*Chapter 4.2 Flashcards
What is a Scientific Hypothesis?
A statement that provides one possible answer to a question or observation
How are Hypotheses tested?
Through experiments, observations, and developing models from data
What happens when Hypotheses are consistently proven?
They are put into a statement called a Scientific Theory
What is Scientific Theory?
A general statement that explains and makes predictions about a broad range of observations
What is the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?
A well supported and accepted explanation about how life has changed and continues to change, during earth’s history
Who was apart of developing a theory for Earth’s changing?
Buffon Cuvier Lyell Lamarck Darwin
What did Greek Philosophers believe about life?
That is existed in perfect and unchanging form. They were created independently of one another and had remained unchanged?
What did Buffon believe about life?
- He wrote “Histoire Naturelle”
- Suggested that Earth was much older than 6000 years
- And that humans and Apes have common ancestors
Who discovered Paleontology?
Georges Cuvier
What is Paleontology?
The study of ancient life through the examination of fossils
Describe what was found through Paleontology?
- Each layer of rock was by a group of fossil species
- The deeper the stratum the more different the species are from modern life
What provided evidence that species could become extinct?
Species appeared and disappeared of the passage of time. Through looking through each stratum
What did Cuvier believe about extinction?
He believed that Earth experienced many destructive events called revolutions that killed many species
What did Lyell contribute?
- He believed geological processes happened at the same rates as they do today
- Slow subtle process that happen over a long period of time can be substantial changed
What did Lamarck believe?
- He thought species increased in complexity overtime until they achieved a level of perfection
- He also believed in inheritance of acquired characteristics
What is Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics?
Characteristics acquired during an organisms lifetime can be passed on and inherited by offspring
What helped Darwin and Wallace explain how populations changed overtime?
An essay by Thomas Malthus called The Principles of Population
What did Malthus propose in his essay?
Populations can be reduced by starvation or disease due to their environment
What did Darwin and Wallace believe about populations in their environments?
Individuals with certain traits that helped them survive were more likely to live and pass on these traits to offspring. And overtime the entire population would have these traits
what two ideas did Darwin propose in the Origin of Species?
- Present forms of life have arisen by descent and modification from an ancestral species
- The mechanism for modification is natural selection working for long periods of time
What are the evidences of Evolution?
- The Fossil Record
- Transitional Fossils
- Patterns of Distribution
- Anatomy
- Embryology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
How does the Fossil Record provide evidence for evolution?
They show history of life by showing that species were alive in the past
What type of evidence does the Fossil Record Provide?
- Fossils found in young layers are more similar to species alive today
- Fossils appear in chronological order
- Not all organisms appear at the same time
What are Transitional fossils?
Fossils that show intermediary links between groups of organisms
What do Transitional Fossils do?
They link past fossils with present organisms
What is Biogeography?
The study of the past and Present geographical distribution of organisms
What are Homologous Structures?
Structures that have similar structural elements and origin but different functions
What makes Homologous structures similar?
They were inherited from a common ancestor?
What are Analogous Structures?
Body parts that perform similar functions even though the organisms do not have a common evolutionary origin
How does Embryology provide evidence of Evolution?
Similar species have similarities in how embryos develop
What do all cells membranes consist of?
Water, Genetic Material, Proteins, Lipids and Carbohydrates
What controls biochemical reactions in organisms?
Enzymes
How proteins made in organisms?
They are synthesized from Amino Acids
What can all cells do in organisms?
Replicate DNA
What do does DNA demonstrate evolutions?
If species have similar DNA then they have common ancestors
