Evidence of Evolution Flashcards
A(n) ____ is any evidence of past life that is more than 10,000 years old.
fossil
Major geological and biological events of the past are used by scientists to describe the
geologic timescale
Common ancestry can be indicated by which of the following?
- homologous structures
- nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarities
Select all of the following that are true about molecular clocks.
- They can be used to estimate when humans and chimps diverged from a common ancestor.
- They use the mutation rate of genes to determine the time of divergence from a common ancestor.
Biogeography is the study of
the distribution of species across Earth.
____ dating involves assigning a specific age to a fossil by testing either the fossil or the sediments above and below it.
Absolute
Structures are called homologous if
the similarities between them reflect common ancestry.
Select all of the following that are true about vestigial structures.
- persist in related organisms even when no longer used
- include pelvic and hindlimb bones in whales
Organisms that do not share the same evolutionary lineage but have similar adaptations result from ____ evolution.
convergent
Anatomical structures that have similar functions but that evolved independently are called ____ structures.
analogous
Match each era with a major event that took place on Earth during that era.
Paleozoic Era – vascular plants appear
Mesozoic Era – dinosaurs appear
Cenozoic Era – humans appear
____ dating places fossils into a sequence of events without assigning a specific age.
Relative
Carbon-14 dating, a type of radiometric dating, uses ____ as a type of clock to measure the age of fossils.
isotopes
The surface of the Earth consists of several rigid layers called ____, which move in response to forces acting deep within the planet.
tectonic plates
Select all of the following that are homologous structures.
- middle ear bones of mammals and jaw-support bones in primitive fishes
- limbs of terrestrial vertebrates
What can you conclude about the evolution of chimpanzees and humans from the skull comparisons in the figure?
Although skulls in adults look different, comparisons at the fetal stage reveal homology.
Using the chart, select all of the statements that are accurate about the evolutionary relationships presented.
- Rabbits are more closely related to humans than cows are.
- Pigeons are more closely related to humans than bullfrogs are.
- Humans and chimps have the same amino acid sequence for the cytochrome c gene.
The study of fossil remains and other clues to past life on Earth is referred to as
Paleontology.
Rank the eras of the geologic timescale from the oldest (at the top) to the most recent (at the bottom).
- Paleozoic
- Mesozoic
- Cenozoic
The exact match in amino acid sequences of proteins found in closely related species is an example of how comparisons of ____ can indicate evolutionary relationships.
proteins
Select all the roles of plate tectonics in the distribution of organisms on Earth.
- mountain ranges emerge
- land that was underwater can be exposed
- oceans can separate continents that were once together
Select all of the following that explain why the fossil record is incomplete.
- Many fossils may never be discovered because they are buried deeply or submerged under water.
- Many organisms decomposed before they were buried in sediments.
- Erosion and movements of the Earth’s surface have destroyed many fossils that did form.
Select all of the following that are examples of convergent evolution.
- shape of shark fins and shape of dolphin flippers
- spines and modified stems of unrelated desert plants
- loss of pigmentation in cave animals
What has made the comparison of a few bases, one gene, or families of genes possible?
DNA sequencing
