Darwin And Wallace Flashcards
what is Darwin’s theory of evolution
- all species arise and develop
- through the natural selection of small inherited variations
- that increase its ability to survive
what are some examples used to support darwin’s theory
- fossils and their change overtime
- peppered moths and their camouflage
- resistant bacteria
what are the 3 abilites natural selection increases
- ability to survive
- reproduce
- and compete
what is the pentadactyl limb and what does it suggest
- it is a bone structure of 5 ‘fingers’
- because many vertebrates have pentadactyl limbs it suggests that we all come from a common ancestor
how do horses support the theory of vertebrates having a common ancestor
- because they used to have pentadactyl limb
- scientists look that the fossil record of horses and can trace them to a point when they had ‘fingers’ 40 million years ago
how do the differences of the pentadactyl limb in different species support evolution by natural selection
- the fact that many species have pentadactyl limbs
- but usually for a different function
- supports the theory of animals living in different environments evolving overtime
- to survive in it, which could include changing the limb.
who was charles darwin
the guy that came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection
what did charles darwin do which lead him to his discoveries
- he spent 5 years on a voyage around the world
- studying plants and animals on a ship called the HMS Beagle
what did charles darwin notice on his expedition
- that there was variation in members of the same species
- and that those who had characteristics most suited to the environment were more likely to survive
what was the second thing charles darwin noticed on his expedition
that characteristics were passed on to off spring
what did darwin write in which he explained his discoveries
the book called the theory of evolution by natural selection
who was alfred russell wallace
a scientist working at the same time as darwin
what did wallace to similarly to darwin
he also came up with the idea of natural selection, independent of darwin
what did russell and darwin do together
- they published their papers on evolution together and acknowledged each other’s work
- although they didnt always agree on the mechanisms involved in natural selection
what did wallace’s observations do and what is an example of them
- they provided a lot of evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection
- he realised that warning colours were used by some butterfly species to deter predators from eating them
- an example of a beneficial characteristic that evolved from natural selection
why is darwin better remembered than wallace
- because of darwin’s famous book ‘On the origin of the species’ published in 1859 which made scientist pay attention to the theory
- in the book, darwin gave lots of evidence supporting the theory and expanded on it
- which is why he is more remembered
what has darwin’s and wallace’s work allowed us to understand today
- that all life changes through the process of evolution
- and that all the evidence suggests that we have all descended from a common ancestor
what are the three different areas of biology that darwin and wallace have influenced
- classification
- antibiotic resistance
- conservation
how have darwin and wallace influenced classification
- if all living organisms have descended from a common ancestor
- then we are all elated in some way
- so we now classify organisms based on how closely related they are
how have darwin and wallace influenced antibiotic resistance
- we now understand the importance of finishing the course of drugs to prevent resistant bacteria spreading
- and we know we need to constantly develop antibiotics to fight against newly evolved resistant bacteria
how have darwin and wallace influenced conservation
- we now understand the importance of genetic diversity
- and how it helps populations adapt to changing environments
- this has led to conservation projects to protect species
