Natural Selection Exam Flashcards
Fossils
some sort of preserved remain of a life form
ex. amber, tar, ice/frozen, sedimentary rock, petrification
petrification
when a structure trapped in sediment is replaced by minerals
panagea
super-continent existing about 200 million years ago. separation example of gradualism
paleontology
the study of fossils (plants, animals, etc)
relative dating
estimates the age of a fossil based on its placement in a layering of rock
radioactive/radiometric dating
uses mathematical formulas to study the amount of radioactive isotopes in a fossil
half life
the amount of time it takes a half radioactive isotope to decay into a new stable element
C-14/U-238
Used to study recent bones, becomes N in 5730 years
Used to study petrification, becomes Pb in 4.5 billion years
Jean Baptiste Lamark
A scientist who tried to explain how modern life forms differed from fossils
inheritance of acquired traits
Lamark’s idea that when an organism uses or doesn’t use a certain body part, it will develop certain characteristics and also passes these characteristic tot heir offspring.
ex. kangaroo, giraffe
use and disuse
inheritance of acquired traits
Lyell
Scientist who’s book and theories influenced Darwin
gradualism
the theory that the Earth has been slowly shaped by natural forces
ex. continental drift, canyons (erosion), volcanoes
continental drift
example of gradualism, panagea gradually separating
Thomas Malthus
Believed that human suffering (like famine) was due to the fact that populations grow faster than resources (crops) can be produced.
artificial selection
when humans control who reproduce
ex. horses (race vs work), dogs, plants
Darwin
father of evolution, famous naturalist, whose trip on the HMS beagle brought him to the Galapagos Islands.Originally was a natural theology major in college and was going to be a doctor but couldn’t take surgery.
Galapagos Islands
Islands that Darwin studied the animals and observed the similarities and differences from those of South America.
Natural Selection
the process by which individuals with inherited characteristics well-suited to the environment leave more offspring on average than do other individuals
ex. light vs dark rats, finches, moths
Evolution
all of the changes that have transformed life over an immense time
descent with modification or changes in the occurrences of genetic traits in a population due to natural selection resulting in the transformation of all life over long periods of time
remodeling
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