evolution Flashcards
Hypothesis
A testable statement about the natural world
Theory
A well sustained explanation of some aspect of the natural world
Evolution
The change over time in biological characteristics over generations
Charles Lyell
stated that the process that shaped Earth in the past continue today
Jean Baptiste Lamarck
Idea that an organism slowly accquired or lost certain traits during its lifetime that is passed down
Charles Darwin
Made a voyage and discovered evolution by natural selection
Natural selection
1.More offspring are produced then can possibly survive
2.Traits vary among individuals
3.Trait differences are heritable
Adaptive radiation
A process in which organisms diversify rapidly, usually when there is a difference in enviornment
Modern Theory of Evolution
mutations in DNA lead to new genes
Homologus structures
structures that have different forms and purposes in different organisms but the same makeup
Analogous Structures
Function is similar but the structure is different (bird wing & butterfly wing)
vestigial structures
homologus structures that do not serve Important functions and eventually reduce in size
similarities in embryology
Early stages of development embryos look similar but eventually fade away
Transitional species
fossils show clear transition from one species
