Chapter 16: Darwin's Theory of Evolution

Question 0

What is a mutation?

Answer 0

heritable errors in DNA; ultimate source of variation

Question 1

What is variation?

Answer 1

difference in one or more characteristics in an organism

Question 2

What is fitness?

Answer 2

ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its specific environment

Question 3

What is an adaptation?

Answer 3

inherited characteristic that increases an organisms fitness level

Question 4

What is an environment?

Answer 4

surroundings/conditions an organism lives/operates

Question 5

What is evolution?

Answer 5

change over time

Question 6

What is natural selection?

Answer 6

results in evolution of inherited characteristics of a population for a higher fitness level

Question 7

What is a fossil?

Answer 7

preserved remains of an ancient organism

Question 8

What is artificial selection?

Answer 8

breeding of a an organism for desired traits

Question 9

What is common descent?

Answer 9

all organisms (alive or extinct) come from a common ancestor

Question 10

What is a theory?

Answer 10

well tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations

Question 11

What does a variation in fitness level lead to?

Answer 11

differential reproductive success

Question 12

At what level does biological evolution and natural selection occur?

Answer 12

population level

Question 13

What is a population?

Answer 13

interbreeding group of species

Question 15

Where do new traits come from?

Answer 15

mutations

Question 16

Who influenced Charles Darwin?

Answer 16

James Hutton, Thomas Malthus, and Charles Lyell

Question 17

What did James Hutton do?

Answer 17

proposed that gradual geological forces shape the planet and estimated Earth to be millions of years old

Question 18

What did Thomas Malthus do?

Answer 18

proposed that not every human can survive because more are being born than die

Question 19

What did Charles Lyell do?

Answer 19

proposed idea of uniformitarianism (geological processes we see today are the same ones that have shaped the Earth millions of years ago

Question 20

What is coevolution?

Answer 20

evolution of interacting species

Question 21

How old is the Earth?

Answer 21

4.56 B years old

Question 22

What is a homologous structure?

Answer 22

anatomical structures that have similarities between organisms even though they have different functions

Question 23

What is a vestigial structure?

Answer 23

anatomic structure that have lost their function (e. wisdom teeth)

Question 24

What is embryology?

Answer 24

similar patterns of embryological development prove common ancestor