Fossil Evidence
These preserved remains or traces of organisms provide evidence of life from the past.
Fossils
The process in which organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce.
Natural Selection
Differences in inherited traits among individuals of the same population.
Genetic Variation
The permanent disappearance of a species from Earth.
Extinction
The three domains of life are Bacteria, Archaea, and this domain.
Eukarya
Information collected through direct observations and measurements is called this.
Empirical Evidence
Scientists organize fossils according to their age to study how organisms have changed through time.
Fossil Record
A characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.
Adaption
Changes in this material can create new variation within a population.
DNA
If an environment changes and a species cannot successfully adjust over generations, this may eventually happen.
Extinction
Animals are placed in this domain because their cells contain nuclei.
Eukarya
Counting cicada shells on trees over several weeks is an example of this type of evidence.
Empirical Evidence
Fossils found in older rock layers are generally from organisms that lived _____ fossils found in younger layers.
Before
A population of insects contains green and brown individuals. Birds easily spot the brown insects on green leaves. Over many generations, this color will likely become more common.
Green
True or false: Every individual in a population must have the same traits for the population to survive.
False
Some deer have thick fur and others have thin fur. A group becomes isolated in a cold mountain habitat. Which trait will likely become more common over many generations?
Thick Fur
In the scientific name Canis lupus, Canis represents this classification level.
Genus
When scientists discover new evidence, scientific explanations can do this instead of remaining permanently unchanged.
Modify
Fossils of older organisms compared with similar organisms from later time periods provide evidence for this scientific theory.
Evolution
A population of guppies contains both bright and dull fish. Predators that hunt visually enter the habitat. Predict what happens to the population over generations.
Population contains more dull guppies
Cheetahs share about 99% of their genes while another species has much greater genetic variation. A new disease appears. Which population is at greater risk?
Cheetahs
Pollution darkens the bark of trees. Dark and light peppered moths live there. Predict which moths are more likely to survive predation.
Dark
In the scientific name Canis lupus, lupus identifies this classification level.
Species
True or false: If scientists revise a theory because of new evidence, it means the original theory was useless.
False
Scientists discover simple organisms in very old rocks and increasingly complex organisms in younger rocks. Explain what this evidence suggests.
Organisms became more complex over time
Explain why saying, “The guppies became dull because they needed to hide from predators,” is scientifically incorrect.
Organisms can't choose to change
Explain why genetic variation can help prevent an entire population from being wiped out by an environmental change.
Some have adaptions
An insecticide kills most beetles in an ecosystem. One bird eats only a single beetle species while another eats beetles and several other kinds of insects. Which bird is more likely to survive, and why?
Varied Diet Birds
Lion: Animalia → Chordata → Mammalia.
Snake: Animalia → Chordata → Reptilia.
Jellyfish: Animalia → Cnidaria → Scyphozoa.
Which two are most closely related, and how do you know?
Lion and Snake
Scientists have an existing explanation for why a trait became common in a population. New genetic evidence becomes available. What should scientists do?