EOC REVIEW: Evolution Flashcards
What is evolution?
Evolution is the process by which species of organisms change over time.
What is microevolution?
Microevolutions are small-scale changes within a species that happen within a short time.
What is macroevolution?
Macroevolutions are large-scale changes that occur over long periods.
How do we support the theory of evolution?
Fossils, DNA, Biogeography, Structures, and Embryology.
How does fossil evidence prove the theory of evolution?
Fossil records provide chronological patterns of change.
How does DNA evidence prove the theory of evolution?
Similar DNA sequences between different species suggest a common ancestor.
How does biogeography prove the theory of evolution?
Patterns of distribution show that species evolved differently in different environments.
How does embryology prove the theory of evolution?
Early emebryos of different species look very similar, showing common structures.
What are homologous structures?
They are body parts that are similar in different species because they were inherited from a common ancestor.
What is an example of a homologous structure?
Human arm, bat wing, whale flipper: different functions, similar structures
What is an analogous structure?
It is a body part that performs similar functions in different species but are not inherited from a common ancestor.
What is an example of an analogous structure?
Wings of birds and wings of insects
What is a vestigial structure?
It is a body part that performs similar functions in different species but are not inherited from a common ancestor.
What is an example of a vestigial structure?
Human appendix, whale pelvic bone
What is geographic distribution?
Species were split apart over time because of the split of Pangaea, but they are related, even if they are across the world from each other.
What is molecular biology?
It is the idea that all life once shared a common ancestor.
