65 Questions
What is the primary function of the mechanisms of evolution?
To produce the observed pattern of change
What is the significance of evolution as a unifying theory?
It connects a vast array of observations about the living world
How do scientists continue to test their understanding of evolution?
By examining new observations and experimental results
What is the relationship between the data from scientific disciplines and evolution?
The data are facts that reveal the pattern of evolutionary change
What is the role of ongoing discoveries in shaping our understanding of evolution?
They shape what we know about the pattern and process of evolution
What is the primary consequence of the unequal ability of individuals to survive and reproduce in a population?
The accumulation of favorable traits in the population over generations
What is the main reason why Darwin did not publish his ideas on evolution despite working out the major features of his hypothesis by the early 1840s?
He anticipated the uproar his ideas would cause.
What was the primary motivation for Lyell to urge Darwin to publish his ideas on evolution?
Lyell feared that someone else would publish similar ideas first.
What is the key difference between artificial selection and natural selection?
Artificial selection involves human intervention, while natural selection does not
What is required for natural selection to act on variations in a population?
The variations must be heritable and affect the ability to survive and reproduce
What is the name of the process that explains how adaptations arise, according to Darwin's hypothesis?
Natural selection
What is the primary driving force behind the accumulation of favorable traits in a population?
The differential survival and reproduction of individuals with certain traits
What is the primary function of the long, sharp beak of the cactus ground finch (Geospiza scandens)?
To tear and eat cactus flowers and pulp
What is the relationship between the capacity of organisms to overreproduce and the process of natural selection?
The capacity of organisms to overreproduce is a prerequisite for natural selection
In what year did Darwin write a long essay on descent with modification and its underlying mechanism, natural selection?
1844
What is the primary consequence of the human population's potential to increase faster than food supplies and other resources?
Disease, famine, and war
Where was Alfred Russel Wallace, a British naturalist, working when he sent a manuscript to Darwin?
The South Pacific islands of the Malay
What is the primary concept that Darwin supported in his book The Origin of Species?
Descent with modification
What is the term used to describe the process of organisms adapting to their environments?
Match between organisms and their environments
What is the term used to describe the study of the geographic distribution of organisms?
Biogeography
What is the term used to describe the shared characteristics between different species?
Homology
What is the term used to describe the process of new groups of organisms emerging from earlier groups?
Speciation
What is the term used to describe the study of fossils that signify the origin of new groups of organisms?
Fossil record
What can be observed in nature to support the process of evolution?
Effects of natural selection
Why do two islands with similar environments in distant parts of the world tend to be populated by species related to those of the nearest mainland?
Because of the process of evolution through natural selection
What is the difference between the scientific meaning and the colloquial meaning of the term 'theory'?
In science, a theory is more comprehensive than a hypothesis
What is required for a unifying theory, such as the theory of evolution by natural selection, to be widely accepted?
Predictions that stand up to thorough and continual testing by experiment and additional observation
What is the significance of the pattern of evolution in understanding the natural world?
It explains and integrates a great variety of phenomena
What is the role of natural selection in the context of evolution?
It is the primary cause of the observed pattern of evolutionary change
What is the primary evidence that supports the hypothesis that cetaceans are most closely related to hippopotamuses?
DNA sequence data
What is the term that describes the study of the geographic distribution of species?
Biogeography
About how many million years ago did the continents of Earth start to break apart from the single large continent called Pangaea?
200 million
What do fossils of extinct cetacean ancestors, such as Pakicetus, document?
The reduction in size of pelvis and hind limb bones over time
What is the result of descent with modification over time?
The increase in diversity of life on Earth
What is the process that scientists use to predict where fossils of different groups of organisms might be found?
Biogeography
What has been documented by recent fossil discoveries in Pakistan, Egypt, and North America?
The evolution of limb structure in whales
What is the primary evidence for evolution mentioned in the text?
The fossil record
What do the fossil discoveries of cetaceans and even-toed ungulates suggest?
That cetaceans and even-toed ungulates are more different than previously thought
What does the fossil record document?
The formation of new species and the origin of a major new group of mammals
What is the term used to describe the study of fossils that signify the origin of new groups of organisms?
Paleontology
What does the pattern of evolution in the fossil record show?
That many species have become extinct
What did Georges Cuvier observe when examining strata near Paris?
The older the stratum, the more dissimilar its fossils were to current lifeforms
What did Georges Cuvier propose to explain the boundaries between strata?
Periodic catastrophes that had destroyed many of the species living at that time
What is the process by which sedimentary rock layers form under water?
Rivers carrying sediment into aquatic habitats
What is the principle that Georges Cuvier advocated to explain the fossil record?
Catastrophism
What is the relationship between the age of a stratum and its fossils?
The older the stratum, the more ancient its fossils
What did Georges Cuvier oppose?
The idea of evolution
What is documented by the fossil record of extinct cetacean ancestors?
The reduction over time in the pelvis and hind limb bones
What is the primary consequence of descent with modification over time?
The increasing differences among related groups of organisms
What is used to predict where fossils of different groups of organisms might be found?
Evolutionary trees based on anatomical data
What is the significance of the fossil record in understanding evolution?
It provides evidence for the diversity of life on Earth over time
What is the relationship between the continental drift and the geographic distribution of organisms?
Continental drift influenced the geographic distribution of organisms
What do the fossil discoveries of cetaceans and even-toed ungulates suggest?
They evolved from a common ancestor
What does the fossil record primarily show about past organisms?
They were very different from present-day organisms
What have recent fossil discoveries in Pakistan, Egypt, and North America documented?
The transition from life on land to life in the sea
What do fossil discoveries of cetaceans and even-toed ungulates suggest about their relationships?
They are very different from each other
What type of evidence does the fossil record provide for evolution?
Fossil record
What is a significant pattern observed in the fossil record?
Many species have become extinct
What can be inferred from the fossil record about the history of life on Earth?
Life on Earth has evolved over time
What did Georges Cuvier observe when examining strata near Paris?
The older the stratum, the more dissimilar its fossils were to current lifeforms.
What did Cuvier propose to explain the boundaries between strata?
Catastrophic events, such as floods, that had destroyed many species.
What is the process by which sedimentary rock layers form under water?
Rivers carrying sediment into aquatic habitats.
What is the significance of the fossil record in understanding the natural world?
It documents the history of life on Earth.
What do the fossils in the strata represent?
The lifeforms that existed in the past.
Why do the fossils in the older strata tend to be more dissimilar to current lifeforms?
Because the older strata represent a time when extinctions were more frequent.
Explore the scientific disciplines that reveal the pattern of evolutionary change, including biology, geology, physics, and chemistry. Learn about the mechanisms that produce the observed pattern of change and how evolution explains and connects a vast array of natural phenomena. Test your understanding of the natural causes behind evolution!
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