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Evolution Study Guide
Biology
Name: ______________________
1. The change in the hereditary traits of a species over a period of time
_________evolution_______________.
2. The ____theory of evolution__________________________ states that
organisms could develop traits that they need for survival.
3. Goal of species – survive and reproduce
4. Body parts that no longer have job ______vestigial structures – evidence of
common ancestry ex. Appendix
5. Individuals of different species produce infertile offspring
6. A trait that makes an individual different from others in its species
______variation__________________.
7. A change in the DNA of an organism _______mutation – can be helpful if
makes the living thing better adapted
8. Evidence of once living things ______fossils___________________.
9. Catastrophism – floods and earthquakes have shaped land and caused species
to go extinct
10. Uniformitarianism – geological processes that shaped Earth in the past have
stayed the same throughout time.
11. Charles Darwin – developed theory of evolution
12. Choosing who will and will not survive ____natural selection____________.
13. Fossils found deeper underground are ______older and simpler____________.
14. The most complex life forms would be found in the ____top____________ layer
of fossils.
15. Animals fighting over food is an example of __competition________________.
16. A white moth in a forest is eaten by an owl is an example of ____natural
selection__________.
17. Ducks having webbed feet is an example of a/an
______adaptation______________.
18. Your appendix is an example of a/an _____vestigial structure___________.
19. Primate - eyes that face forward and thumbs that grasp
20. Sequence of human ancestors –
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Australopithecus
Homo habilis
Homo erectus
Homo sapien
21. _____Fossils____________________ are the remains of once living things.
22. Looking at similarities between different organisms before birth is an example of
____Comparative embryology – evidence of evolution_.
23. How a new species develops - do not have to memorize steps – just
understand
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Species are separated by a barrier (change in
geography/environment)
Natural selection takes place over thousands of years
Individuals with more desirable traits survive and reproduce
24. Gene pool - The combined alleles of all the individuals in a population
25. Gene flow - The movement of alleles when individuals join new populations
26. Genetic drift - change in allele frequencies due to chance; results in loss of
genetic diversity
27. Founder effect – genetic drift that occurs when a few individuals start a new
colony
28. Bottleneck effect - genetic drift that occurs after an event drastically reduces
population size.