Evolutionary Thought Chapter 1 Flashcards
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Questions and Answers

As part of the scientific method or process, a hypothesis __________.

leads to experimentation to support or refute it

________________ is critical to establishing a hypothesis that can be tested.

Deduction

____________ is critical to good science.

Testing

Using new evidence, scientists can __________ a previously held hypothesis.

<p>falsify</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the scientific method, _______ precedes the formulation of every hypothesis.

<p>observation</p> Signup and view all the answers

The origins of western scientific thinking are often attributed to the _________.

<p>ancient Greeks</p> Signup and view all the answers

Science in the Middle Ages followed the political, spiritual, and legal norms established by ________.

<p>the Catholic Church</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT true of Aristotle's 'Great Chain of Being'?

<p>It supposed a biological relationship based on ancestry of all living creatures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Linnaeus is credited for the classification scheme that biological scientists still use today. The units in this formal hierarchy are known as __________.

<p>taxons</p> Signup and view all the answers

The Church's stance accepting that Indians of the New World shared a common creation with men of the Old World helped advance the idea of ______________.

<p>monogenism</p> Signup and view all the answers

When Georges Cuvier proposed the theory of catastrophism, the event he had in mind was ___________.

<p>Noah's flood</p> Signup and view all the answers

The discovery of _______________ made it difficult for biblically driven scholars to deny changes during the history of the Earth.

<p>dinosaur fossils</p> Signup and view all the answers

Lamarckianism involves the idea that creatures in the wild acquire traits by means of __________.

<p>need and use</p> Signup and view all the answers

The idea that geological processes today are the same as those in the past, and that slow, gradual change is the norm, is associated with which of the following?

<p>uniformitarianism</p> Signup and view all the answers

Trofim Lysenko campaigned to store the Soviet Union's wheat at low temperatures to make the seeds cold-tolerant. This experiment represented an attempt to apply the notion of __________ to agriculture.

<p>the inheritance of acquired characteristics</p> Signup and view all the answers

The diversification of one founding species into multiple species is termed __________.

<p>adaptive radiation</p> Signup and view all the answers

Natural selection, as described by Darwin, acts upon variation, the raw source of which is ____________, which is a concept Darwin did not understand.

<p>mutation</p> Signup and view all the answers

The process that favors the survival of the most reproductively fit organisms is known as __________.

<p>natural selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

Darwinian fitness refers to which of the following?

<p>a measure of reproductive success</p> Signup and view all the answers

While Darwin accepted the concept of __________ and the unit of selection as the __________, Wallace did not.

<p>artificial selection; individual</p> Signup and view all the answers

Many scientists held views related to evolution before Darwin, but he provided the ____________ behind it.

<p>mechanism</p> Signup and view all the answers

The church and religious people were outraged at Darwin for suggesting that existence was __________.

<p>random</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why was Louis Agassiz, whose own work was rendered obsolete by Darwin, a very aggressive opponent of the idea of natural selection?

<p>Darwin's work failed to incorporate a divine creator.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Darwin's general lack of understanding of _____________ forced him to admit that Neo-Lamarckians may be right about what they proposed.

<p>genetics</p> Signup and view all the answers

The full weight and influence of Darwin's theory was not felt until the 1940s and 1950s, when ____________ integrated Darwinian evolution and other fields of biology.

<p>Ernst Mayr</p> Signup and view all the answers

The belief in a single creative force in the universe is ____________.

<p>creationism</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following claims does Michael Behe, a biologist and advocate of intelligent design, make?

<p>Science and faith are reconcilable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Evolution and creationism conflict in their origin stories of humanity. A creationist's view of the origin of humans relies on an Earth that is ____________.

<p>less than 6,000 years old</p> Signup and view all the answers

The issue that scientists have with teaching religion in public schools is not based on a disrespect of religion but on whether _______________________.

<p>school science classes should teach students to think like scientists</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an important difference between the theory of natural selection and intelligent design?

<p>The theory of natural selection can be tested using the scientific method and intelligent design cannot.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the gathering of scientific information by watching a phenomenon?

<p>observation</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a conclusion that follows logically from a set of observations?

<p>deduction</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a preliminary explanation of a phenomenon?

<p>hypothesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the testing of a hypothesis?

<p>experimentation</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the scientific evidence produced by an experiment or by observation, from which scientific conclusions are made?

<p>data</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is standard scientific research procedure in which a hypothesis is stated, data are collected to test it, and the hypothesis is either supported or refuted?

<p>scientific method</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is able to be shown to be false?

<p>falsifiable</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a conceptual framework useful for understanding a body of evidence?

<p>paradigm</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an ancient belief that people are derived from multiple creations?

<p>polygenism</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an ancient belief that all people are derived from a single creation?

<p>monogenism</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the science of biological classification?

<p>taxonomy</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the Linnaean naming system for all organisms, consisting of a genus and species label?

<p>binomial nomenclature</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a group of organisms assigned to a particular category?

<p>taxon</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the theory that there have been multiple creations interspersed by great natural disasters such as Noah's flood?

<p>catastrophism</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the discredited theory of evolutionary change proposing that changes that occur during the lifetime of an individual, through use or disuse, can be passed on to the next generation?

<p>theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics/ Lamarckism</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the Soviet-era research program that tried to apply Lamarckian thinking to agricultural production?

<p>Lysenkoism</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the theory that the same gradual geological process we observe today was operating in the past?

<p>uniformitarianism</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the distribution of animals and plants on Earth?

<p>biogeography</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the diversification of one founding species into multiple species and niches?

<p>adaptive radiation</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is differential reproductive success over multiple generations?

<p>natural selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are body parts that seem to serve no modern purpose and have, therefore, atrophied?

