Evolution Doddle

Question 1

When was simple life first developed on Earth?

Answer 1

Approximately 3 billion years ago. All life forms developed from these very simple organisms.

Question 2

What is evolution?

Answer 2

Evolution is the change in heritable characteristics of a population over time. Evolution occurs through a process called natural selection.

Question 3

Who introduced natural selection and when?

Answer 3

When was natural selection first introduced by the British naturalist Charles Darwin in 1800s often referred to as Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Question 4

What is natural selection?

Answer 4

Natural selection explains how species change over time as a result of differences in the characteristics and survival individuals.

Question 5

Natural selection

1. Variation

Answer 5

There must be differences between the character of individuals within a population of species such as fur colour or beak size. An individuals set of observable characteristics is its phenotypes

Question 6

2. Inheritance

Answer 6

Some of the characteristics can be passed on from parent to offspring. These are called inherited characteristics. On,y characteristics with a genetic basis can be inherited.

Question 7

3. Competition

Answer 7

There must be differences is the ability of an individuals to access shared resources such as food, mates, shelter etc. The ability of individuals to compete with others depend on their characteristics

Question 8

4. Selection

Answer 8

Individuals with characteristics making them well adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. These individuals will pass on their heritable characteristics to the next generation.

Question 9

Natural selection

Answer 9

1. Genetic variation exists between individuals of a population
2. Individuals compete with each other for food, water and mates, and to avoid predators.
3. Individuals with adaptive phenotypes compete better are are more likely to survive and reproduce
4. Individuals with less adaptive phenotypes and fewer competitive characteristics die or reproduce less
5. Genes for adaptive characteristics are more likely to be inherited. This means the number of species with the adaptive characteristics will increase. Over many generations, eventually all the individuals will have the characteristic.

Question 10

Giraffes genetic variation

Answer 10

Due to variation, the ancestors of modern giraffes would have had necks of different lengths
Giraffes with longer necks would have been able to reach more food than the short necked giraffes
As a result, the longer-necked giraffes were more likely to survive and produce offspring in greater number.
This increases the chance of the long-necked characteristic (a heritable characteristic) to be passed down

Question 11

Tree snake genetic variation

Answer 11

The common tree snake in Australia (native) feeds on frogs and geckos. The snake has evolved a reduced head size.
In 1973, the cane toad was introduced to Australia and it became a major pest
The toad is highly toxic and its large size ensures that any predator eating the entire toad would get a large dose of poison.
Initially, the tree snake fed on the cane toads. They had not encountered the toads so they did not have any resistance against its poison. Most snakes that the toad died quickly.
As snakes eat their food whole, a small head prevents them from eating large prey e.g. can toad
Therefore, a small head has a selective advantage, allowing snakes to avoid can toad poisoning.
Smaller headed snakes have a greater chance of surviving to reproduce.
The average head size of the population shrank as more small-headed snakes survived to pass on their genes

Question 12

What is speciation?

Answer 12

Over time, new species evolve from earlier species as a result of natural selection. This process is called speciation.
Speciation can occur if two populations of a species become geographically isolated from one another. In different environments, different characteristics are adaptive so different heritable characteristics are selected for.
Over many generations, the populations can become so different in phenotype that they can no longer interbreed to produce fertile offspring. At this point they have become two different species

Question 13

What do fossils provide proof of?

Answer 13

How organisms have gradually over millions of years

Question 14

What is the history of life shown by fossils called?

Answer 14

Fossil record
There are gaps in the fossil record but it still helps to tell the evolution story of past and present day organisms
We can see gradual changes in preserved specimens of the same species over time using the fossils record

Question 15

56mil yrs ago - Hyracotherium

Answer 15

Height=0.4m
Front foot=4 toes
Teeth=short-crowned and without cement
Diet=plants and leaves 
Habitat=forest and grassland

Question 16

40 million yrs ago - Mesohippus

Answer 16

Height=0.6m
Front foot=four toes
Teeth=shirt-crowned and without cement
Diet=grass and leaves
Habitat=forest and grassland

Question 17

17 million yrs ago - Merychippus

Answer 17

Height=1.0m
Front foot=three toes
Teeth=long-crowned and cement covered
Diet=grass
Habitat=grassland

Question 18

12 million yrs ago - Pilohippus

Answer 18

Height=1.2m
Front foot=three toes
Teeth=long-crowned and cement covered
Diet=grasses
Habitat=grassland

Question 19

4 million yrs ago - Equus (modern horse)

Answer 19

Height=1.6m
Front foot=3 toes
Teeth=long-crowned and cement covered
Diet=grasses
Habitat=grassland

Question 20

How and why did the horses evolve?

