Evolution Flashcards
What is evolution
Change in the inherited characteristics of a population over time through natural selection which may result in a new species
Who first proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection
Charles Darwin
What is the theory of evolution by natural selection
All species of living things evolved from a common ancestor that developed billions of years ago
What is evolution
The gradual change in the inherited characteristics of a population over time through natural selection
Explain the process of natural selection
Organisms within a species show a wide range of variation in phenotype
Individuals with characteristics most suited to the environment are more likely to survive and breed successfully
These characteristics are then passed on to their offspring
Who first proposed the theory of evolution of evolution by natural selection
Charles Darwin
What is the theory of evolution by natural selection
All species of living things evolved from a common ancestor that developed billions of years ago
Describe Lamark’s idea of inheritance
Organisms change over their lifetimes and these characteristics can be inherited
What was the theory of evolution by natural selection controversial
Challenged the idea that God made all of Earth’s animals and plants
Insufficient evidence at the time
Genes, inheritance, and variation were not understood
What is the evidence to support evolution
It has been shown that characteristics are passed to offspring in gene
Evidence from fossil records
Evolution of antibiotics resistance in bacteria
What is speciation
Gradual formation of a new species as a result of evolution
Who is best known for his work on the theory of evolution
Alfred Russel Wallace
What is extinction
When there are no remaining individuals of a species still alive
Explain the process of speciation
Two populations of one species are isolated
Natural selection occurs so that the better adapted individuals reproduce and pass on these different characteristics
The populations have an increasing number of genetic mutations as they adapt to their different environments
Eventually the two populations are so genetically different they cannot breed to produce fertile offspring
What factors lead to extinction
New predators
New diseases or pathogens
Increase competition for resources or mates
Catastrophic events
Changes to environment
Explain the process of fossilisation
Reptile dies and falls to the ground
The flesh decays, leaving the skeleton to be covered in sand or soil and clay before it is damaged
Protected over millions of years, the skeleton becomes mineralised and turns to rocks. The rocks shift in the Earth with the fossils trapped inside
Eventually the fossil emerges as the rocks move and erosion take solace
What are fossils
The remains of organisms from millions of years ago which are found in rocks
What can fossils be formed from
Parts of an organism that cannot decay due to conditions needed for a decay are absent
Hard parts of an organism when placed by minerals
Preservation of the traces of organism - footprints
What are the benefits of a fossil record
Tell scientists how species have changed over time
Allow us to understand how life has developed
Can track the movement of a species or it’s ancestors
What are the problems with fossil records
Many early organisms were soft bodied so most decayed before producing fossils
Gaps in the fossil records as not all have been found or destroyed by geological/human activity
List the binomial system of genus and species
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Who created the binomial system of genus and species and what is it used for
Carl Linnaeus
Used to classify living things into groups based on their structure and characteristics
What are evolutionary trees and what are they used for
Uses current classification data for living organisms and fossil data for extinct organisms to show how scientists believe organism are elated
What classification system did Carl Woese introduce
Three domain system of Archea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota
