Introduction to Evolution - 1

Question 1

Aristotle

Answer 1

believed mutations and new species occurred on accident
natural ladder

Question 2

Carolus Linnaeus

Answer 2

created the binomial classification system
believed that species are found in a pattern of creation

Question 3

Define Gradualism Theory

Answer 3

profound change can take place through the cumulative effect of slow but continuous processes instead of rapid and fast processes.

Question 4

Define Lamarck’s Theory of Evolution

Answer 4

that species evolve through USE AND DISUSE and the inheritance of acquired traits.
NOT supported

Question 5

Define adaptations

Answer 5

inherited characteristics that enhance reproduction and survival in a specific environment

Question 6

After reassessing Darwin’s observations what did he realize

Answer 6

adaptations and the origin of new species are closely related processes -> species gradually accumulate adaptations to different environments -> this gradual accumulation can lead to new species arising from an ancestor

Question 7

Who were the two founders of the theory of evolution

Answer 7

Alfred Russell Wallace AND Darwin

Question 8

Define evolution

Answer 8

is the change in form/behaviour/DNA of an organism over time. It is descent with modification

Question 9

Explain descent with modification

Answer 9

species descent from a common ancestor and accumulate adaptations.
life as a tree with a common trunk

Question 10

relationships can be estimated from ____ and _____

Answer 10

homologies and analogies

Question 11

Define homology

Answer 11

similarity resulting from common ancestry. they often have a similar underlying structure but different function

Question 12

Define analogy

Answer 12

also known as convergent evolution
similarity due to selection pressure or environment (ex. wings in birds, bats, & insects)

Question 13

Define homologous structures

Answer 13

represent variations on a structural theme that was present in a common ancestor (same bones in a human arm, cat arm, whale wing, etc.)

Question 14

What are 3 molecular homologies

Answer 14

1. all life forms use DNA and RNA
2. common genetic code (almost universal)
3. some genes are shared among diverse organisms

Question 15

Define microevolution and evidence for it

Answer 15

evolutionary changes in a population or small group of organisms that happens over a short timescale.
Evidence from selective breeding, and vestigial structures

Question 16

Define macroevolution and evidence for it

Answer 16

major evolutionary changes that usually affects a whole species over a longer timescale
Evidence from lab experiments, natural populations, and fossils