Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Honors Biology I > Evolution Study Cards > Flashcards

Evolution Study Cards Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is evolution?

A

Any change in the heritable traits within a population over time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does the scientific theory of evolution tell us?

A

It tells us how life diversified after its existence, not how life began

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What claims did Jean-Baptiste Lamarck make?

A

He made claims on the “ inheritance of acquired traits” after he analyzed the changes that took place in a single organism.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What did Lamarck conclude? (think of giraffes)

A

He concluded that the single organism evolved and passed on the long neck trait to its offspring (through natural selection).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What did Charles Lyell do?

A

He challenged the idea relating to that the Earth was young and unchanging. As well, he used the work of James Hutton to present uniformitarianism.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is uniformitarianism?

A

The rock strata (sediment layers) demonstrate the geologic processes that shape the Earth still today.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are some of the observations Darwin concluded in his notes?

A

He took detailed notes on geological evidence, fossil evidence, organism variations, and organism adaptations. He also studied the beak size of finches and the variety of traits among tortoises.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What did Darwin observe that supported an ancient, changing Earth?

A

He observed fossils with similarities to living species, fossil shells of marine organisms high up in the Andes mountains, and saw land underwater move above sea level during an earthquake.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Where did Darwin make some of his most important observations?

A

On the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How long was Darwin’s HMS Beagle’s journey?

A

5 years long.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What did Darwin observe among living things?

A

He observed the wide range of variations among living things.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the difference between interspecies variations and intraspecies variations?

A

Interspecies variations refer to the differences in different species. Intraspecies variations refer to the differences in the same species.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are adaptations?

A

An accumulation of traits within a population over time to help a species survive to the environment around them.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Darwin concluded that adaptations seen in populations must be a result of what?

A

Evolution.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How did Darwin’s knowledge of artificial selection influence his thinking regarding evolution?

A

He utilized his knowledge of artificial selection to change the traits of pigeons over generations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Nature “selects” who survives because?

A

Organisms with the best adapted traits are more likely to survive. If an organism survives, it is more likely to reproduce. These beneficial traits get passed on and accumulate over many generations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What was the name of the book published by Charles Darwin?

A

On the Origin of Species.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Why is “Survival of the Fittest” an appropriate nickname for natural selection?

A

Because natural selection chooses the “best appropriate traits” for a species in order for them to survive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is fitness?

A

Fitness is the measure of the ability to survive and reproduce relative to other members of the population.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are the four major sources of evidence for evolution?

A

The fossil record, anatomical evidence, molecular evidence, and embryonic development.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is a fossil?

A

The preserved remains or trace impressions of an organism.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What does absolute dating measure?

A

The decay of radioactive isotopes to determine the exact age of a fossil.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What does relative dating measure?

A

Uses the Law of Superposition to determine which fossils are older.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

How is the age of a fossil determined?

A

Through absolute dating or relative dating.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What kind of information do fossils provide?

A

The evolutionary history.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What term means change over time?

A

Evolution.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Define Sexual Reproduction

A

The method of reproduction which leads to a “stronger”, genetically varied, species?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Define Species.

A

Organisms that are capable of reproducing in a natural setting and producing fertile offspring?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Define Variations

A

The differences in individuals of the same species as a result of mutations and sexual reproduction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Define Overproduction

A

The production of far more offspring that can possibly survive, leading to competition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Define Charles Darwin

A

The person largely responsible for first developing the idea of “evolution by means of natural selection”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What is the age of the Earth?

A

4.6 Billion Years Old.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What is the real life example of evolution which can result if you do not take all of your prescribed medication?

A

Antibiotic Resistance.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Define Convergent Evolution

A

Evolution through which animals live in totally difference locations and yet develop similar adaptations?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Define Punctuated Equilibrium

A

The theory which states that evolution takes place in short, rapid bursts followed by long periods of no change

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Define Adaptations

A

Traits such as camouflage, mimicry, and speed that help organisms survive and reproduce in their environment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Define Homologous Structures

A

The structures which have similar bones, but may not necessarily be used for the same purpose?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

Define Embryonic Evidence

A

The evolutionary evidence which looks at similarities and differences in the early stages of development.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

Define Relative Dating

A

The method of dating fossils which uses the fossil’s location in the sediment to determine its approximate age?

40
Q

What is the location which Darwin traveled during his voyage on the HMS Beagle?

A

The Galapagos Islands.

41
Q

Define Biochemical (Molecular) Evidence

A

The evolutionary evidence which states the similarities in DNA sequences suggest a recent common ancestor?

42
Q

Define Absolute (Radiometric) Dating

A

The fossil dating method which uses the decay of radioactive isotopes in order to determine the exact age of a fossil?

43
Q

Define Mimicry

A

A type of adaptations through which a non-poisonous animal “copies” the coloring or pattern of a poisonous animal?

44
Q

Define Asexual Reproduction

A

The method of reproduction which leads to all genetically identical offspring?

45
Q

What is gradualism?

A

The theory which states that evolution takes place continuously in small, gradual steps.

46
Q

What is divergent evolution?

A

The type of evolution in which closely related species develop slightly different adaptations, due to different environments.

47
Q

What is a cladogram?

A

The branching diagram which illustrates evolutionary relationships.

48
Q

What is competition?

A

The term which describes organisms trying to utilize the same resources.

49
Q

What is the Endosymbiont Theory?

A

The theory which explains the origin of eukaryotic cells.

50
Q

What are vestigial structures?

A

Anatomical structures which provide us with evolutionary informations because they no longer serve a purpose in the organism.

51
Q

What is anatomical evidence?

A

The evidence for evolution provided by homologous, analogous, and vestigial structures.

