Evolution Flashcards
(85 cards)
What is the term used to describe the cumulative change in the heritable characteristics of a population?
Evolution
What type of adaptation is the thick body of an armadillo?
Structural/Physical
What type of adaptation is it when lizards voluntarily detach their tail when threatened?
Behavioural
What type of adaptation is the reduced heart rate/breathing of a ground squirrel in hibernation?
Physiological
What type of adaptation are the needles of a blue spruce tree?
Structural/Physical
What do adaptations result from?
Gradual change in characteristics of members within a population over time
Where do variations come from? (2)
Genetic mutaion and sexual repro.
What does a mutation on a red blood cell gene? What advantage does it provide if your a carrier that doesn’t have the disease?
Causes sickle cell anemia and carriers of the mutation who don’t have the disease have increased resistance to malaria.
What is antibiotic resistance?
When a mutation in a bacteria population survive to reproduce more bacteria with that antibiotic resistant mutation.
What is an example of survival of the fittest?
Natural selection, those which a deriable characteristic out live the rest when under a selective pressure.
Which two individuals developed hypotheses to explain natural selection?
Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace
What are three inferences of the theory of evolution?
- Individuals are in a constant struggle for survival. 2. Individuals with favourable variations are likely to survive and pass on these variations. Natural Selection. 3. Evolution results from favourable characteristics becoming more common.
Is survival random based on Charles Darwin?
No.
What animal did Darwin observe?
Finches
What is divergence?
One or more species arise from a parent species/ common ancestor?
How do fossils provide evidence for the theory of evolution?
Fossils found in upper rock layers resemble organisms alive today. Fossils appear in chronological order and not all organisms appear at the same time.
Why does divergence occur? How does divergence lead to seperate species?
In order to survive, members of the same species compete for resources and finding different niches can increase their chance of survival. When two divergent species are separated for a long enough time. they will adapt/change and interbreeding will no longer become possible.
What is an evidence of divergence?
Darwin noted that species in adjacent lands were more similar than species in similar biomes in other parts of the world.
What do transition fossils show?
Show intermediary links between groups of organisms.
What are homologous structures?
Similiar structural elements and origin but may have different function.
How does biogeography provide evidence for the theory of evolution?
Animals on islands often closely resemble animals found on the closest continent.
What are analogous structures?
Perform similar functions but do not have common evolutionary origins.
What is an example of analogous structures?
Bird wings, dragonfly wings, bat wings.
What is an example of homologous structures?
Human hand, frog leg, bat wing.