Evidence for Evolution
Calcified bones are used to compare structures of extinct organisms
Fossil Record
A random change to an organism's genotype
Mutation
Rabbits are black or white, but not grey
Disruptive selection
Small prokaryotic cells formed organelles through endocytosis
Endosymbiotic Theory
Small changes happen over time
Gradualism
Wings developed in both mammals and birds
Analogous structure
A random change that increased an organism's fitness
Adaptation
Rabbits are all white, not grey or black
Directional selection
Water, methane, ammonia, hydrogen, and electricity can form amino acids
Miller-Urey Experiment
One species can adapt to several different species when the conditions are correct
Adaptive Radiation
Whales and humans have fingers
Homologous structures
An adaptation increases an organism's ability to survive, resulting in increased _____
Biological fitness
Rabbits are all grey, not black or white
Stabilizing selection
RNA-like molecules were the original genetic material
RNA-world hypothesis
Evolution occurs rapidly in short bursts
Punctuated Equilibrium
Humans have a tailbone (coccyx), but no tail
Vestigial Structure
Evolution occurs at this level
Population
Organisms with high fitness are expected to _____ and pass on their genes to offspring
Reproduce
The collection of biological molecules formed in ocean water about 4 billion years ago
Primordial Soup
An organism's specific role in the environment; organism fits into a set of ideal conditions
Biological niche
Human appendix
Vestigial Structure
CAG GGG CCC vs. CAG GCG CCC
No increase in biological fitness
Mutation
Natural selection acts upon _______, not the individual genes of an organism
Phenotypes/ Physical Traits
One atmospheric gas that contributed to formation of prehistoric macromolecules
Methane, ammonia, hydrogen, water
Charles Darwin hypothesized that one original finch species colonized the Galapagos Islands; single species evolved to over a dozen finch species
Adaptive radiation