Evolution Flashcards
What is theory of evolution?
Life on Earth began 3 billion years ago with simple organisms from which all more complex organisms evolved.
How does natural selection work?
1) Individuals within a space show variation from differences in their genes.
2) Individuals with characteristics that make them better adapted to their environment have a better chance of survival and therefore are more likely to successfully breed.
3) The useful genes are more likely to be passed on. Over time, the useful gene because predominant in the species.
What is a mutation?
A change in an organism’s DNA. They are usually ineffectual but can lead to the development of useful characteristics.
Give three reasons why Darwin’s theory of natural selection was seen as controversial.
- It went against creationism
- Darwin couldn’t show how mutations took place because genes hadn’t been discovered
- There hadn’t been many studies into how organisms change over time
Describe Jean-Baptiste Lamarck’s theory on evolution.
If a characteristic was used a lot by an organism then it would become more developed over time. These “desired characteristics” would then be passed on to offspring.
What is classification?
Looking at the similarities and differences between organisms in order to put them into groups.
What are evolutionary relationships?
How living things are related. Species with similar characteristics often share a recent common ancestor making them closely related.
How can evolutionary relationships be displayed?
By using an evolutionary tree.
Give an example of an ecological relationship.
Competition
