Fossils, Evolution, & Diversity

Question 1

cladogram

Answer 1

a classification diagram used to represent phylogenetic relationships

Question 2

continental drift

Answer 2

the theory that Earth originally had a single landmass that split and began to drift apart some 200 million years ago

Question 3

Cuvier, George

Answer 3

(1769-1832) promoted the idea of functional integration of organisms to support his argument against evolutionary biology; Cuvier argued that organisms did not evolve over time rather they were functionally whole in their present form

Question 4

domain

Answer 4

in biological classification, the domain is the highest taxonomic category

Question 5

Lyell, Charles

Answer 5

(1797 – 1875) considered to be the founder of modern geology; used fossil evidence as a means to date the ages of rocks as an indicator of Earth’s age

Question 6

natural selection

Answer 6

the process of organisms best adapted to their environment the most likely to survive and transmit their hereditary characteristics to subsequent generations

Question 7

phylogenies

Answer 7

the characteristics representative of the development of an individual organism or related groups of organisms

Question 8

Tree of Life Web Project

Answer 8

the collaborative, global effort of biologists that provides organism information regarding diversity, phylogeny, and characteristics

Question 9

Wallace, Alfred

Answer 9

(1823-1913) began promoting the idea of geographic distribution as a factor in evolutionary biology independent of Darwin and also developed the idea of natural selection

Question 10

Wegener, Alfred

Answer 10

(1880-1930) credited with the ideas of continental drift and plate tectonics