52
Q

What is speciation?

A

The term which means the formation of a new species.

53
Q

What phrase did Darwin use to describe the process of evolution?

A

Descent with modification. He carefully reviewed the evidence that every species (living or extinct) must have descended by reproduction from preexisting species and that species must be able to change over time.

54
Q

What theory did Darwin propose as the mechanism for descent with modification?

A

The theory of natural selection.

55
Q

What is acclimatization? (Ex. an animal adjusting to a new climate by growing thicker fur)

A

A short-term process in which physiological changes take place in a single being in its own lifetime.

56
Q

What is catastrophism?

A

The idea that sudden geologic catastrophes caused the extinction of large groups of organisms at certain points in the past by Georges Cuvier.

57
Q

What is superposition?

A

An idea proposed by Nicolaus Steno that if the rock strata at a location have not been disturbed, the lowest stratum was formed before the strata above it. Oldest is on bottom, newest or most recent is on top.

58
Q

What is relative age?

A

A fossil’s age compared to that of other fossils

59
Q

What inference can be made about the fossil record?

A

Different organisms lived at different times. Today’s organisms are different from those of the past. Fossils found in adjacent layers are more like each other than to fossils found in deeper or higher layers. By comparing fossils and rocks from around the planet, we can infer when and where different organisms exists.

60
Q

What does each fossil provide?

A

Evidence about the environment in which the organism existed and for which the organism had become adapted.

61
Q

What is the last thing that we can infer from the fossil record?

A

Species have differed in a gradual sequence of forms over time.

62
Q

What is a transitional species?

A

A species which have features that are intermediate between those of hypothesized ancestors and later descendant species.

63
Q

What is biogeography?

A

The study of the locations of organisms around the world.

64
Q

What else does descent with modification also predict?

A

Predicts the findings of anatomy and embryology.

65
Q

What is anatomy?

A

The study of the body structure of organisms.

66
Q

What is embryology?

A

The study of how organisms develop.

67
Q

What is phylogeny?

A

The relationships by ancestry among groups of organisms.

68
Q

What does a phylogenetic tree model?

A

A hypothesized phylogeny.

69
Q

What does the “trunk” of the “phy. tree” represent?

A

A past species that could have been the ancestor of all the animals on the model.

70
Q

What does the “branch” of the “phy. tree” represent?

A

A separate population or lineage. More closer related groups appear closer to each other on a branch.

71
Q

What is adaptive radiation?

A

When a new population in a new environment will undergo divergent evolution until the population fills many parts of the environment.

72
Q

What does fossil evidence suggest?

A

Many cases of adaptive radiation on the geologic time scale.

73
Q

What is artificial selection?

A

The process which occurs when a human breeder chooses individuals that will parent the next generation.

74
Q

What is coevolution?

A

When two or more species have evolved adaptations to each other’s influence.

75
Q

What did Darwin conclude about Lamarck’s experiments with the giraffe evolution?

A

Giraffes with longer necks survived and reproduced.

76
Q

Define descent with modification.

A

The evolutionary mechanism that produces change in the genetic code of living organisms usually as a result of natural selection

77
Q

What three major factors affect the process of natural selection?

A

Overproduction, competition, and genetic variation.

78
Q

What are two examples of evolution in action?

A

Antibiotic resistance and pesticide resistance.

79
Q

Describe the process through which bacteria evolve to become resistant to certain antibiotics.

A

Antibiotics kill bacteria. Bacteria usually reproduces by binary fission, but are capable of conjugation (swapping DNA) in a threatened environment. Conjugation introduces genetic variation, making it likely that some bacteria will be resistant to antibiotics.

80
Q

What is antibiotic resistance?

A

Germs like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs are not killed and continue to grow.

81
Q

Describe the process through which insects evolve to become resistant to pesticides.

A

The few insects of a species that survive reproduce to later pass the survival genes down. Eventually most of the population is unaffected by the pesticide, so the pesticide eventually is rendered useless as the insect population grows stronger and stronger against the purpose of the pesticide.

82
Q

What are the three types of anatomical evidence?

A

Homologous structures, analogous structures, and vestigial structures.

83
Q

What is a homologous structure?

A

Anatomically similar structures inherited from a common ancestor.

84
Q

What is a analogous structure?

A

Structures used for the same purpose but are not inherited from a common ancestor.

85
Q

What is a vestigial structure?

A

Structures that are reduced forms of functional structures in other organisms.

86
Q

Describe the evolutionary evidence provided to us through biochemical molecules such as DNA and protein.

A

The more similar the DNA, the more recently two species branched apart. Other biochemicals offer clues like RNA and proteins (specifically Cytochrome C).

87
Q

Describe the evolutionary evidence provided to us through embryological development.

A

An embryo is an early pre birth stage of an organism’s development. Vertebrate embryos exhibit homologous structures during certain phases of development.

88
Q

Structures with the same anatomy, but may serve different functions?

A

Homologous structures

89
Q

Structures that serve the same purpose, but do not have similar anatomy?

A

Analogous structures

90
Q

Structures that no longer serve a purpose in an organism?

A

Vestigial structures

91
Q

Finish the sentence. “The more the anatomy, …”

A

The closer the relationship.

92
Q

What is embryology?

A

The study of how an organism develops.

93
Q

If two organisms exhibit similar development, that suggests what?

A

That they share a recent common ancestor.

94
Q

If the biological molecules within two organisms are very similar, what does this suggest?

A

This suggests that they have a close relationship and a recent common ancestor.

95
Q

What are examples of molecules used to determine evolutionary relationships?

A

DNA sequence, RNA sequence, protein structure, and amino acid sequence.

Honors Biology I (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions