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.