<p>vestigial organs</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is reproductive success?

<p>fitness</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an interbreeding group of organisms?

<p>population</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an alteration in the DNA, which may or may not alter the function of a cell?

<p>mutation</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a creationist attempt to refute the evidence of evolution?

<p>creation science</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a creationist school of thought that proposes that natural selection cannot account for the diversity and complexity of form and function seen in nature?

<p>intelligent design</p> Signup and view all the answers

Science is considered a _________ guided by observation and deduction leading to a testable hypothesis.

<p>process</p> Signup and view all the answers

Science is empirical and relies on _______ and ________.

<p>evidence; experimentation</p> Signup and view all the answers

The Renaissance was important for the development of science because it was a time when __________.

<p>scholars gained a strong sense of the extent of cultural and biological variation around the world</p> Signup and view all the answers

In 1610, Galileo Galilei was accused of heresy by the Catholic Church for presenting evidence for what revolutionary idea?

<p>that the sun was the center of the solar system</p> Signup and view all the answers

Linnaeus' system of classification of plants and animals was innovative in the sense that it __________.

<p>enabled scientists to make sense of the patterns of relationships between animals</p> Signup and view all the answers

The Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics was discredited because it was found that evolutionary change within a given species actually __________.

<p>took place over more than one generation and not within a generation</p> Signup and view all the answers

What observations had Malthus made that influenced Darwin's thinking?

<p>The human population could grow rapidly if left unchecked and had the potential to outstrip its resources, yet, populations remain roughly stable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

The animals of the Galapagos Islands were important in Darwin's thinking because of __________.

<p>their resemblance to mainland South American creatures</p> Signup and view all the answers

The Galapagos were the perfect setting for Darwin to observe the effects of evolution because they were __________.

<p>islands with diverse habitats and isolated breeding populations</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following did Darwin and Wallace both agree on?

<p>Thomas Malthus' ideas on population growth</p> Signup and view all the answers

A major obstacle for Darwin and his predecessors regarding their ideas about evolution and natural selection was the ______________.

<p>Church and religion</p> Signup and view all the answers

A ___________ is a conceptual framework used by scientists to understand a body of evidence.

<p>paradigm</p> Signup and view all the answers

If the design of humans is supernatural, as claimed by intelligent design advocates, then which of the following statements is true?

<p>Faith supports supernatural creation</p> Signup and view all the answers

The development of powerful telescopes and the work on motion and gravity by Kepler and Newton resulted in the Church abandoning its position regarding __________.

<p>an Earth-centered solar system</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following developments during the Renaissance helped to establish scientific thinking in Europe?

<p>The discovery of the New World exposed European thinkers to greater natural variation than they had previously imagined existed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Scientific Method and Hypothesis

  • A hypothesis leads to experimentation aimed at supporting or refuting it.
  • Deduction is essential for establishing testable hypotheses.
  • Testing is a critical component of sound scientific practice.
  • Observation is the prerequisite for formulating every hypothesis.
  • Data refers to the scientific evidence gathered from experiments or observations.

Historical Context of Evolutionary Thought

  • The ancient Greeks are credited with the origins of Western scientific thinking.
  • Science during the Middle Ages was heavily influenced by the Catholic Church.
  • Aristotle’s "Great Chain of Being" arranged organisms hierarchically but incorrectly suggested biological relationships were immutable.

Classification and Early Theories

  • Linnaeus developed a classification scheme still used today, with taxons as the units.
  • Monogenism was supported by the Church's acceptance of a common origin for Old and New World inhabitants.
  • Cuvier introduced the theory of catastrophism, linking it to significant events like Noah's flood.

Evolution and Natural Selection

  • Lamarck proposed that species acquire traits through need and use, a concept now discredited.
  • The gradual geological processes theory, uniformitarianism, posits that current processes are consistent with those in the past.
  • Adaptive radiation describes the diversification from one founding species into multiple forms.

Darwin's Contributions and Controversies

  • Natural selection is defined as the process favoring the survival of the most reproductively fit organisms.
  • Darwinian fitness measures reproductive success; variation arises from mutation, a concept not understood by Darwin.
  • Wallace differed from Darwin regarding units of selection, favoring the species level over the individual.

Social and Religious Reactions

  • Darwin's suggestion of a random existence outraged many religious individuals and institutions.
  • Critics like Louis Agassiz opposed natural selection due to its exclusion of a divine creator.
  • The rejection of evolution by some religious groups led to conflicts in educational curricula, emphasizing the importance of a scientific framework in schools.

Key Concepts in Evolutionary Biology

  • Falsifiability is crucial for scientific hypotheses, while paradigms help interpret bodies of evidence.
  • Vestigial organs represent atrophied structures that once had functions in ancestors.
  • Mutation refers to changes in DNA, with potential evolutionary outcomes based on whether they occur in gametes.

Evolution vs. Creationism

  • Creationism is based on the belief in a single force creating life, conflicting with scientific explanations of human origins.
  • Intelligent design argues that natural selection cannot sufficiently account for life’s complexity and promotes a compatibility between science and faith.

Impact of Historical Developments

  • The Renaissance fostered scientific thinking by exposing scholars to cultural and biological diversity.
  • Galileo's assertion of a heliocentric solar system challenged doctrinal teachings and led to significant religious backlash.
  • Discoveries during the Renaissance expanded understanding of natural variation and facilitated advancements in scientific inquiry.

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Description

Dive into the key concepts of evolutionary thought with these flashcards from Chapter 1. This quiz will test your understanding of hypotheses, deduction, and the fundamentals of good scientific practice. Perfect for students looking to reinforce their knowledge of the scientific method in the context of evolution.

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