Classification of Organisms
Who is known as the “father of taxonomy”?
Carl Linnaeus
Which evidence of a changing earth is considered the strongest?
Fossils
What do similarities in embryos of different species suggest?
They share a common ancestor.
Who first proposed the idea that life came from a single source?
Erasmus Darwin
What is binomial nomenclature, and why is it important?
A two-part Latin/Greek naming system (genus + species) that provides a universal scientific name for organisms.
What is half-life?
The time it takes for half of a radioactive isotope to decay
Define vestigial features and give one in humans.
Structures that do not have a useful function; e.g., appendix, wisdom teeth, tailbone.
What did Lamarck believe was the "mechanism" behind evolution?
Organisms have to produce new parts to satisfy their needs and to become better adapted to their environment
What group did Archaebacteria and Eubacteria initially belong to before branching off?
Monera
What is biogeography?
The study of geographical distribution of life on Earth
Define artificial selection
Artificial selection: breeding in which people pick desired traits in order to get offspring with the same trait
Explain survival of the fittest. Use an example
Faster cheetahs survived and reproduced more successfully, so speed became a common trait in the population.
Define a phylogenetic tree
Phylogenetic tree include ancestral forms and have branches for descendants
What are the four things taken into account when collecting evidence of a changing Earth?
1) Geographic distribution of species
2) Comparative anatomy
3) Embryology
4) Fossil record
How can comparing proteins or DNA support evolutionary theory?
More closely related species have more similar proteins/DNA sequences.
How did Malthus’ essay on population growth influence Darwin’s theory?
It showed species produced more offspring than could survive, leading to competition — the basis for natural selection.
Name all six kingdoms and what type of cells are found in each
Plantae → multicellular
Animalia → multicellular
Protista → multicellular/unicellular
Fungi → multicellular
Archaebacteria → unicellular
Eubacteria → unicellular
List the three patterns found in the fossil record.
(1) Different species lived on Earth at various times, (2) Organisms increase in complexity, (3) Living species and their most closely matching fossils are typically located in the same geographic region.
Explain the difference between homologous structures and analogous structures
Homologous Structures: have similar structural elements and origin but may have a different function
Analogous Structures: have similar appearance and functions but have a different evolutionary origin (no common ancestor)
List 2 inferences that Darwin made during his voyage?
1) Living forms of species descended from fossilized species living in the same region
2) Landmass acted like an isolated geological region, where species evolved independently
3) All the different finches evolved from one species that arrived in the Galapagos from South America, they are endemic
4) Geological forces could account for the location of the fossils and the mountains