Environmental Change
What is the major cause of extinction?
Changes in the environment.
What kind of fossil is the preserved tissues of an organism?
An original-material fossil.
Can individual organisms adapt to their environment? Why?
No, adaptions happen across a species over long periods of time
These body parts still exist, but have lost their function through evolution.
Vestigial structures.
The study of embryos from fertilization to birth.
Embryology.
Where and how did Charles Darwin study?
In the Galapagos Islands by observing animals in their natural habitat.
What kind of fossil is the preserved evidence of the activity of an organism?
A trace fossil.
What kind of adaptation is a jackrabbit staying still to conserve heat during the day?
A behavioral adaptation.
Body parts that are similar in structure, but different in function.
Homologous body parts.
TWO ANSWERS:
Related species share these.
When a species splits from its ancestors.
Common ancestors.
Divergence.
How would environmental change impact a species that couldn't adapt?
The species would likely go extinct because they wouldn't be able to function in the new environment.
What are the two ways fossils are formed?
Mineralization and carbonization.
Define adaptation.
An inherited trait that increases an organism's chance of surviving and reproducing in its environment.
What are analogous structures?
Body parts that have the same function but have different structures.
What is the study of gene structure and function?
Molecular biology.
What would happen to an animal that is camouflaged to their environment if the environment changed color?
The animal would be more visible to predators and would likely decrease in population or go extinct.
TWO ANSWERS:
What kind of fossil is an impression of an organism in a rock?
What kind of fossil is a copy of an organism in a rock?
A mold.
A cast.
What is the difference between structural and functional adaptations?
Structural adaptations involve physical characteristics (phenotype) like color and shape. Functional adaptations involve internal body systems.
Compare and contrast camouflage and mimicry.
They are both adaptations that help species avoid being eaten. Camouflage makes a species less visible by enabling it to blend in with its environment. Mimicry draws attention to a species by making it resemble another species.
Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection has remained unchanged for how many years?
150.
What is the sudden disappearance of a fossil record called?
Extinction.
What does relative-age dating tell you about a fossil?
The fossil's age compared to other fossils.
How are genetic mutations and variations related?
Variations are caused by random genetic mutations. Both mutations and variations occur in individuals.
Studying the similarities and differences of the same bodily structures of different living species.
Comparative anatomy.
The process by which populations of organisms with variations that help them survive in their environments live longer, compete better, and reproduce more than those that do not have the variations.
Natural selection.