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Study Guide
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Vocab.
1. Mutation.
A change in the bases of DNA. Mutation can result in no change, a harmful change or an improvement.
2. Adaptation
A mutation that results in a trait/ characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce.
3. Natural Selection
The organism/individual that is best adapted to its environment will survive and reproduce.
4. Overproduction
Each species produces more offspring that will survive to maturity
5. Struggle to survive
A natural environment does not have enough food, water, and other resources. Only some survive to
adulthood.
6. Successful reproduction
The individual that are best adapted to their environment will survive and reproduce (think natural
selection)
7. Genetic variation
Individuals in a population are slightly difference from each other.
8. Species
Organisms that can cross/mate and produce a viable offspring (the offspring is also able to reproduce)
9. Speciation
It is the process by which organism evolve/change into two or more different organism.
10. Selective breeding
The crossing of animals or plants with desired traits to generate an offspring with the best traits from
their parents.
11. Fossil
The solidified matter or imprints of organism.
12. Fossil record
A historical chart/representation of organisms change over time.
13. Vestigial Structures
The remnants (left over) of functional structures that are no longer needed.
Questions:
1. Who was Charles Darwin, and what did he learn from studying finches?
He was a Naturalist, he sailed the world in the HMS Beagle. He stopped at the Galapagos Islands, where
he observed several species of plants and animals. For example, he noticed that the beaks of
Finches (type of bird) differed not only from finches on the mainland, but also from each other.
This observation lead him to this theory of natural selection, which he wrote in his book “The
Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”
2. The process of natural selection is divided into four. Name and give examples.
Overproduction – turtle, fish (lots of eggs)
Genetic variation – dogs, cats (many different breeds, but they can still interbreed)
Struggle to survive – Pandas (only eat bamboo)
Successful reproduction – Humans (we live everywhere)
3. How are fossils formed?
Organisms are buried in fine sediment with no oxygen and over time the living matter will become
mineralized (will look like a rock)
Study Guide
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4. What can we learn from the fossil record?
- Organisms change over time.
- Newer and more complex organisms are at the top of the fossil record.
- Older and simpler organisms are the bottom of the fossil record.
- Similarities found in bone structures – tells you that organism came from a common ancestor
5. A scientist collects wild rabbits that live at sea level and moves them to the mountains. A few years
later, the scientist discovers that the same rabbits have larger lungs, which help them breathe the thin
mountain air. The scientist returns the rabbits to sea level. Will the offspring of the rabbits have
larger-than-normal lungs?
Explain:
The rabbits that were taken to the mountain will adapt to the low oxygen conditions by developing
larger lungs (this means that these changes are in their genes). When this rabbits are taken to sea level
their offspring will also have large lungs, because it was in their parents genes.
6. How did studying selective breeding help Darwin develop his theory of evolution?
Farmers cross animals with desired traits to produces offspring with the best traits from their parents.
Nature also selects organism with the best traits for their environment, this way their offspring will
inherit these traits and will be able to survive and reproduce.
7. Scientists and physicians have growing concerns that modern medicines and chemicals will create
varieties of bacteria and pests that are ever more difficult to destroy. Explain the process by which
this could happen.
If an antibiotic does not completely kill the infectious bacteria, the surviving bacteria may adapt and
become resistant to the antibiotic. When this new bacteria is exposed again to the same antibiotic it will
not have any effect. Then a stronger antibiotic will be required to kill these new type bacteria.
8.List 4 animals and describe a physical and behavioral adaptation.