Chapter 5 - Evolution

Question 1

What is Species Diversity?

Answer 1

The number of different species in an ecosystem

Question 2

What is Genetic Diversity?

Answer 2

The amount of variation between individuals in a singular species

Question 3

What are the two main reasons we use Taxonomy?

Answer 3

1. To help identify organisms
2. To help scientists deal with the diversity of life and represent relationships between organisms

Question 4

What is a species?

Answer 4

A group of organisms with similar features who can interbreed with one another

Question 5

What is a Genus?

Answer 5

A classing or grouping of multiple similar species

Question 6

What is the order of Levels of classification from most broad to least broad?

Answer 6

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

Question 7

What is Eubacteria?

Answer 7

• No nucleus
  -True bacteria
  -Cell wall w/ peptidoglycan
  -Can reproduce asexually

Question 8

What is Archaea?

Answer 8

-No nucleus
-Not a true bacteria
-Some genes are closer related to humans than Eubacteria
-Cell wall without peptidoglycan

Question 9

What are two ways we define pieces of evidence for evolution we’ve found?

Answer 9

Direct (Fossils, continental drift)
Indirect (Biochemstry findings, Embryology)

Question 10

What is a half-life? How does this help with dating fossils?

Answer 10

A half-life is the time it takes for an isotope to turn into a stabler daughter isotope and decay. This helps with fossil dating because scientists can take a sample of fossil and see how decayed it is to give a window of how old the fossil

Question 11

The older the fossil the more _______ compared to its descendants

Answer 11

Primitive

Question 12

What are our three findings from fossil evidence?

Answer 12

1. Different species lived on earth at various times
2. The more complex an organism is, the further removed it is from its ancestor
3. Ancestors and descendants tend to live in the same geographical area

Question 13

What is a transitional fossil?

Answer 13

A fossil that acts as the ‘missing link’. A fossil that bridges the gap between an ancestral group and a group of descendants.

Question 14

Why might an acestor fossil not be located in the same place its descendant is?

Answer 14

They may have evolved pre-drift, meaning that the drift caused them to move geographically, and if it had not happened they’d be in the same geographical area

Question 15

What might a descendant being located in the same place as its ancestors tell you?

Answer 15

It may tell you it is relatively young, and evolved post-drift

Question 16

What does endemic mean?

Answer 16

Endemic means a species found in one location only

Question 17

Why might islands have little to no native mammals or reptiles?

Answer 17

Because mammals and reptiles would have a difficult time getting to the island compared to winged organisms who would be easily able to get there and evolve from there.

Question 18

What is a homologous feature?

Answer 18

Features with similar structure from the same ancestor with different present functions.
Bird wing vs. Human arm

Question 19

What is an analogous feature

Answer 19

A feature that has similar uses but different structures. They did not come from a common ancestor.
Dragon fly wing vs. Bird wing

Question 20

How does embryonic development point towards evolution?

Answer 20

There are homologoues features in the womb, such as tails that turn into tail bones. We share these embryonic feature with many other closely related species. This points towards us being from a common ancestor

Question 21

What is a vestigial feature?

Answer 21

A feature that does not have any use anymore. Like an appendix, or hip bone in a whale. The hip bone points towards whales coming from an ancestor that may have walked on all fours, pointing towards a common ancestor

Question 22

Would the sequence of the amino acid in a protein be able to tell you if two organisms are closely related?

Answer 22

Yes

Question 23

What would be a vestigial gene?

Answer 23

A vestigial gene is genes an organism might have, but may be defective and unable to carry out their task.
E.g; humans have a gene to create our own Vitamin C, but we have no need to create or any need for vitamin C

Question 24

What was Lamarcks theory?

Answer 24

An organism could will itself to change to its environment, and that change would be passed down onto the next generation

Question 25

Why was Lamarck wrong?

Answer 25

Use or disuse of a feature does not change the genetic makeup of an organism. And the Genetic makeup is what gets passed down to the next generation

Question 26

What were four points Darwin discovered?

Answer 26

1. Species descended from fossils
2. Species evolve differently if isolated
3. Species evolve differently depending on the environment
4. Fossils may be moved by geological forces

Question 27

What are the five points of Natural Selection?

Answer 27

1. Overproduction
2. Competition
3. Variation
4. Natural selection
5. Inheritance of successful traits

Question 28

What are mutations?

Answer 28

Changes in the coding of DNA

Question 29

How do mutations occur?

Answer 29

Environmental changes, radiation, and in the duplication of cells

Question 30

When is mutation a big deal?

Answer 30

In large populations with high reproductive rates

Question 31

What are three misconceptions about mutations?

Answer 31

“Mutation occurs when needed”
- No it will not
“Evolution is pure chance”
- Pur chance and Surivival of the fittest
“Harmful mutations will accumulate”
- No, they are not in favor of nature and will quickly be snuffed out