Fossil Evidence
Other Evidence of Evolution
Charles Darwin
Evolutionary Theory
Miscellaneous
100
This type of fossil comes about when a mold gets filled in with sediment.
What is a cast?
100
This is the type of evidence where organisms have similar structures, with different functions, pointing to a common ancestor.
What are homologous structures?
100
The finches that Darwin studied were different with respect to this trait.
What is their beaks?
100
This pattern of evolution is also known as divergent evolution. It states that two populations can become different species if they become so different they can no longer interbreed with one another due to new habitats or opportunities.
What is adaptive radiation?
100
This is the oldest era - when the single cell arose.
What is the Precambrian Era?
200
Footprints, nests, and burrows are characterized as this type of fossil.
What are trace fossils?
200
A seemingly, functionless part that probably was important in an ancestor.
What is a vestigial structure?
200
This is the mechanism of evolution that Darwin developed that includes the idea that those individuals in a population with an advantageous trait/adaptation will survive and pass those genes on to the next generation.
What is natural selection?
200
A physical barrier, such as a mountain, might separate two populations of squirrels. After being separated for so long, the squirrel population diverged into two new species. This type of speciation is known as this.
What is allopatric speciation?
200
Humans arose during this era.
What is the Cenozoic Era?
300
This type of dating method uses the position of rock layers to determine the age of the fossils. Newer rock layers on top of older rock layers.
What is relative dating?
300
These structures are used for the same purpose in different species, but are not necessarily evidence of evolution.
What are analogous structures?
300
The finch bird beaks differed on each island because of this.
What is different food sources present on each island?
300
When the allelic frequencies remain unchanged, a population is said to be in genetic equilibrium. This principle is known as this.
What is the Hardy-Weinberg Principle?
300
These are changes that occur to DNA. They are often responsible for evolution, and can lead to BIG changes if they alter the allelic frequencies enough in small populations.
What are mutations?
400
When studying fossils, this type of feature is newly evolved. Feathers would be considered this since they do not appear in the fossils of common ancestors.
What are derived traits?
400
Give an example of how biochemical (molecular evidence) can be used as evidence of evolution.
ANSWERS WILL VARY.
400
Darwin's theory of natural selection had difficulty explaining bright, ornamental features displayed by some species - especially the male of the species. This other mechanism of evolution does a better job of explaining them.
What is sexual selection?
400
This RATE of evolution includes rapid spurts of change, followed by periods of little to no change in organisms. Fossil evidence supports this rate of evolution.
What is punctuated equilibrium?
400
Darwin's finches originated here.
What is mainland South America?
500
This is the term given to the class of fossils that show "intermediate forms" of life that illustrate an evolutionary transition. For example, certain dinosaur fossils show feathers of modern birds and the teeth and bony tails of reptiles.
What is a transitional fossil?
500
Islands often have more plant diversity than animal diversity. This is probably responsible for that. OR- WHY?
What are migration patterns? (Plants are more able to migrate from the closest mainland as seeds....)
500
Darwin's theory of natural selection has four principles: variation, heritability, overproduction, and reproductive advantage. Explain each of these principles using the example of dark fur polar bears and white fur polar bears living in Antarctica.
Variation - populations have different traits/phenotypes. Heritability - traits can be passed down to future generations. Overproduction - more offspring are produced than can survive. Reproductive advantage - the offspring that do survive have the favorable trait and they will continue to pass it down to their offspring.
500
This type of natural selection acting on different phenotypes is probably the most likely to result in speciation.
What is disruptive selection?
500
This pattern of evolution shows that the evolution of one species affects the evolution of another species, since they are in close relationship to one another.
What is co-evolution?
M
e
n
u