Fossil Evidence of Evolution
Made up of all the fossils ever discovered on Earth
What is the Fossil Record?
A person who studies plants and animals by observing them
Study of similarities and differences among structures of living species
What is Comparative Anatomy?
The cornerstone of modern biology
What is the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?
A type of environmental change that happens over time
What is gradual change?
The hard remains of an organism(bones, teeth, shells,) left over time
What are fossils?
A naturalist in the mid 1800's that developed a theory of how evolution works
Who is Charles Darwin?
Body parts that are similar in structure and position, but different in function
What are homologous structures?
Now used by scientists to study evolution
What are molecules?
A chart that divides Earth's history into different time units
What is the Geologic Time Scale?
Mineralization, Carbonization, Molds and Casts, Trace Fossils, Original Material
What are the types of fossil formations?
This organism looked different on each Island of the Galapogos Island, which sparked Darwin's interest in creating his theory of evolution
What are tortoises?
The science of the development of embryos from fertilization to birth
What is embryology?
The birds Darwin studied
What are mockingbirds and finches?
The way variations occur in offspring
What is a random mutation, or gene change?
The way scientist find the age of a fossil by finding the order of the rock layers formed
What is Relative-Age Dating?
Slight difference in the appearance of individual members of a species
What are variations?
Used to compare living organisms. Provide powerful support for evolution.
What are genes?
The Islands that sparked Darwin's interest in his theory
What are the Galapogos Islands?
The process by which populations of organisms with variations that help them to survive in their environment live longer, compete better, and reproduce more than those that do not have the variations
What is Natural Selection?
The change over time in populations of related organsims
What is Biological Evolution?
Structural, Behavioral, Functional
What are types of adaptations?
All genes are made up of this
What is DNA?
Occurs when the last individual of a species dies
What is Extinction?
Active area of study in evolutionary biology
What is diversity?