QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The Darwinian revolution challenged what? - ANS traditional views of a young Earth
inhabited by unchanging species
Descent with modification by natural selection - ANS explains the adaptations of organisms
and the unity and diversity of life
4 types of evidence for evolution - ANS 1. direct observations
2. homology
3. fossil record
4. biogeography
Scala Naturae - ANS life-forms could be arranged on a scale of increasing complexity
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, Evolution - ANS a change in the genetic composition of a population over time
Lamarck's two mechanisms - ANS 1. use and disuse
2. inheritance of acquired characteristics
Adaptations - ANS inherited characteristics of organisms that enhance their survival and
reproduction in specific environments
Malthus influence on Darwin - ANS most species produce large numbers of offspring
Evidence that supports Darwin's Ideas - ANS 1. members of a population often vary in their
inherited traits
2. all species produce more offspring than can survive
3. individuals with inherited characteristics that give them a higher fitness more likely to leave
offspring than other individuals
4. this unequal ability of individuals to produce offspring will lead to the accumulation of
favourable traits in a population over generations
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