Natural/Artificial Selection
Is the peppered moths example discussed in class an example of artificial selection or natural selection?
Natural Selection
What do we call fossils that show evolution between species? (Fish to Land)
Transition Fossils.
Over millions of years adaptation has resulted in what?
Diversity of species
What are the ends of branches showing?
Offspring/present day species
What are organs/boy parts that were once useful and now are not?
Vestigial Organs
What is artificial selection?
Selective breeding for desired traits, done by humans.
What is an index fossil?
Fossilized remains of plants or animals that were geographically widespread, abundant, and give a context for the time they were alive.
What adaptation made Ice Age mammals well suited for the cold?
Large size/thick fur
On a phylogenetic tree, the furthest back branch represents the oldest ancestor. What is the name of that line/branch?
Root
Geologic time covers Earth's history, how long is that history?
~4.5 billion years
Charles Darwin saw that the sparrows on the Galapagos Islands had different size and shape of beaks, even though they were the same species. This is an example of?
Genetic Variation
If a fossil is found near the surface of the Earth, is it older than a fossil found 20 meters below the surafce?
No, it is newer.
If a river suddenly changed course after erosion due to a flood, what adaptation would be necessary for plants that formerly grew along its banks to survive?
Longer Roots
When two branches come together, what do we call that?
common ancestor/parent
Give an example of artificial selection that was discussed in class.
Answers may vary
The idea that species change over time because of traits favorable to their environments is the theory of what?
Natural Selection
In the creek by the school, you can find fossils of seashells. What does this tell you about Kansas?
Kansas (the school grounds) were once covered by a sea.
When traits change over time through many generations in response to changes in environmental conditions, scientists call that process what?
Adaptation
On a phylogenetic tree you notice that snakes branch off of lizards. The snakes are above the notch that denotes the growth of legs, why are snakes placed in with the legged animals?
Legs formed and then snakes adapted to not need them anymore.
If a population of rabbits changes from predominantly brown fur to predominantly white fur, what environmental change likely led to this?
The environment changed from dirt to being more snow covered.
Crops are sprayed with pesticides to keep bugs away. A bug becomes resistant to the pesticide. How could this happen? (Be specific in your answer)
Some of the bugs have a mutated gene for restance to the pesticide, this gets passed on to future generations.
You are digging through layers of rock and you find that after a certain point the number of fossils becomes much more than before. What likely happened that caused the drastic change in the amount of fossils?
Mass Extinction Event
A bird located in a forest, with plenty of food options, develops a taste for specific seeds. These seeds are only found near the ground. The birds natural predator is quick and lives on the ground near the seeds. What would be a likely adaptation for the bird trying to get the seeds?
Develop a feather pattern that camouflages the bird from the predator.
On a phylogenetic tree there are many lines branching off from each other that represent new species coming to exist. This process is called evolution and it is only possible via what kind of mutations?
Helpful/positive/beneficial
What does survival of the fittest mean?
The organisms with the traits that make them best fit for their environment will survive and reproduce