Download Charles Darwin

Evolution Study Guide Foldable Key
Charles Darwin
An English naturalist who, along with
Alfred Russell Wallace, developed the
theory of evolution through natural
selection. It is Darwin’s name that is
most closely associated with the theory
of evolution.
A group of closely related organisms
that are capable of mating and
producing fertile offspring.
Species
Mutation
A change in the genetic material (DNA)
of an organism.
Adaptation
Any characteristic or trait of an
organism that improves its chances of
surviving in its environment.
The means by which evolution takes
place. Organisms that are best
adapted survive. Nature “selects”
organisms with helpful traits. Those
with harmful traits do not usually
survive to reproduce.
The production of more offspring than
can possibly survive.
Natural Selection
Overpopulation
Variation
Differences among individuals in a
species.
Competition
The interaction between organisms
striving for the same goals: food, water,
space, mates, etc.
Selection
Organisms that are best adapted
survive. Nature selects organisms with
helpful traits that make them well
adapted for a particular environment.
The geographical separation of one
population of a species from another.
Geographic Isolation
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Fossil
The preserved remains or traces of an
organism that lived in the past.
Sedimentary Rock
Rock formed by the laying down of
sediments – particles of sand and rock
carried most often by water.
Dating Methods
Ways to estimate the age of fossils
Relative Dating
Reading the layers of sediment to
determine the oldest and youngest
fossils. The oldest fossils are usually in
the bottom layer; the youngest in the
upper layers.
Determining the amount of radioactive
elements that are present in a fossil.
The amount that is left in the rock tells
scientists how old the fossil is.
Organisms that no longer live on Earth.
Absolute Dating
Extinct Organisms
Fossil Record
The millions of fossils that scientists
have collected.
Geologic Time Scale
A chart of calendar that shows when
the major groups of organisms lived
over the Earth’s 4.6 billion year history.
Evolution
A change in a species over time
through natural selection.
Gradualism
Evolution that takes place gradually
over time.
Punctuated Equilibrium
Evolution that takes place rapidly
especially as a result of a catastrophic
environmental event.
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Ways to show evolutionary
relationships
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Homologous Structures
Body structure
Development before birth
(embryology)
DNA sequences
Structures that are similar in form but
different in use such as the flipper of a
whale and the wing of a bird.
Branching Tree
A diagram that shows how different
groups of organisms are related.
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