Download Chapter 15 Reading Guide

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Reading Guide Chapter 15
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
Terms to know: evolution, theory, fossil, artificial selection, struggle for existence, fitness,
adaptation, survival of the fittest, natural selection, descent with modification, common
descent, homologous structure, vestigial organ
1. What is evolution?
2. What is a scientific theory?
3. Who was Charles Darwin? What did he do? What did he write?
4. Where did the H.M.S. Beagle travel? Where did Darwin visit and study the natural world?
5. What patterns of diversity did Darwin observe on his travels? Give specific examples.
6. How did Darwin use fossils to develop his theories?
7. What organisms did Darwin study on the Galapagos Islands, what observations was he making about
these animals?
8. Describe the contributions that each of the following individuals made to the theory of evolution:
a. James Hutton:
b. Thomas Malthus:
c. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck:
d. Charles Darwin:
e. Charles Lyell:
f. Alfred Wallace:
9. Explain Lamarck’s theories and how they are different from Darwin’s theories.
10. What is artificial selection?
11. What is natural selection?
12. What did Darwin use as his evidence for his theories on evolution?
13. What are some strength and weaknesses of the theory of evolution?