Download Chapter 16: Evolutionary Theory Section 1: Developing a Theory A

Chapter 16: Evolutionary Theory
I. Section 1: Developing a Theory
A. A Theory to Explain Change Over Time
1. Evolution is
2. A theory is
3. Who is the “father” of evolution?
B. Darwin’s Ideas from Experience
1. How did Darwin gather his information which enabled him to
develop his theory of natural selection?
2. What did Darwin notice about the armadillo fossils as compared
to the living armadillos in South America?
3. Where did Darwin propose the plants & animals on the Galapagos
Islands came from? What evidence did he have for his idea?
4. There are 13 or 14 different species of finches on the Galapagos
Islands; how did they get there & why were they different from
one another?
5. Descent with modification means
C. Years of Reflection
1. Darwin’s voyage on the HMS Beagle began in 1831 & ended in
1836; he was 27 years old when he returned to England.
2. Why didn’t he report his observations & propose his theory of
evolution right away?
D. Breeding & Selection
1. What did Darwin learn by breeding pigeons?
2. What is artificial selection?
3. How do we use artificial selection?
E. Darwin’s Ideas from Others
1. How did most people from Darwin’s time believe species came to
be?
2. Lamarck was a French scientist. In 1809 he proposed that
organisms change due to use & disuse of a character & this would
be passed on to their offspring. Give an example of this.
3. What belief did Darwin & Lamarck share?
4. In 1798, what did the English economist Thomas Malthus observe
about the human population & the food supply?
5. According to Malthus, what factors would keep the human
population from increasing the way it was?
6. What did Darwin notice about ALL populations of organisms?
7. What does the science of geology study?
8. What did the geologist Cuvier notice about fossils?
9. What did the geologists Hutton & Lyell think about geological
processes?
10.What did Darwin learn by reading Lyell’s book?
II. Section 2: Applying Darwin’s Ideas
A. Evolution by Natural Selection
1. Natural selection is the process
2. What process did Darwin believe causes evolution?
3. What does Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
predict?
4. Discuss Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
a. Overproduction –
b. Variation –
c. Selection d. Adaptation –
5. Does the insect pictured in Figure 5 on page 380 fit in with
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection? Support your
answer.
6. Adaptation is
7. Populations & species evolve, NOT individuals. What is a species
8. When did Darwin finally write an outline of his ideas about
evolution & natural selection?
9. What finally motivated Darwin to publish his book On the Origin
of Species by Natural Selection in 1859?
B. What Darwin Explained
1. Darwin used information from natural history, economics, geology
& the fossil record to develop his theory of evolution by natural
selection. Today we use other areas of science to explain the
process of evolution by natural selection.
2. Evidence of Natural Selection & Evolution
a. Fossils – traces of organisms that lived in the past. May be
preserved in sedimentary rocks, encased in tree sap that turned
into amber, or bones that have been replaced by minerals.
 What evidence do we have to support Darwin’s idea that
whales descended from 4-legged, land-dwelling animals?
b. Biogeography –
 Explain how similar organisms, like the rhea, ostrich, &
emu are found on 3 different continents.

Is this an example of natural selection? Explain your
answer.
c. Developmental Biology/Embryology
 What do you notice about all of the embryos in row 1?
 Can you tell which embryos will develop into the fish &
salamander in row 2?
 What does the similarity between all of the embryos in
row 1 tell you about these organisms?
d. Anatomy
 What are homologous structures?
 Give an example of a homologous structure in the
human, alligator, bat, & penguin. ___________________
 What are analogous structures?
 The wing of a bird & the wing of an insect are analogous
structures; why?
e. Biochemistry
 Scientists compare the amino acids, proteins, DNA &
RNA of different organisms.
 The more similar the amino acids, proteins, DNA & RNA
of the different organisms is, the more closely related
they are.
 Look at Figure 10 on page 384; which 2 organisms are
we most closely related to?________________________
How do you know?
C. Evaluating Darwin’s Ideas
1. What were 3 major strengths of Darwin’s work?
a.
b.
c.
2. What was the one weakness in Darwin’s explanation for evolution
through natural selection?