Darwin and Natural Selection
Who is known as the father of evolutionary theory?
Charles Darwin
What type of evidence for evolution can be found in fossils?
Transitional fossils showing intermediate forms between groups
What is genetic drift?
A change in the frequency of an allele within a population due to random sampling
What is speciation?
The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution
What is an adaptation?
A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment
What book did Charles Darwin publish in 1859?
"On the Origin of Species"
What does comparative anatomy study?
The similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species
What is gene flow?
The transfer of genetic material between populations
What is allopatric speciation?
Speciation that occurs when populations are geographically separated
What is mimicry?
When one species evolves to resemble another species
What is the process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring?
Natural Selection
What is the term for structures that are similar in different species because of common ancestry?
Homologous structures
What is the effect of mutations on evolution?
They introduce new genetic variations that can be beneficial, harmful, or neutral
What is sympatric speciation?
Speciation that occurs within a single geographic area
What is camouflage?
An adaptation that allows organisms to blend in with their surroundings
What are the four main principles of natural selection?
Variation, inheritance, high rate of population growth, and differential survival and reproduction
What are vestigial structures?
Body parts that have lost their original function through evolution
What is the bottleneck effect?
A sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events or human activities
What is adaptive radiation?
The diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches
What is a physiological adaptation?
Changes in an organism’s metabolic processes
What did Darwin observe about the finches on the Galapagos Islands?
They had different beak shapes depending on their food source.
What type of evidence for evolution comes from comparing DNA sequences?
Genetic evidence
What is the founder effect?
A decrease in genetic variation that results when a small subset of a large population establishes a new colony
: What is reproductive isolation?
When different species live in the same area but cannot interbreed
What is a behavioral adaptation?
Changes in an organism's behavior to survive in its environment