Evolution Daddy
Who (insert actual name) and what is he best known for?
Charles Darwin was a British scientist who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection.
What is Evolution?
It is defined as the process of cumulative change in the heritable characteristics of a population.
What are homologous structures?
Homologous structures are similar in structure but differ in functionality.
What is natural selection?
Process by which organisms that are more adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on the genes that aided their success.
In what year was Mr. Carlos G born?
1999
How did Darwin’s observations on the Galápagos Islands contribute to his ideas about evolution? What did he see and infered?
On the Galápagos Islands, Darwin observed that similar species (like finches) that lived in isolated islands had different physical adaptations depending on their environment, suggesting species do change over time.
Why is variation within a population important for natural selection to occur?
Variation provides differences in traits; without variation, no individuals would have advantages, so selection could not occur.
Compare and contrast between Homologous and Analogous structures.
Homologous structures are similar in structure but differ in functionality.
Analogous structures have similar functions but different structure.
How do Natural Selection differs from Artificial Selection?
Artificial selection is when humans choose which organisms reproduce based on desired traits; not on naturally occuring adaptations that aid with survivability.
In what year was CBSM created?
1983
Explain how studying finches helped Darwin develop the idea that species can change over time.
Darwin noticed that finches had different beak shapes suited to different diets. This suggested that populations adapt to their environment, supporting the idea of evolution.
Explain what is meant by “survival of the fittest” using a specific example.
“Fittest” means best adapted, not strongest. For example, camouflage may help an organism avoid predators and survive to reproduce.
Give a specific example of pair of homologous structures and explain what do they tell us about evolution.
Example: human arm and bat wing. They have similar bone structures, showing they share a common ancestor but very different functions.
Define speciation and describe what is a speciation event.
Speciation is the evolutionary process where new, distinct species arise from an existing ancestral species.
A speciation event is a moment in space-time where a specific isolating barrier splits a population of a common ancestor into two new evolutionary lines.
Mr. Carlos has been at CBSM for almost 2 years... that means he has been in two halloween events, what characters has he chosen to dress up like?
Oogie Boogie
The Grinch
Darwin did not know anything about genetics. Based on modern biology, explain what key mechanism he was missing in his explanation of evolution.
Darwin lacked knowledge of genetics. Therefore he did not know that and/or how traits are inherited (DNA, genes, mutations).
A population of insects becomes resistant to a pesticide over a prolongued period of time. Explain this process using natural selection.
Some insects already have or developed mutations that give resistance to specific pesticides. These survive pesticide use, reproduce, and pass the trait on, increasing resistance in the population.
A whale flipper, a bird wing, and a human arm have similar bone structures but different functions. What type of structures are these, and what does this suggest?
Homologous structures
suggest a common ancestor between the species as the structural aspect of the anatomical trait is shared.
Explain how natural selection can eventually lead to speciation.
Natural selection can cause populations to become increasingly different. Over time, these differences can prevent succesful reproductive events between populations, leading to the formation of new species.
Name 5 different topics we have covered in Biology class this academic year 2025-2026
Nucleic Acids, DNA and RNA, Cell cycle, DNA replication, protein synthesis, genetic mutations, taxonomy, biomimicry, evolution, natural selection, speciation etc...
"Charles Darwin discovered evolution.”
Evaluate this statement using specific examples.
Darwin did not “discover” evolution; ideas of change over time already existed. His key contribution was explaining how evolution occurs through natural selection, supported by evidence.
Some people think organisms evolve because they “need and have” to survive.
Evaluate this idea using specific examples.
Organisms do not evolve because they “need” to. Evolution occurs because individuals with advantageous heritable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce under selective environmental pressures.
Examples: Global Warming, Human appears, natural disasters, disease outbreak etc...
Two different species live in very different parts of the world but live under similar environmental conditions and show similar external features. However, genetic analysis shows they are not closely related.
Evaluate what type of anatomical structures they likely have and explain the possible evolutionary processes that led to these similarities.
They most likely have analogous structures.
This is because the species are not closely related genetically, so their similarities are not due to a common ancestor. Instead, the similar external features evolved independently.
Different species may experience similar environmental conditions and selection pressures. As a result, natural selection favors similar adaptations, even though the species have different evolutionary origins.
Two populations of the same species become geographically isolated. Predict and explain the steps that could lead to them becoming separate species.
Geographic isolation limits genetic variablity → A Different environments create different selection pressures → new innovative adaptations emerge → reproductive isolation favors specific adaptations → speciation occurs.
Name one of the final projects you have done in Biology over the past two years with its original title.
(...given by Mr. Carlos)
Hormonal Detectives
What prevents bunnies fromt aking over the World?
Adaptation by Mutation