Chapter 15-Darwin's theory of evolution
Order by
23 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Evolution | Change over time |
| Theory | A well-supported testable explanation of phenomena that have occured in the natural world |
| What was Charles Darwin's contribution to science? | During his travels, Darwin made numerous observations and collected evidence that led him to propose a revolutionary hypothesis about the way life changes |
| What boat did Darwin travel on and when did it leave? | H.M.S. Beage that set sail from England in 1831 for a voyage around the world |
| Fossils | Preserved remains of ancient organism |
| Artificial Selection | Nature provides variation and humans selected those variations that they find useful |
| What pattern did Darwin observe among organisms of the Galapagos Islands? | Darwin observed that the characterisitics of many animals and plants varied noticeably among the different islands of the Galapagos |
| How did Hutton and Lyell describe geological change? | Hutton and Lyell helped scientists recognize that Earth is many millions of years old, and the processes that changed Earth in the past are the same processes that operate in the present |
| According to Lamarck, how did species evolve? | Lamarck proposed that by selective use or disuse of organs, organisms acquired or lost certain traits during their lifetime. These traits could then be passed on to their offspring. Over time, this process led to change in a species |
| What was Maluthus' theory of population growth? | Malthus reasoned that if the human population continued to grow unchecked, sooner or later there would be in sufficient living space and food for everyone |
| How is natural variation used in artificial selection? | In artificial selection, nature provided the variation, and humans selected those variations that they found useful |
| How is natural selection related to a species' fitness? | Over time, natural selection results in changes in the inherited characteristics of a population. HTese changes increase a species' fitness in its environment |
| What evidence of evolution did Darwin present? | Darwin argued that living things have been evolving on Earth for millions of years. Evidence for this process could be found in the fossil record, the geographical distribuiton of living species, homologous structures of living organisms, and similarities in early development, or embryology |
| Struggle for Existence | Members of each species compete regularly to obtain food, living space, and other necessities of life |
| Fitness | Abitlity of an individual to survive and reproduce in its specific enviornment |
| Adaptation | Any inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival |
| Survival of the Fittest | Process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called natural selection |
| Natural Selection | Another name of Survival of the Fittest, the traits being selcted,a nd therefore increasing over time, contribute to an organsim's fitness in its environment, takes place without human control or direction |
| Descent with Modification | Principle that each living species has descended, with changes, from other species over time |
| Common Descent | Principle that all living things have a common ancestor |
| Homologous Structures | Structures that have different mature forms but develop from the same embryonic tissues |
| Vestigial Organs | Organ that serves no useful function in an organism |
| Summary of Darwin's Theory | Individual organisms differ, and some of this variation is heritable; organsims produce more offspring that can survive, and many that do survive do not reproduce; because more organisms are produced than can survive, they compete for limited resources; each unique organsim has different advantages and disadvantages in the strugle for existence; species alive today are descended with modification from ancestral species that lived in the distant past |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.