Biology Quiz: Evolution and Biodiversity

What is Evolution?

• Evolution is the unifying theory of biology that helps explain and understand the diversity of life on the planet.

Diversity

• Diversity refers to the variety of different species, organisms, and ecosystems that exist on Earth.

Big Cat Observations

• Lions live in Africa, while tigers live in India, but they share similarities, suggesting they are related.
• They can produce offspring, known as ligers, which demonstrates their close genetic relationship.

Theories and Predictions

• Theories are statements or models that have been tested and confirmed, used to explain data and observations.
• Theories can be used to make predictions and are not absolute, meaning they can be changed or refined based on new evidence.

Evolutionary Principles

• Evolution involves changes in the frequency of traits in a population over time.
• Organisms came from pre-existing organisms, sharing a common ancestor.

Charles Darwin and the Galapagos

• Charles Darwin developed the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection after observing unique species on the Galapagos Islands.
• He noted that finches on the islands had different beak shapes, adapted to eating specific foods.

Key Points of the Theory of Evolution

• Variation among individuals exists.
• Inheritance: variations are passed from parents to offspring.
• Differential survival and reproduction: more offspring are born than survive, and adaptation increases over time.

Adaptations and Natural Selection

• Adaptations are favorable traits that help organisms survive and reproduce.
• Natural selection is the process by which evolution occurs, where nature "selects" winners and losers based on adaptations.

Artificial Selection

• Humans have selectively bred animals and plants for desirable traits, resulting in domesticated species like dogs and cats.

Common Descent and Phylogenetic Trees

• All living species have descended with modification from other species.
• Phylogenetic trees show how living species are related and how they descended from a common ancestor.

Speciation and Cladograms

• Speciation is the formation of a new species.
• Cladograms show features common to each group, illustrating evolutionary relationships.

Evidence of Evolution

• The theory of evolution is supported by many lines of evidence, including fossil records, comparative anatomy, and DNA analysis.
• Human DNA is 98% similar to chimpanzee DNA, supporting a common ancestor.

Fossil Evidence

• Fossil records show similarities between extinct and living animals, and the geological timeline of species' existence.

Homologous Structures

• Homologous structures are organs or bones that appear in different animals, having anatomical similarities but potentially different functions.

Quiz about evolution, biodiversity, and observations of big cats, including lions, tigers, and ligers.