect and continually change to acquire successful features.
What is the second theory proposed by Lamarck?
Use and disuse.
Explain the ‘Use and disuse’ theory.
Organisms can alter the shape and size of an organ based on its usage.
What is the third theory proposed by Lamarck?
Inheritance of Acquired Traits.
Fill in the blank: If an organism altered its traits during its lifetime, it could pass them on to its _______.
offspring.
What was a major flaw in Lamarck’s theories?
He lacked the knowledge of genes and how traits are inherited.
How did Lamarck contribute to the concept of evolution?
He was one of the first to explain how organisms change over time despite his flawed theories.
