Science Evolution

Front 1

What is evolution?

Back 1

Evolution is the concept that species can changeand give rise over time to new forms.

Front 2

What is the difference between divergent andconvergent evolution?

Back 2

Divergent evolution come from a related ancestor and over time lookdifferent due to living in different environments. Convergent evolution is whenanimals who are unrelated come to look familiar (e.g dolphin and shark) becausethe live in a similar environment.

Front 3

What is variation amongst a population of organisms? Why does such variation exist? Why is it important that variationexists in a species?

Back 3

Variation is differencesin appearance in a population of organism. It exists due to different geneticsamongst a population. Variation is important if the conditions in which thepopulation live in change. If all organisms are the same and no one has variationthat suits the new environment, all organisms may be wiped out. If there isvariation then it is more likely that some organisms will survive and carryreproducing and surviving.

Front 4

All organisms have adaptations. What does theterm adaption mean?

Back 4

An adaptation is afeature that allows an organism to survive in a particular environment.

Front 5

The two main types of adaptation are structuralor behavioural. Explain the difference between these two types. Give 2 examplesof each type of adaption and explain how the adaptation aids the survival ofthe organism

Back 5

Structural adaptations are physical andbehavioural are those that an organism choose to do to survive an environment.Physical adaptations involve the ability to change colour, feature that make anorganism look larger than what they are. Behavioural include burying themselvesto escape the heat and forming herds/flocks to stop predator attacks.

Front 6

What do the terms selected for and selectedagainst mean?

Back 6

Selected for refers to a trait that isadvantageous for and organism. While selected against is disadvantageous.

Front 7

Explain using Darwins theory of naturalselection, Explain how the evolution of a new species occurs by naturalselection?

Back 7

Natural selection occurs in the wild. It iswhere amongst a population of organisms, those with the best characteristicssuited for survival in that environment, survive. They then breed with othermembers of the population and pass these favorable characteristics onto theiroffspring. Organisms lacking these often die out as they are unable to surviveas easily therefore produce less offspring. Overtime, the species will changewhereby most of them will have the favorable characteristics that originallyallowed them to survive.

Front 8

What does the expression “survival of thefittest” mean?

Back 8

A natural process resulting in the evolution oforganisms best adapted to the environment. The strong (best adaptation)survive.

Front 9

Describe the differences between natural andartificial selection. Give an example of each.

Back 9

Artificial selection is the intentional breedingfor certain traits or combination of traits. Natural selection means theseoccur at random and are not planned.

Front 10

What is speciation?

Back 10

The formation of a newspecies.

Front 11

How do we know if 2 animals are differentspecies?

Back 11

Where they cannot reproduce and make fertileoffspring.

Front 12

Briefly explain Lamarcks theory using hisgiraffe example. Was this wrong and why?

Back 12

Lamarck suggested that a population shows novariation and that organs become stronger with use and weaker with disuse.Those organs that are used change. (e.g giraffes neck becoming longer to reachleaves on a tree) and these changes are transferred onto the next generation.Organs that are disused disappeared and are then not found in the nextgeneration. There is no evidence to back this theory up.

Front 13

Humans are classified as primates. Give 3features that all primates have in common.

Back 13

Forward facing eyes,opposable thumbs, nails on digits, relatively large brains.

Front 14

As humans evolved from the earl Australopithecusto the Homo genus, what changes occurred to

Back 14

· Brain size increased

· Jaw and teeth size decreased

· Shape of face becameflatter

· Brow ridges decreased

Front 15

From the above list of evolutionary changes,which is the most important in our evolution and why?

Back 15

Brain size allowed us to become smarter andtherefore able to think our way through adaption. E.g warm clothes for coldclimated

Front 16

What is bipedalism and how is it an advantage?

Back 16

Walking on 2 legs. Allows us greater field ofvision, reach higher places, able to multiple limbs at once for differenttasks.

Front 17

What is cultural evolution?

Back 17

Is the passing on of information throughteaching rather than just through observation.

Front 18

Why are fossils of closely related species beenfound all over the world?

Back 18

Because of platetectonics and the splitting and movement of Pangaea the supercontinent into thecontinents we now know.

Front 19

What is the theory of plate tectonics?

Back 19

That tectonic plates float on the magma underthe Earths surface and those plates are constantly moving and changing.

Front 20

What evidence exists to support continental.

Back 20

Finding the same species ofanimal/fossils/plants on different continents.

Front 21

What are fossils and why are they useful toscientists?

Back 21

The remains or impressions of prehistoricorganisms preserved in petrified form or as mold or cast in rock. They tell ushow animals used to look or were structured. They show us how life evolved fromsimple to more complex.

Front 22

Over the past century the rate of extinction hasincreased. List 3 reasons for this.

Back 22

Global Warming, Human interference, tectonicplate movements.

Front 23

What is mass extinction and why does it occur?

Back 23

The extinction of one or more species in a relative shortperiod of geological time usually as a consequence of a catastrophic globalevent or natural disaster or an abrupt change in environment.