Natural Selection
What ship did Charles Darwin voyage on?
HMS Beagle
True or False: Darwin and Wallace reached the same conclusion of evolution by means of natural selection together.
False
True or False: Mutations can only occur during asexual reproduction.
False
The term for an organism's observable physical or behavioral traits, which are determined by the interaction of its genes and the environment
Phenotype
What shape poo do wombats have?
square
This process occurs when organisms with traits better suited to their environment survive and reproduce, passing those advantageous genes to the next generation
Natural selection
Which year did Darwin stop at the Galapagos Islands?
1835
What is a disadvantage of cane toads on the ‘front line’ of invasion?
Being at the front line disadvantages cane toads as constant travelling of long distances causes severe physical stress causing arthritis.
True or False: The reason that certain characteristics can be passed on to the next generation is because these characteristics are determined by our genes.
True
False: the moon is approximately 3.7k km in diameter and Australia is approximately 4k km
The ultimate original source of all new genetic variations within a population's DNA
Mutation
Who were the two papers written by Darwin and Wallace presented to on July 1, 1858?
Linnean Society
Kangaroos carry their young in their pouch and use powerful hind legs to hop vast distances. What is the selection pressure?
Extreme heat, drought, lack of water
Why are white mice at a disadvantage?
They are more vulnerable to predators because unlike brown or grey mice that blend into their surroundings, white mice act as an easy, visible target for hawks, snakes, and other predators, making them less likely to survive to adulthood and produce many offspring.
How heavy is one cloud usually?
500,000kg
In an industrial forest where tree trunks have turned black from factory soot, a peppered moth population consists of both light-gray and rare dark-black variants. Which colour will natural selection favour, and why?
Natural selection will favour the dark-black trait because these moths blend into the soot-covered bark, allowing them to evade bird predators, survive, and reproduce at higher rates than the highly visible light-gray moths.
Who did Lyell and Hooker think should receive credit for formulating the theory and why?
They believed both men should share the credit since they had independently discovered natural selection, but Darwin had decades of unpublished proof showing he thought of it first.
These native Australian plants survive devastating bushfires thanks to specialised evolutionary traits (thick, fire-resistant bark and dormant buds that activate only after a fire). What is it?
Eucalyptus trees.
How does an abundance of food and a lack of predators on an isolated island allow a small population of mice to rapidly increase over generations?
Because food is plentiful and nothing is hunting them, almost every mouse born survives to adulthood. This allows them to maximize their reproduction, meaning more individuals reach breeding age in every generation, causing the population to multiply rapidly.
How does a crocodile snap its jaws shut without accidentally biting its own tongue off?
The crocodile's tongue is glued to the bottom of its mouth, so it stays flat and out of the way of its sharp teeth.
Identify three advantages of natural selection.
Allows organisms to survive longer, produce more offspring and evolve.
Name the four main principles by which Darwin postulated evolution by natural selection.
Variation of phenotypes, inheritance, struggle for existence and survival and reproduction rates.
How are scientists training quolls to not eat cane toads?
Scientists are starting a quoll school which trains quolls to not eat poisonous toads. They add a chemical called thiabendazole in a sausage that contains minced toad legs. So the next time quolls see a live toad, they won’t eat it.
How does diversity occur through asexual reproduction?
The DNA in their cells is copied exactly from one generation to the next, unless a mutation occurs. These mutations are the main source of genetic diversity.
ostrich