(Chapter 2.1) Explaining biodiversity

Question 1

Define evolution

Answer 1

The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth

Question 2

Recall the Lamarckian Theory

Answer 2

An organism can pass on to its offspring physical characteristics that the parent organism acquired through use or disuse during its lifetime

Question 3

Define fossil

Answer 3

The remain or impression of a prehistoric organism embedded in rock and preserved in petrified form

Question 4

Identify how many finches did Darwin discover

Answer 4

There are 13 Darwin’s finches

Question 5

Describe the age and environment of the eastern Galapagos Islands

Answer 5

The eastern-most islands are the
oldest, with substantial plant growth and weathering

Question 6

Describe the age and environment of the western Galapagos Islands

Answer 6

The western-most islands are the youngest and are still volcanically active and dry

Question 7

Identify the main difference between the Darwin’s Finches

Answer 7

The shape and size of the beak

Question 8

Identify the adaption of tortoises that live on the dry Galapagos islands and the purpose of the adaption

Answer 8

Tortoises that live on dry islands have shells that are raised at the front so the tortoises can reach up for vegetation.

Question 9

Identify the adaption of tortoises that live on lush Galapagos islands and the purpose of the adaption

Answer 9

Tortoises that live on islands with dense vegetation have domed shells to help them push through the shrubbery

Question 10

Define artificial selection

Answer 10

A type of selection where humans breed for desirable traits in agricultural products or animals, rather than leaving the species to evolve and change gradually without human interference

Question 11

Recall what artificial selection is also known as

Answer 11

Artificial selection is also known as selective breeding

Question 12

Define natural selection

Answer 12

The differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype

Question 13

Define sexual selection

Answer 13

When members of one biological sex choose mates of the other sex to mate with and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex

Question 14

True or False: “Sexual selection is a type of natural selection”

Answer 14

True

Question 15

Define sexual dimorphism

Answer 15

The systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species

Question 16

Evolution by natural selection occurs as a result of…

Answer 16

Competition whether it might be competition for food, shelter, or mates

Question 17

Recall the observations Darwin made in his book “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”

Answer 17

• Individuals in a species vary
• Much of the variation is heritable
• Reproductive capacity is greater than needed
• Resources are limited

Question 18

Recall the inferences Darwin made from his observations in his book “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”

Answer 18

• There is a struggle for existence
• Individuals best suited to the environment (the ‘fittest’ individuals) survive and reproduce
• Over time, this results in populations adapting to the environment and can lead to new species

Question 19

Recall the conclusions Darwin established in his Theory of Evolution

Answer 19

• Species change over time
• Some species become extinct
• Some species keep diverging, splitting eventually into multiple descendent species – ‘common descent’.

Question 20

Recall what Wallace’s Line is

Answer 20

Wallace’s Line is an imaginary line that separates the different fauna between Asia and Australia

Question 21

Define biogeography

Answer 21

The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time

Question 22

Define speciation

Answer 22

The evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species