Lesson 1
Early Study of Evolution
Early Study of Evolution
what does the word fossil mean?
The preserved remains of an organism.
What is Natural Selection?
mechanism of evolution where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring
what does interaction mean?
when to organisms meet or see each other.
This term refers to the preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past
fossil
Any preserved trace, impression, or remains of a once-living organism.
fossil
was the first person to develop scientific names for organisms
Carl Linnaeus
how does Evolution work?
By producing mutations, organisms can better adapt to their environment, allowing them to survive and reproduce more successfully.
what is sexual selection?
it is when an organism pick the best mate possible for reproduction.
These fossils, such as footprints or burrows, provide evidence of animal activities rather than their body parts
trace fossils
This law or principle dictates that when looking at undisturbed sedimentary rock layers, the oldest rock and fossils are found at the bottom
Law of Superposition
Who is Darwin?
A man who observed and studied the natural world.
What is the Importance of Evolution?
It is crucial for solving real-world problems in medicine, agriculture, and conservation biology
In natural selection, this is the agent that "selects" for or against traits of an organism.
environment
This type of fossil forms when an organism decays, leaving a hollow space in the rock
mold
These specific fossils act as stepping stones in the fossil record, showing intermediate states between an ancestral form and that of its descendants
transitional fossils
What did Mary Anning's Family make money from?
Finding Fossils
Who is credited with discovering Natural Selection?
Charles Darwin
Darwin claimed that in nature, it is this "of the fittest" that dictates survival
survival
This type of fossil is created when minerals fill a mold, forming a replica of the original organism.
cast
This absolute dating technique uses the decay of radioactive isotopes to determine the exact numerical age of a fossil.
radometric dating
What does evolution mean to scientists?
The change in the heritable traits (genetic material) of biological populations over successive generations.
How does Natural Selection work?
Where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
When humans choose to breed animals or plants to create a desired trait, this is known as
artifical selection
This hardened, fossilized tree resin is famous for preserving insects and small animals in exquisite detail
amber
Because the fossil record is inherently incomplete, it represents this type of broad, large-scale evolutionary change taking place over millions of years.
macroevolution