Vocabulary
Theory of Natural Selection
Evidence for Evolution
Speciation and Extinction
Charles Darwin
100

A feature that allows an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

What is an adaptation?

100

This must exist in the population in order for natural selection to act

What is genetic variation?

100

This type of rock is where fossils are found.

What is sedimentary rock?

100

This defines a species as a group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce viable, fertile offspring. 

What is the biological species concept?

100

Where was Charles Darwin from?

What is England?

200

This word means descent with modification

What is evolution?

200

Organisms often have more ____________ than will survive.

What is offspring?

200

The hip bones of a dolphin and the tailbone of a human are examples of what?

Vestigial Structures

200

This is what we use to date fossils

What is radiometric dating?

200

What was the name of the boat that Darwin sailed in?

What is The Beagle

300

A group of organisms that look alike and can reproduce are called this

What is a species?

300

This is the mechanism for evolution

What is natural selection?

300

Give an example of a structure that is homologous to a cat’s paw.

Answers vary.  Dog’s paw, human arm, bat wing, whale flipper

300

Type of diagram that shows the relationship of organisms to their ancestors as well as common ancestry.

What is a phylogenetic/evolutionary tree?

300

What islands did Darwin make is most famous observations?

What are the Galapagos Islands?

400

The measure of the ability of an organism to survive and produce more offspring relative to other members of the population in a given environment.

What is fitness?

400

Evolution is a result of the ___________ __________ success of individuals

What is unequal reproductive?

400

A bat wing, insect wing, and bird wing are examples of this type of evolution

What is convergent evolution?

400

When species in separate environments (ex: on different continents) originated from a common ancestor, this is an example of what?

What is biogeography?
400

What animals did Charles Darwin observe that helped lead him to his theory of evolution- and what did he notice about these animals?

What is either finches beaks or tortoise shells

500

This type of selection most likely leads to the formation of a new species.

What is disruptive selection?

500

These are the 5 tenets of natural selection

1. genetic variation

2. variation is heritable

3. more offspring are produced than can survive

4. Some organisms are better able to survive and reproduce due to heritable traits

5. Over time there is an increase in the number of organisms adapted to the environment - desirable traits accumulate, less desirable traits diminish

500

These are the group of developmental genes that are highly conserved among mammals and evidence for evolution.

What are homeobox genes?

500

This type of speciation occurs when populations diverge in the same geographic area.

What is sympatric speciation?

500

When Darwin formed his idea of descent with modification, he did not know about this.

What are genes?