Darwin's Journey
Charles Darwin set sail on a 5-year journey aboard a British ship tasked with mapping coastlines. During this journey, he made groundbreaking observations that later shaped his theory of evolution. What was the name of the ship he traveled on?
The HMS Beagle
Scientists use preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms to understand how life on Earth has changed. These records are essential in showing the progression of species over millions of years. What are these remains called?
Fossils
Traits like a pelican’s long beak or camouflage in insects help organisms survive in their environments. What are these inherited characteristics called?
Adaptations
Darwin was heavily influenced by a geologist who argued that the Earth’s features were shaped over long periods by processes still at work today. Who was this scientist?
Charles Lyell
Bird wings and insect wings both help organisms fly, but they evolved separately and have different structures. What kind of structure is this?
Analogous structures
In a forest, a mouse with brown fur survives better than white-furred mice because it blends in with the ground and escapes predators. Over generations, brown mice become more common. What process is this an example of?
Natural selection
While visiting a volcanic island chain near South America, Darwin observed variations among species from island to island. These islands became a cornerstone in his theory. What are these islands called?
the Galápagos Islands
Some body structures, like the wings of ostriches or hind limb bones in whales, no longer serve a purpose but reveal evolutionary history. What are these structures called?
Vestigial Structures
Darwin’s central idea was that organisms best suited to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on their traits. What is this process called?
Natural Selection
This economist’s theory that human populations grow faster than resources helped Darwin understand that organisms face competition for survival. Who was he?
Thomas Malthus
The bone structure of a human arm, a whale flipper, and a bat wing is similar, even though the limbs serve different purposes. What type of structure is this?
Homologous structures
Farmers breed only the cows that produce the most milk. This leads to generations of cows with higher milk production. What is this process called?
Artificial Selection
On these islands, Darwin noticed that a group of small birds had different beak shapes depending on their diet and environment, suggesting that species adapt over time. What group of birds did he observe?
Finches
The forelimbs of humans, whales, and bats have similar bone structures, even though they serve different functions. What type of structure is this, indicating common ancestry?
Homologous structures
In nature, more individuals are born than can survive. As a result, individuals must compete for food, space, and mates. What is this called?
Struggle for existence
This idea, developed by Hutton and Lyell, proposed that the same slow geological processes operating today also occurred in the past, shaping Earth over millions of years. What is this idea called?
Uniformitarianism
Scientists once found a fossil of a whale with tiny hind legs, suggesting it evolved from a land-walking ancestor. What type of evidence is this?
Vestigial Structure
A female mouse in a meadow has many healthy offspring that also survive and reproduce. According to Darwin’s theory, what does this tell us about the mouse's fitness?
It has high fitness
Darwin noticed that different, but closely related, species of finches lived on separate islands of the Galápagos. What key evolutionary pattern did these observations represent?
Species vary locally
One of the major challenges to Darwin’s theory was the age of Earth. However, modern techniques now confirm Earth is about 4.5 billion years old. What scientific method provided this evidence?
Radioactive dating
A key element of natural selection is that individuals vary in their ability to survive and reproduce. What term describes this ability to pass on genes to the next generation?
Fitness
Darwin applied Malthus’s idea that resources are limited and not all offspring survive, extending it beyond humans to all organisms. This explained what concept before they knew what it was?
Carrying Capacity
Darwin proposed that all species—living and extinct—are connected through descent from ancient ancestors. Yet, species have adapted in many different ways over time. What key concept explains how life can be both related and varied?
Unity and diversity of life
Giraffes, camels, and horses share similar bone structures but differ in size, neck length, and habitat. What does this suggest about their evolutionary relationship?
Common ancestor, but adapted to different environments (Closely related, but diverse adaptations)
Darwin’s global observations led him to notice that different species could occupy similar habitats in different parts of the world. Which of his three principles did this demonstrate?
Species vary globally
Scientists use this field to study where organisms live now and where they and their ancestors lived in the past. It provides clues about migration and adaptation. What is this field called?
Biogeography
Before Darwin, a scientist proposed that organisms could acquire traits during their lifetime and pass them to offspring. What is the name of this scientist whose ideas were later rejected?
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Although Darwin developed his theory of natural selection years earlier, he delayed publishing it for nearly two decades. What other naturalist independently developed a similar theory, prompting Darwin to finally publish On the Origin of Species in 1859?
Alfred Russel Wallace
DNA comparisons show that humans and chimpanzees share a high percentage of genetic code. What does this similarity suggest?
Common ancestry
Over many generations, a population of birds develops slightly longer, curved beaks suited to eating nectar instead of seeds. What evolutionary concept is this an example of?
Decent with modifications