Term
discribe the evidence for natural selection in darwin's finches |
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Definition
average beak depth changed yare to year in sync with the annual rainfall |
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Term
discribe the evidence for natural selection in peppered moths |
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Definition
-light colored moths in pristine habitats
-dark colored moths in polluted habitats |
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Term
discribe the data which have led investigators to question the agent of selection in peppered moths |
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Definition
they didnt factor in the changes in lichens |
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Term
preserved remains of once-living organisms |
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Definition
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Term
list the different types of fossils |
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Definition
-specimens preserved in amber
- siberian permafrost
-dry caves
- fossils preserved as rocks |
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Term
list what must happen for an organism to form a rock fossil |
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Definition
- the organism must be buried in sediment
-the calcium in bone or other hard tissues must mineralize
-the surrounding sediment must harden into rock |
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Term
discribe why fossils are so rare and why only a small percentage of species that once lived are represented in the fossil record |
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Definition
- usually animal or plant remains decay or are scavenged before the process may begin
-many fossils occur in rocks that are inaccessible to scientists, when they do become available, they are often destroyed by erosion and other natural processes before they can be collected. |
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Term
discribe two of the most fascinating transitional fossils |
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Definition
-Archaeppteryx- intermediate between birds and dinosaurs
-tiktaalik- species that bridged the gap between fish and the first amphibions |
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Term
discribe how the age of fossils is determined by radioactive decay of isotopes like U238 |
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Definition
when a rock is formed, no additional radio active isotopes are added. therefore, by measuring the ratio of radioactive isotope to its derivative, "daughter" isotope, geologists can determine the age of the rock |
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Term
structures with different appearances and functions that all derived from the same body part in a common ancestor |
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Definition
homologuous structures (mammals) |
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Term
explain how homologous structures illustrate natural selection |
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Definition
natural selection has modified the same intial starting blocks to serve very different purposes |
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Term
embryos of different types of vertebrates, often are similar early on, but become more different as they develop |
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Definition
relict embryonic structures (vertebrates) |
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Term
explain how relict embryonic structures illustrate natural selection |
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Definition
early in their development, embryos possess pharyngeal pouches, which develop into different structures (humans- various glands and ducts, fish- gill slits) |
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Term
natural selection can only influence the variation present in a population and becuase of this often results in workable but ___ |
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Definition
imperfect structures (vetebrate eye) |
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Term
have no apparent function, but resemble structures their ancestors possessed. |
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Definition
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Term
may occur in distantly related species that are exposed to similar selective pressures |
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Definition
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Term
discribe convergent evolution using marsupial and placental mammals |
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Definition
-marsupials are a group in which the young are born in a very immature condition and held in a pouch until mature enough to survive in the external environment
-placentals offspring are not born until they can safely survive in the external environment |
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Term
is convergent evolution widespread or rare |
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Definition
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Term
explain why island organisms are often lacking forms found on continents and are closely related to species on nearby continents, even though they may occupy different ecological niches |
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Definition
-island species usually are closely related to species on nearby continents even if environments are different.
-the species that occur there arrived by dispersing across the water, dispersal from nearby areas is more likely that than more distant sources, though long-distance colonization does occur occasionally |
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