This is the process by which a population gradually changes over time.
Evolution
100
Darwin famously studied the plants and animals of these islands extensively during his travels around the world.
The Galapagos Islands
100
Give an example of a plant with an advantageous adaptation.
Answers will vary.
100
What happens to organisms that cannot adapt to their environment fast enough?
They go extinct.
100
How many limbs does a whale have?
Four
200
This occurs when all members of a species have died.
Extinction
200
What did Darwin notice about certain finches that helped to develop his theory?
The shapes of their beaks
200
Define "artificial selection."
The process by which humans select plants or animals for breeding based on desired traits, not necessarily advantageous ones.
200
In what type of rock are fossils most commonly found?
Sedimentary
200
What events create good conditions for fossils to form?
Mudslides, landslides, avalanches, tidal waves/tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, tar pits, et cetera.
300
This is an inherited trait or behavior that helps and organism survive and reproduce.
Adaptation
300
This is the name of the theory that Darwin developed over his lifetime.
Natural Selection
300
How does natural selection work?
Organisms with advantageous traits reproduce more successfully than others and pass on those traits.
300
What evidence exists for the existence of a prehistoric supercontinent (Pangaea)?
Fossils, Glaciers, Minerals, Rocks and Mountains.
300
Dinosaurs are divided into two groups: avian and non-avian. Which went extinct first?
Non-avian. Avian dinosaurs still exist.
400
What is a common ancestor?
A common ancestor refers to a (usually) extinct organism that is an ancestor of two different organisms (extinct or modern) which are not ancestors of one another.
400
Daily Double!
What was the name of the ship aboard which Darwin sailed?
The H.M.S. Beagle
400
How does genetic variation in a species help natural selection take place?
More variation allows for more more combinations of traits to take place.
400
What important things can fossil records tell us?
Answers vary.
400
What was the name of Darwin's famous book, in which he outlined his theory of natural selection?
"On the Origin of Species"
500
This is a natural difference between members of a species
Variation
500
What scientist's theories, while incorrect, helped inspire Darwin's work?
Jean Baptiste Lamarck
500
How can natural selection's speed be increased?
The faster an organisms reproduces, the faster it will evolve.
500
How are fossils formed?
Remains or impressions are buried beneath layers of sediment and the organic material is slowly replaced with minerals.
500
"Humans evolved from monkeys."
Why is this statement wrong?
Humans did not evolve from monkeys, they share a common ancestor.