Evolution Flashcards
What does Darwin’s theory of evolution explain?
How life on Earth has changed over geological time.
How is Darwin’s theory of evolution supported?
Fossils and rapid changes that can be seen to occur in micro-organisms such a antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
What is the basic idea behind the theory of evolution?
Different species have developed over time from different life forms.
Why do some people not agree with Darwin’s theory of evolution?
It conflicted with religious views that God made all the animals and plants on Earth.
He did not have enough evidence at the time to convince many scientists.
It took 50 years after Darwin’s theory was published to discover how inheritance and variation worked.
What did Jean-Baptiste Lamarck’s theory involve?
A characteristic which is used more and more by an organism becomes bigger and stronger, and one that is not used eventually disappears.
Any feature of an organism that is improved through use is passed to it’s offspring.
Why can’t Lamarck’s theory count for all the observations made about life on Earth?
His theory implies that all organisms would gradually become complex and simple organisms disappear.
How can different organisms be classified?
By studying their similarities and differences?
How does evolution happen according to the theory of evolution?
Natural selection.
What are the key points for natural selection?
Individuals in a species show a wide range of variation. (because of differences in their genes)
Individuals with characteristics most suited to the environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.
The genes that allow these individuals to be successful are passed on to their offspring.
What is important to remember about variation?
Variation can be caused by both genes and the environment. But it is only variation caused by genes that can be passed on to the next generation.
What do mutations cause?
Changes in genes.
