Lesson 1
Early Study of Evolution
Early Study of Evolution
What does FOSSIL mean
The preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past.
Who made the theory of evolution by natural selection
Charles Darwin
what bad things can mutation cause
cancer and genetic defects
What is a fossil record
the collective, chronological collection of all discovered fossils
Body parts that share a common evolutionary origin and structure, even if they have different functions
homologous structures
who was the girl who made money off of finding fossils
Mary Anning
How many different selections are there
two: natural selection, and artificial selection
What is sexual selection
natural selection that acts on an organism's ability to get the best possible mate
The principle that states in undisturbed sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layers are at the bottom
Law of Superposition
Body structures that are present in an organism but have lost their original function through evolution, like the human appendix.
vestigial structures
Who was the first person to come up with scientific names for organisms
Carl Linnaeus
How can environmental change affect an organism
an organism's ability to survive, and may lead to natural selection.
What are two ways mutations are made
through spontaneous errors during cell division or environmental exposure
The method of determining the exact age of a fossil in years by measuring radioactive decay
radiometric dating
the study of how embryos of different species develop in similar ways, indicating a common ancestor
embryology
What did Darwin become convinced of
that species do not always stay the same
What did Darwin observe
that some variations make individuals better adapted to their environment.
What is coevolution
the process by which two species evolve in response to changes in each other over time
fossil that shows traits of both an ancestral group and its descendant group, filling gaps in the fossil record.
transitional fossil
Similarities in this universal genetic code provide the strongest biochemical evidence for evolution.
DNA or RNA
What did Lamarck mistakenly believe
that organisms could change during their lifetimes by selectively using or not using various parts of their bodies.
How does natural selection work
where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. It operates on four main principles: variation in traits, inheritance of those traits, differential survival, reproduction, and time.
What are some bad effects of males competing to control a territory with females
The need to reproduce can evolve characteristics that make them less likely to survive
This type of dating provides an approximate age of a fossil by comparing its placement with surrounding rock layers or other fossils.
relative dating
the study of the geographical distribution of plants and animals across the planet.
biogeography