Summarize ideas from Darwins time that influenced his work: (Charles Lyell proposed that erosion explained

physical features. One was that species are species are fixed or permanent, and do not change. The other Idea was that Earth itself is 10,000 years old and unchanging. Identify some key observations for Darwins voyage that lead to his theory: Darwin studied Geology, plants, and animals in his voyage, but the Galapagos islands helped him the most where he observed a type of bird. Describe the two main points of Darwins Theory: Descent with modification: descendants of the earliest organisms spread into various habitats over millions of years. In these habitats they accumulated different modifications, or adaptations to diverse ways of life. Natural selections: process by which individuals with inherited characteristics well suited to the environment leave more offspring than other individuals. Describe the information the fossil record contains about life on Earth: The fossil record provides evidence of Earths changing life. The oldest fossil evidence of life consists of chemical traces in rocks from Greenland that are 3.8billion years old. Fossil record links ancestral life forms that link past & present. Tell how the geographic distribution of organisms relates to evolution: If species evolved from ancestors that lived in one geographic region, the presence of related species that lived in the same geographic region makes sense. Explain how similarities in structure and development among different species are evident for evolution: Organisms have similar body parts ex. Human arms, cat forelegs, whale flippers, consist of the same skeletal parts. They have the same basic combination of bones. The functions are different because they are adapted to their environment. Such similar structures in species sharing a common ancestor are called homologous structures. Describe molecular evidence for evolution: Through the study of molecular history of evolution in the DNA sequences of organisms, scientists can check the records of an organisms ancestry. This molecular comparison shows that if 2 species have genes and proteins with sequences that match closely, they must have been inherited from a relatively recent ancestor. Summarize Darwins theory of natural selection: Only the fittest will survive, if an animal is well suited for the environment, than it will reproduce in greater quantities rather than the animal that isnt. Describe the founder effect: When a few individuals colonize an isolated island, lake, or some other habitat. The smaller the colony, the less its genetic makeup will represent the gene pool of the larger population from which the colonists came. (Reduces genetic variation). Describe the bottleneck effect: Disasters ex. Earthquakes may drastically reduce population. By chance, certain alleles may then be represented more frequently than others among the survivors. (Some alleles may be completely eliminated.) List the types of reproductive barriers between species: Timing, habitat, behavior, & other reproductive barriers.. For ex. 2 similar species are unable to mate because their reproductive systems are physically incompatible. Explain how geographic isolation and adaptive radiation contribute species diversity: Separation of populations result of geographic change or migration to geographically isolated places. Adaptive radiation: Evolution from a common ancestor of many species adapted to diverse environments. Summarize the models for the tempo of speculation: Model known as punctuated equilibrium suggests that a new species changes most as it buds from a parent species. There is little change for the rest of the time the species exists. Describe how evolution can refine existing adaptations: Any organism has a number of adaptations In some cases a complex structure may have evolved from a simpler structure having the same basic function process of refinement. Explain how existing structures can take on few functions through evolution: Through the years, older functions can be used to serve a different function. Ex. WWI the surplus of 375 tons of material for bandage dressings was used to make facial tissues. Explain how fossils can form: Fossils can form from the remains of organisms buried by sediments, dust, or volcanic ash. Soft body parts of dead organisms decay, but hard parts do not. Describe the geologic time scale: Earths history organized into 4 eras: Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. Summarize the methods used to determine the ages of fossils: The relative ages of fossils reflect the order in which groups of species existed compared to another. The position of rock wont tell you the actual age. The rocks on the bottom are the oldest compared to the top. Describe how continental drift and mass extinctions relate to macroevolution: As continental drift occurs, the habitats of many organisms change, which can lead to mass extinctions, these mass extinctions represent major biological changes. State the goals of Taxonomy: 1) Identification 2) Naming 3) Classification. VOCABULARY: Evolution: Generation to generation change (Change over time) Adaptation: Inherited characteristic that improves an organisms ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment. Natural selection & descent: (ABOVE) Fossil: Preserved remains or markings left by an organism that lived in the past. Fossil record: Chronological collection of lifes remains in sedimentary rock layers. Extinct: A species that no longer lives on Earth. Homologous structure: Similar structure found in more than one species that share a common ancestor. Vestigial Structure: Remnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a species ancestors, but no clear function in modern species. Population: The amount of an organism that lives in a given area. Variation: Differences among members of a species. Artificial selection: Selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to produce offspring with desired genetic traits. Gene pool: All of the alleles in all the individuals that make up a population. Microevolution: Evolution in the smallest scale-a generation- to generation change in the frequencies of alleles within a population. Genetic Drift: Changes in the gene pool of a population due to chance. Gene Flow: Exchange of genes between populations. Fitness: Contribution that an individual makes to the gene pool of the next generation. Biological species concept: Definition of a species as a population or group of populations whose members can breed with one another in nature and produce fertile offsprings. Macroevolution: Major biological changes evident in the fossil record. Speciation: Formation of new species. Geographic isolation: Separation of populations as a result of geographic change or migration to geographically isolated places. Adaptive radiation: Evolution from a common ancestor of many species adapted to diverse environments. Reproductive Isolation: Condition in which a reproductive barrier keeps two species from interbreeding. Punctuated equilibrium: Evolutionary model suggesting species often diverge in spurts of relatively rapid change, followed by long periods of little change. Geographic time scale: Earths history organized into four eras: Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. Radiometric Dating: Determination of absolute ages of rocks and fossils through calculations based on a radioactive isotopes fixed rate of decay. Half-Time: Time it takes for 50% of an radioactive isotope sample to decay. Binomial: Two-part latin name of a species. Phylogenic Tree: Branching diagram, suggesting evolutionary relationships, that classifies species into groups within groups. Convergent Evolution: Process in which unrelated species from similar environments have
adaptations that are very similar. Analogous Structures: Similarities among unrelated species that result from convergent evolution. Derived Character: Homologous characteristic that unites organisms as a group