BIOL 471 Exam 1 (Questions with 100% correct answers)

Diversity: correct answers Natural selection promotes diversity by causing innumerable branching events throughout history of life Complexity: correct answers natural selection promotes complexity by favoring the cumulative buildup of small improvements in organismal design Adaptation: correct answers Natural selection promotes adaptation by favoring individuals that possess traits that help them survive and reproduce better in their particular environment Darwin's theory of evolution by means of natural selection explains: correct answers diversity, complexity, and adaptation how many species are probably alive today? correct answers 8-10 million What is evolution? correct answers Evolution is an inherited change in the characteristics of a group of organisms over generations What are some forms of evidence for evolution? correct answers transitional fossils, vestigial traits, homology what are some transitional fossils? correct answers archaeopteryx, tiktaalik what is homology? correct answers the possession by two or more species of a trait that is derived, with or without modification, from their common ancestor. define natural selection: correct answers the nonrandom, differential survival and/or reproduction of individuals differing in one or more characteristics what conditions must be met for natural selection to produce evolutionary change? correct answers variation, heredity, and differential reproduction what is variation? correct answers where individuals differ in some of their characteristics what is heredity? correct answers where parents pass on some of their characteristics to their offspring what is differential reproduction? correct answers where some individuals have more surviving offspring than others BECAUSE of their distinctive characteristics mimicry: correct answers an example of evolution by natural selection. One species (the mimic) evolves to resemble a second species (the model) because of benefits associated with confusing a third species (the receiver) e.g. with toxic vs. nontoxic snake species