Module 3: Biological Diversity Flashcards
Biological diversity
Effects of the environment on organisms
Adaptations
Theory of evolution by natural selection
Evolution- the evidence
How do environmental pressures promote a change in species diversity and abundance?
Effects of selection pressures on organisms in ecosystems
- biotic factors
- abiotic factors
Changes in a population of organisms due to selection pressures over time
- cane toads in Australia
- prickly pear distribution in Australia
How do adaptations increase the organism’s ability to survive?
Examine adaptations of organisms that increase their ability to survive in their environment
- structural adaptations
- physiological adaptations
- behavioural adaptations
Through secondary sources, the observations and collection of data that were obtained by Charles Darwin to support the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
- finches of the Galapagos Islands
- Australian flora and fauna
What is the relationship between evolution and biodiversity?
Biological diversity in terms of the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection by examining
the changes in and diversification of life since it first appeared on the Earth
How an accumulation of microevolutionary changes can drive evolutionary changes and
speciation over time
- evolution of the horse
- evolution of the platypus
How Darwin and Wallace’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection accounts
- convergent evolution
- divergent evolution
How punctuated equilibrium is different from the gradual process of natural selection
What is the evidence that supports the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?
Evidence in support of Darwin and Wallace’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
- biochemical evidence, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology and biogeography
- techniques used to date fossils and the evidence produced
Modern-day examples that demonstrate evolutionary change
- the cane toad
- antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria
