Studying For Evolution Module Test (Mod. 12)

Front 1

What two concepts promoted by other scientists influenced Darwin in developing his ideas?

Back 1

The idea of a struggle for survival and that the present is the key to the past

Front 2

The cheetah is the fastest land-dwelling animal on the planet. It has been observed to reach peak speeds of 70 miles per hour! It uses its speed to catch animals that are often too fast to be killed by most other predators. Use Darwin's reasoning to explain how natural selection could produce such a creature from a slower animal.

Back 2

Darwin would say that in the beginning, only slow predators existed. As food got scarce, however, any predator born that was slightly faster than the others would be able to get more food; thus, this predator would be naturally selected to survive and would pass on its speed to its offspring. As generation after generation passed, each time a predator was born that was slightly faster than its peers, it would be naturally selected to survive. Thus, the extra speed would "pile up" generation after generation until, eventually, a cheetah was formed.

Front 3

Why is Darwin's hypothesis sometimes called "survival of the fittest"?

Back 3

If the organism has an advantage, we could say that it is more "fit" for survival than those without that advantage. Thus, the "fittest" organism would tend to survive.

Front 4

House sparrows are small, seed-eating birds that are native to parts of Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. In the fall of 1851 and the spring of '52, one hundred of these birds were brought to Brooklyn, New York. Since then, they have spread throughout the U.S. Even though the original 100 birds were all very similar, their descendants are not. In fact, if you study the size of house sparrows in the United States, you will find that they are bigger in the northern part of the country and smaller in the southern parts of the U.S. Is than an example of microevolution or macroevolution? Can you think of what might have caused this difference in size?

Back 4

This is an example of microevolution. A larger bird is better suited for colder climates.

Front 5

Some biologists believe that the whale once had a cowlike ancestor that lived on land. This ancestor was very heavy, so it started spending a great deal of time in the water. The water helped buoy it up, making it easier for the animal to walk. As time went on, the animal began adapting to the water, slowly changing its legs into fins and its skin into a substance more ideal for swimming in the water. Eventually, the cowlike creature gave rise to the whale. Is this an example of microevolution or macroevolution?

Back 5

This scenario is an example of macroevolution.

Front 6

What is the big assumption that must be made in order to interpret the geological column as evidence for macroevolution?

Back 6

You must assume that each strata of rock was laid down individually over long periods of time, according to the speculations of Lyell.

Front 7

Why is the geological column not conclusive evidence for or against macroevolution?

Back 7

It is not conclusive because whether the geological column supports or contradicts macroevolution depends on assumptions that cannot be confirmed.

Front 8

If macroevolution really occured, would you expect to find more fossils of individual species or of intermediate links?

Back 8

You would expect to find more intermediate links than individual species.

Front 9

What features on Archaeopteryx make macroevolutions think that it is an intermediate link? What features make creation scientists think that it is not?

Back 9

It has teeth and claws, which are not common in birds. These features lead macroevolutionists to conclude that it is part reptile. However, it has feathers that are designed for flight, the lung design of a bird, and the vision & balance of a bird. This makes creation scientists think it is just a bird.

Front 10

Why do macroevolutionists consider Australopithecus afarensis an intermediate link between man and ape? Why do creation scientists think that it is not?

Back 10

Evolutionists think that since it is possible that this creature stood upright, it represents a link between man and ape. Creation scientists disagree because every bone in its body is characteristic of an ape, and wrist and inner ear studies indicate that it did not walk upright.

Front 11

What major scientific breakthrough led to structural homology changing from evidence for macroevolution to evidence against it?

Back 11

When scientists learned about genetics and how to map out nucleotide sequences.

Front 12

A molecular biologist details the amino acid sequences in a common protein for the following creatures: a human, a rat, an amoeba, a fish, and a frog. Assuming macroevolution did occur, list these creatures in terms of increasing similarity between their protein and the human protein.

Back 12

Amoeba, fish, frog, rat

Front 13

Why is the comparison of amino acid sequences in common proteins such a useful tool in determining whether or not macroevolution occured?

Back 13

Tracking the amino acid sequences is like comparing corresponding strands of DNA in diffferent creatures.

Front 14

What is the main difference between Darwin's hypothesis of macroevolution and the neo-Darwinist hypothesis?

Back 14

The real difference is mutations

Front 15

What does punctuated equilibrium explain that neo-Darwinism and Darwin's original hypothesis cannot?

Back 15

Punctuated equilibrium explains the lack of intermediate links in the fossil record.

Front 16

The three graphs below (not :) ) are hypothetical graphs that plot macroevolutionary change verses time. Which graph represents Darwin's original hypothesis, which represents neo-Darwinism, and which represents punctuated equilibrium?

Graph A: Straight line slanting up
G B: Graph looks like a staircase

G C: Graph is a sort of U-shaped curve and curves upward. kind of a lazy C that has a higher end on the right.

Back 16

A: original hypothesis
B: punctuated equilibrium
C: neo-Darwinism

Front 17

define the immutability of species

Back 17

the idea that each individual species on the planet was specially created by God and could never fundamentally change

Front 18

microevolution

Back 18

the theory that natural selection can, over time, take an organism and transform it into a more specialized species of that organism

Front 19

macroevolution

Back 19

the hypothesis that processes similar to those at work in microevo. can, over eons of time, transform an organism into a completely different kind of organism

Front 20

strata

Back 20

distinct layers of rock

Front 21

fossils

Back 21

preserved remains of once-living organisms

Front 22

paleontology

Back 22

the study of fossils

Front 23

structural homology

Back 23

the study of similar structures in different species

Front 24

Where did Darwin do most of the work which led to his hypothesis of evolution?

Back 24

on his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle

Front 25

Did Darwin ever recant his scientific beliefs?

Back 25

No

Front 26

Suppose a herd of horses were living in an area where food near the ground was scarce but there was plenty of food in the trees. If, after several generations, the horses gave rise to giraffes that could easily reach the food in the trees, would this be an example of microevolution or macroevolution?

Back 26

Macroevolution

Front 27

Consider a fish population trying to survive under conditions of extremely cold water. If over several generations, the fish develop thicker fat layers under their skin for better insulation, is this an example of microevolution or macroevolution?

Back 27

Microevolution

Front 28

From a genetic point of view, what is the main difference between microevolution and macroevolution?

Back 28

A process being needed to ADD information to a creature's genetic code. Microevolution is a species VARYING within its genetic code.

Front 29

in this module, we studied four main sets of data: the geological column, the fossil record, structural homology, and molecular biology. For each set of data, indicate whether it is evidence for or against macroevolution or if it is inconclusive. Briefly explain why.

Back 29

Geological Column: inconclusive. 95 % of all recovered fossils are clams or similar organisms, which are quite literally found in nearly every layer of rock. The column is a theoretical construction, not pure data.

Fossil record: Evidence against.
The lack of intermediate link, even admitted by Dawkins. You would think that at least one unambiguous intermediate link could be found somewhere!


Other two on next card ...

Front 30

in this module, we studied structural homology and molecular biology. For each set of data, indicate whether it is evidence for or against macroevolution or if it is inconclusive. Briefly explain why.

Back 30

Structural homology: Formerly evidence for evolution, but now evidence against it. DNA needs to be similar in certain organisms for this hypothesis to work, but it is not similar. If forearms of oft-mentioned creatures are so similar, that part of their DNA should be similar. But it is not.

Molecular biology: Also evidence against. To a construct a cytochrome comparison table like those printed in textbooks, you must ignore 99 % of the data. The data from amino acid sequences provides strong evidence against macroevolution.

Front 31

Name 2 creatures that macroevolutionists claim are intermediate links and why there are not really intermediate links.

Back 31

Archaeopteryx: It has feathers for flight, bird balance and vision, and bird lungs.

Australopithecus: Inner ear and writs studies show that it did not walk upright. Every bone in its body is characteristic of an ape.

Front 32

What is the Cambrian Explosion? why is it a problem for macroevolution?

Back 32

thousands of examples of animals too complex to have evolved in the short time represented by Cambrian rock. The fact that such a huge amount of evolution could have taken place in the relatively "short" time supposedly represented by Cambrian rock.

Front 33

What are the four ways a bacterium can become resistant to an antibiotic?

Back 33

Conjugation, transformation, transduction, and mutation

Front 34

If a bacterium has a mutation that makes it resistant to an antibiotic, does information get added to its genetic code?

Back 34

No, it loses information in its genetic code.

Front 35

Based on macroevolutionary assumptions, which organisms cytochrome C should most resemble that of a yeast: a kangaroo or a bacterium?

Back 35

Bacterium

Front 36

What main problem with Darwin's hypothesis did neo-Darwinism hope to solve?

Back 36

That of an organism needing to be able to add information to its genetic code

Front 37

What problem with Darwin's hypothesis did punctuated equilibrium attempt to solve?

Back 37

The absence of intermediate links in the fossil record

Front 38

How would an adherent to punctuated equilibrium explain the lack of intermediate links in the fossil record?

Back 38

Mutations added genetic information to the fossil record in steps that occurred over very short time intervals.

Front 39

what problems mentioned in this module exist for those who believe in punctuated equilibrium?

Back 39

It doesn't explain why structural homology is not echoed in the genetic code or why the vast majority of molecular biology data indicates no evolutionary trends.