Answer 20

Early ancestors of the horse ate soft plants and leaves, and lived in forests. As the forests shrank and grasses evolved, the horse’s ancestors evolved in response
Their teeth became longer and evolved flatter grinding surfaces and a covering of hard cement, to be better adapted to chewing tough grasses
They became larger, long-legged and moved on tip-toes, to be better adapted to fast running on open plain grassland.

Question 21

Can we see natural selection?

Answer 21

It usually happens over generations so it is very slow for us to see. However, organisms like bacteria have very short generation, which makes it possible to observe changes in characteristics as a result of natural selection. On thing that is of concern for doctors is antibiotic resistance. This prevents bacteria’s being killed by antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections.

Question 22

Stage 1 of how does antibiotic-resistant bacteria evolve?

Answer 22

A bacterial infection cause a sore throat. As the bacteria divide, a random mutation causes one bacteria cell to become resistant to a popular type off antibiotic

Question 23

Stage 2 of how does antibiotic-resistant bacteria evolve?

Answer 23

The patient is prescribed antibiotics by their GP and is told to keep taking them until they’re used up

Question 24

Stage 3 of how does antibiotic-resistant bacteria evolve?

Answer 24

As the patient takes the antibiotics, the non-resistant bacteria are killed but the antibiotic-resistant bacteria have a competitive advantage, enabling them to survive.

Question 25

Stage 4 of how does antibiotic-resistant bacteria evolve?

Answer 25

When the patient starts to feel better he stops taking the antibiotics, but the resistant bacteria remain

Question 26

Stage 5 of how does antibiotic-resistant bacteria evolve?

Answer 26

The surviving bacteria become widespread. If the bacteria becomes resistant to other types of antibiotics they are called superbugs

Question 27

Adaptation

Answer 27

A special feature or behaviour that makes an organism particularly well-suited to its environment

Question 28

Antibiotic

Answer 28

A type of drug used to treat bacterial infections

Question 29

Antibiotic resistance

Answer 29

A trait found in some bacteria which prevents them from being killed by antibiotics

Question 30

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Answer 30

A British naturalist who proposed that evolution took place through the process of natural selection

Question 31

Competition

Answer 31

The fight for shared resources between individuals of the same or different species

Question 32

Evolution

Answer 32

The gradual change in the inherited characteristics of a population over time through the process of natural selection

Question 33

Fossil

Answer 33

The preserved remains, impressions or traces of an organisms that lived millions of years ago

Question 34

Fossil record

Answer 34

The history of life on Earth as shown by fossils

Question 35

Gene

Answer 35

A short section of DNA that codes for the production of a specific protein, which contributes to particular characteristics

Question 36

Inheritance

Answer 36

The process by which parents pass on characteristics to their offspring. Only characteristics controlled by genes can be inherited

Question 37

Natural selection

Answer 37

Natural selection was first proposed in the 1800s by Charles Darwin and is the process by which evolution occurs. Individuals that are well-adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more than less well adapted individuals. As a result, the genes of well-adapted individuals are more likely to be passed to the next generation

Question 38

Phenotype

Answer 38

The set of observable characteristics of an organism produced as a result of the interaction between its genes and the environment

Question 39

Population

Answer 39

A group of individuals belonging to the same species living in the same area

Question 40

Speciation

Answer 40

The formation of a new species from an existing species once speciation has occurred the two populations can longer interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

Question 41

Superbug

Answer 41

A bacteria that has mutated to became resistant to several different types of antibiotic

Question 42

Variation

Answer 42

The natural difference between individual members of a species