Vocabulary
Fossilized evidence of activity, such as footprints or burrows
Trace Fossil
The process by which species change over generations due to natural selection and genetic variation.
Evolution
Why did the finches of the Galapagos evolved with different shaped beaks?
They adapted to eating different types of food.
What type of structure is characterized by having different anatomical structures but the same function?
Analogous structures
If a whale, a lizard, and a frog share a common ancestor, what is the most likely conclusion?
They possess comparable anatomical features.
A fossil formed when minerals replace an organism’s remains
Petrified Fossil
Which would most likely increase the genetic variation in a population of organisms?
Increase in mutations
Allows a species to survive drastic environmental changes
Genetic diversity
What type of structure indicates a common ancestor, similar structures that don't have a similar function?
Homologous structures
In a population of frogs, some individuals have skin patterns that allow them to blend into their surroundings, making it easier to avoid predators. What type of adaptation is this an example of?
Camouflage
Organisms best suited to their environment are most likely to survive and reproduce.
Natural Selection
Why do some individuals in a population have a better chance of surviving, reproducing and passing on their good genes?
because they have advantageous physical or behavioral characteristics
What information can a scientist used to determine if two organisms are related?
Comparative Anatomy (physical structures)
What type of structure has lost its function over time?
Vestigal structure
Skeletal structure of modern whales possess bones of hindlimbs that they no longer use. What type of structure is this called?
Vestigial Structure
What occurs when favorable adaptations are passed to offspring, allowing for the evolution?
Natural Selection
A gardener noticed some of her tomato plants survived an unexpected frost while others did not. How?
They have different genetic variations that make them more tolerant to frost.
A poison dart frog and a bottlenose dolphin share anatomical similarities in their forelimbs. What can you conclude about their evolutionary relationship?
They have a common ancestor and/or the forelimbs are homologous structures.
What two structures indicate a common ancestor?
Homologous and vesitigal
Pablo observes two fish fossils in a museum:
Tiktaalik fossil: 375 million years old
Panderichthys fossil: 385 million years old
What evidence would suggest these fishes had a shared evolutionary ancestor?
They share similar anatomical features.
What is a history that describes the extinction, adaptation, and evolution of life on Earth.
Fossil record
What does this theory of natural selection predict about individuals in a population having markings that allow them to catch more prey, live longer and have more offspring?
What are the observations in pattern of the similarities and differences in how different species develop that cannot be seen in adult organisms?
Embryology
The wisdom teeth in humans, the reduced legs in some lizards, and the tiny pelvic bones in dolphins are all considered what type of structures?
Vestigial structures
A human, cat, horse and bat have homologous forelimbs. What is true about the use and common ancestory of these organisms?
Use: Similar structures, not same function
Common Ancestory