Darwin and Natural Selection
What the Rocks Say
First Life pt. 1
First Life pt. 2
Potpourri
100

Which species gave Darwin his first ideas about evolution?

mockingbirds of South America and Galapagos

100

Any evidence of past life, including chemical evidence body parts, traces or impressions of an animal or plant that has been preserved.

Fossil

100

What percentage of all animals are classified as invertebrates?

97%

100

What significant event in the history of life occurred around 542 million years ago?

The Cambrian Explosion

100

the first photosynthetic organisms

cyanobacteria

200

Selective breeding by humans in order to produce desirable traits in livestock and plants

Artificial selection

200

The process by which, under weight, and over long periods of time, the materials which made up the body of the plant or animal may be leached out and replaced with minerals.

Mineralization

200

How old is the Earth estimated to be?

4.5 billion years

200

Evidence for this includes geological formations such as glacial deposits and striations found in equatorial regions.

Snowball Earth

200

What type of digestion process exists in sponges?

intracellular digestion

300

Evolution can be defined as a change in the ________ of a population over time.

genetic makeup

300

In undisturbed rock layers, which fossils are typically the oldest?

Fossils found at the bottom are the oldest.

300

The curious collection of evolutionary dead ends that grew and developed utilizing a simple branching pattern found at Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada

Fractal animals

300

How did the atmosphere during the Carboniferous period contribute to the size of animals?

It had around 35% oxygen, enabling larger growth.

300

What evolutionary phenomenon does the Cambrian Explosion exemplify?

adaptive radiation

400

The two conditions required for evolution in a population.

1) There must be genetic variation.

2) There must be pressure from the environment that favors one combination of DNA over others.

400

Which type of fossil dating uses radioactive isotopes?

absolute dating

400

What is a major advantage of having numerous body segments?

They allow for specialization of body regions for different functions.

400

Trilobites uniquely had eye lenses made of this mineral

Calcite

400

The first name of the author of the scientific work, 'On the Origin of Species'

Charles

500

The phrase describing the idea that traits are passed down from generation to generation and sometimes undergo changes or modifications over time.

Descent with modification

500

The principle that fossilized organisms appear in a definite, chronological order in sedimentary rock layers.

faunal succession

500

A relatively new type of reproduction that serves to increase genetic variation in the offspring

Sexual reproduction

500

Name at least 2 of the 3 problems that had to be solved in order for animals to move from water to land

-dessication
-how to breathe (ventilate)
-energy acquisition (food)

500

"The use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge gained by this process."

Science (as defined by the National Academy of Sciences)