Evidence Types
Traces of organisms that existed in the past
Fossils
A feature that allows an organism to better survive in its environment
Adaptation
The change in a populations traits over a period of time
Evolution
A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can reproduce and have fertile offspring
Species
Give an example of a homologous structure
Arm bones in dogs, bats, birds, whales, and humans
The study of the distribution of organisms around the world
Biogeography
The measure of the ability to survive and reproduce
Fitness
Individuals that have inherited beneficial adaptations produce more offspring than organisms that lack the beneficial adaptations
Natural Selection
All of the individuals of a species that live in a specific area
Population
Give an example of an analogous structure
Bird wings and butterfly wings
Remnants of organs or structures that had a function in an early ancestor but currently don’t have a known function
Vestigial Structures
The ability of a trait to be passed from one generation to the next
Heritability
Natural selection can only happen on existing variation among _______________.
A population
What caused the coloration of the dark moth to become more common?
The soot on trees from the industrial revolution gave the dark colored moth more fitness.
Give an example of a vestigial structure
Leg and pelvis bones in a whale
Features that are similar in structure in different organisms, but the features have different functions in the organisms
Homologous Structures
A fossil that was only present during a short time period
Index Fossils
The process in which humans change a species by breeding it for specific traits
Artificial selection
Two different populations of pocket mice had the same dark fur coloration. Did the same mutation cause this, and how did the dark fur coloration become more common in these populations?
Two different genes were mutated in the populations.
Lighter colored mice were prayed upon at a slightly higher rate than dark colored mice.
What actually is a mutation?
When the DNA base pairs in a cell's nucleus are in the wrong order in some way.
Features that perform similar functions but that have different origins
Analogous Structures
Explain how a mutation could not impact evolution.
The mutation causes no change to the organism.
The change the mutation causes does not impact an organisms ability to survive and reproduce.
In order for artificial or natural selection to occur
A gene must be heritable
What caused the variation in mouse fur coloration
a mutation
Give an example of a transitional fossil
Specifically the skull where the blowhole was mid way between the end of the skull and the top of the skull.