Theory of Evolution
How long was Darwin's Voyage, and what was the name of his ship?
5 years, HMS Beagle (need both)
Why did the age of the Earth matter to Darwin
He needed Earth to be much older to fit his timeline for evolution.
What is the difference between an acquired traits and an inherited trait?
acquired: developed over a lifetime
inherited: features passed from one generation to another
What is a fossil? Give an example.
Preserved part of an organism from the distant past.
Bones, teeth, impressions
What did Darwin notice about the finches?
Different beaks according to different food sources
Who is Charles Lyell? Why is he important to the theory of evolution?
Geologist. He provided evidence for Earth being older than 6000 years
Define natural selection
Traits that offer an advantage will most likely be passed on.
How organisms in a population develop traits that allow them to survive and reproduce.
What has the fossil record revealed about the life on Earth?
That it is old, ever changing, and evolving.
Why were the Galapagos Islands important?
Contained many different, exotic and isolated species
Lamarck: traits acquired during life are handed down
Darwin: traits better suited to environment get passed down over generations
What is an adaptation?
Characteristics that an organism inherits that helps it survive & reproduce in a given environment
How does radioactive dating work?
Measures how much radioactive materials in each sample were broken down.
Define biological evolution
All living organisms came from earlier forms of life
Why did Darwin hesitate to publish his findings?
What is required for natural selection to take place?
Variation in the inherited traits
What is radioactive dating used for?
Dating fossils and rocks
Give an example, besides finches, of how animals were adapted to their specific environments
Tortoise necks being different lengths depending on shrubs.
Who was Alfred Wallace? How did he contribute to the theory of evolution?
English Naturalist; Published his finding with Darwin after his own research voyage.
Explain how a lethal recessive gene can stay in the gene pool.
Heterozygous carriers can pass the allele to their offspring but not express it themselves.
Why are fossils important evidence for the theory of evolution?
Provides evidence of how species have changed over millions of years.