Chapter Two - Natural Philosophy to Darwin Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

Why are the galapagos islands special?

A

Some species here exist nowhere else in the world, and they provide a tiny, isolated island for scientists to study evolution in a controlled environment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is the “Great Chain of Being”?

A

A concept, an old one, stating that organisms are arranged on a scale of lower to higher life forms. I.E, more complex forms were more advanced. Plants were lowest, as they could only grow, and animals were above them. Humans domianted over all because of their ability to think and reason.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What was the issue with the “Great Chain of Being” theory?

A

It described hierarchies, but could not account for how certain species, like marigolds and lillies, both plants, were similar to each other. Naturalists developed a systematic way for classifying species.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is a taxa?

A

A group of organisms that belong to a cohesive unit, such as species or orders.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is taxonomy?

A

The science of naming, describing, and classifying organisms.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What did Linnaeus do?

A

Organized all living beings at the time into groups, known as taxa. He did this by assigning every species to a genus, family, or order using the traits it shared with others. He even predicted that species that were close or had lots of similar traits could interbreed (which is mostly true!)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What did Steno do?

A

He compared certain triangular rocks, called tongue stones, with the teeth of living sharks, and determined they were shark’s teeth turned to stone over time. He also defended the fact that he found these teeth on mountain tops by pushing the idea that these mountains were once covered by ocean.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is stratigraphy?

A

The study of layering in rock.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Why does extinction conflict with the theory of the “Great Chain of Being?”

A

Extinction implied that there would be gaps in the chain, so it was met with resistance.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What did James Hutton discover?

A

He said rain erodes rock, and volcanos push up new ones - he argued these changes were very tiny, but could build up to be huge over time. He figured that the Earth must be vastly old, then. In the 1800s geologists agreed the earth had been formed slowly over a long period of time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What did Lamarck believe?

A

While he was the first to believe in “evolution” as an explanation for diversity, he still believed in complexity being an indicator for how advanced life was - complex species descended from simple ones. He also believed microbes spontaneously appeared, and that individual animals could adapt during their lifetime and pass it off to offspring.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is uniformitarianism?

A

The idea that natural laws around us now are also relevant for events in the past - like the idea that Earth has been gradually shaped by erosion and volcanic activity.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are homologous characteristics?

A

Characteristics similar in two or more species because they are inherited from a common ancestor.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly