Evolution Flashcards
In medieval Europe, the church explained evolution away with ______ _________ because they wanted to remain in power
divine design
The 17th century can be considered an age of ____________ for science
enlightenment
People who go through stress can have their DNA changed through methylation that can be passed on to their ________. However, this is not true evolution as you are not changing DNA, only silencing it
offspring
What are 2 competing theories and how life came about?
Divine creation vs Evolution
What is the modern definition of evolution?
The change in heritable characteristics over generations in biological populations
What are 4 early evolution theories?
- Animals trapped in bark sprang out of the sea. As land emerged, they would break free
- Animals formed when different elements of earth combined. Only well-formed bodies survived
- Organisms adapt to have the best chance of surviving, but did not evolve from existing species
- God created everything in the exact form it is now
Who is Carl Linnaeus? What did he contribute to science?
One of the founders of modern Ecology and the father of modern taxonomy
He formalized binomial nomenclature
What is taxonomy?
The science of naming, defining, and classifying group of organisms on shared characteristics
Organisms are grouped into taxa. Each group is given a taxonomic rank, creating a hierarchy
How did taxonomy help form evolutionary theories?
Similar organisms could have the same origin or have evolved from one to another
What is the difference between convergent and divergent evolution?
Convergent: Non-related organisms evolve similar traits from having to adapt to similar environments
Parallel: 2+ independent lineages have evolved new similar traits so that the descendants, just like their ancestors, resemble each other
What was Lamarck’s theory of evolution?
Species evolved on a progressive/orthogenetic drive toward greater complexity. Characteristics were acquired or lost by the use or disuse of the affected body part. This change could be inherited. For example, giraffes got longer and longer necks due to reaching higher and higher for food
What is Orthogenesis?
Life has an innate tendency to change, develop in a particular direction, or make some kind of definite progress
What are some reasons people resisted evolution?
Species were fixed by divine design
Natural selection and its emphasis on death and competition was unappealing and immoral
People want to believe that they can improve their children my improving themselves
What were some questions Darwin asked after his voyage on the Beagle?
Why create similar looking birds in different regions?
Why are there so many variations of species living in different regions?
What did Darwin observe about the finches?
Beak size and shape differed from one island to the next. He observed a gradual change between neighbouring islands
