Topic Four Flashcards
Natural Selection and genetic modification
What is this a definition of: ‘A group of organisms that can reproduce with one another, producing offspring that can also reproduce’?
species
What is the scientific name for the modern human species?
Homo sapiens
From what type of creatures are modern humans thought to have evolved?
apes
What are the remains of organisms that have been turned into rock called?
fossils
Sedimentary rock exists in layers, one on top of another. Which layers are the youngest?
uppermost
Which substances did early human-like animals make tools out of?
wood, stone
Why do we only find the stone tools now?
The wooden ones have rotted.
Which of these three species is most closely related to modern humans, and how can you tell: habilis, Australopithecus afarensis, Ardipithecus ramidus?
Homo habilis, because the first word of its scientific name is the same as that of modern humans.
On which continent are the oldest human-like fossils found?
Africa
What is this a definition of: ‘A gradual change in the characteristics of a species over time’?
evolution
Where does the evidence come from that humans evolved?
fossils, stone tools
Over how many years can scientists trace human evolution?
millions, 4–5 million years
Name one trend that has occurred in the bodies of human-like species as they have evolved over millions of years.
walking upright, feet with short toes, larger brains, flatter faces, taller skulls etc.
What are the differences in characteristics between two organisms called?
variation
One type of variation is ‘environmental variation’, in which the environment causes variation in characteristics. What is the other form of variation called?
inherited variation
Suggest one reason why polar bears are better adapted than black bears to living in the Arctic.
sensible suggestion, such as they are white and so can avoid being seen against the snow by their prey
What is the name of the scientist who is most well known for developing a theory about evolution?
Charles Darwin
Some scientists think that a species called Homo heidelbergensis evolved into both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. What is a species that evolves into two species like this called?
common ancestor
What is the scientific name for modern humans?
Homo sapiens
What do we call the system of scientific naming for organisms?
binomial system
Suggest the environmental change that resulted in the evolution of African elephants’ large ears.
increase in temperature – ensure that students realise that the change did not cause the elephants to want to evolve
Suggest the environmental change that resulted in the evolution of woolly mammoths’ hairiness.
decrease in temperature
A certain population of animals evolved long legs over a long period of time. Is this more likely to be due to an increase or decrease in the number of predators?
increase
What process does Darwin’s theory use to explain how evolution occurs?
natural selection
The binomial name for the African bush elephant is Loxodonta africana. What genus does it belong to?
Loxodonta
Humpback whales and dolphins are thought to have evolved from an animal that lived about 40 million years ago. What is an animal that evolves into different species like this called?
common ancestor
What is the name of the other person who came up with the idea of evolution by natural selection at the same time as Darwin?
Alfred Russel Wallace
Suggest one way in which the limbs of gorillas, whales and bats are similar.
They all have five fingers; they all have a pentadactyl structure.
One branch of biology that has developed thanks to Darwin and Wallace’s theory is the study of genes. What is this branch of biology called?
genetics
Elephants belong to the animal kingdom. What other kingdoms are there?
plants, fungi, protists/protoctists, prokaryotes
State one way in which the cells of bacteria are different to those of animals, plants, fungi and protists.
They have no nucleus/mitochondria/organelles, they have plasmids, they do not have chromosomes [instead they have a loop of chromosomal DNA].
Cattle, wheat and mushrooms are all farmed. What kingdoms do they belong to?
cattle – animals, wheat –plants, mushrooms – fungi
The scientific name for cattle is Bos taurus. What genus do they belong to?
Bos
Wild yaks are Bos mutus. Describe some features of wild yaks.
e.g. hairy coat, horns, stand on four legs, long tail, long face – any sensible suggestions that show that yaks are similar to cattle
Bos mutus and Bos taurus share a common ancestor about 1 million years ago. What process caused them to evolve in different ways?
natural selection
What domain do Bos mutus and Bos taurus belong to?
Eukarya
Why are these two species in the Eukarya domain?
They have nuclei/mitochondria in their cells.
Name the other two domains.
Bacteria, Archaea
The three-domain system was developed because while Archaea looked like bacteria/prokaryotes they had other characteristics more like plants and animals. What were these other characteristics?
They have genes containing unused sections of DNA.
There are about 800 different types of farm cattle that all belong to the same species. What is the name for different types of the same species of animal?
breeds
What is the name for different types of the same species of plant?
varieties
What term describes humans choosing certain organisms because they have useful characteristics?
artificial selection
What is the name of the process in which new breeds and varieties of organisms are created using artificial selection?
selective breeding
Give an example of a species of animal that has been produced by selective breeding.
any sensible suggestion, e.g. dogs
What word describes all the DNA in an organism?
genome
What is the name of the process in which genes from one organism are transferred into the genome of another organism?
genetic engineering
What three-letter abbreviation is given to organisms that have been genetically engineered?
GMO
What word describes the amount of useful product that can be obtained from a farmed plant or animal?
yield
Suggest a characteristic that would be useful in a new variety of lettuce.
any sensible suggestion, eg. better taste, quicker growing, greater yield, disease resistance
Suggest a characteristic that would be useful in a new breed of sheep.
any sensible suggestion, e.g. leaner meat, quicker growing, greater yield, disease resistance, ability to withstand certain conditions, more wool
