Evolution Test Review

1. Give a definition for evolution. Why do living things need to evolve? Definition: species change over time As the environment changes, living things need to survive, so they must change as time goes on

2. How are fossils dated? Radiometric/ Radiocarbon Dating: measures the amount of radioactive isotopes in a fossil to determine its age – Pro: can give you the exact age of a fossil – Con: can’t be used on really old fossils because the radioactivity goes away with time Relative Dating: compares the age of a fossil to other fossils found in the same rock layer – Pro: can be used to give you an estimated age of really old fossils – Con: rock layers can be shifted by earthquakes or mudslides and this can give an inaccurate estimate

3. How can we get evidence for evolution from the fossil record? The fossil record shows us how living things have changed their forms over time

4. What are homologous structures? Give an example. How do they provide evidence for evolution? Similar structures with different functions Example: a human’s arm and a bat’s wing Evidence: they show that there was a common ancestor

5. What are vestigial structures? Give an example. How do they provide evidence for evolution? Structures that no longer serve a purpose but had a purpose in an ancestor Example: Tailbone in humans; wings on flightless birds Evidence: show how things change over time

6. How does embryology (study of embryos/development) provide evidence for evolution? Similarities among embryos show a common ancestor

7. Explain Charles Darwin’s discoveries (finches and tortoises). Finches: – Darwin noticed that where there were nuts for food, the finches had short, hard beaks – Where there was fruit and insects for food, the finches had long, thin beaks Tortoises: – Darwin noticed that where there was low vegetation, the tortoises had short legs and necks – where there was high vegetation, the tortoises had long legs and necks

8. What are adaptations? Give an example of an adaptation Adaptation: a beneficial change that allows an organism/species to survive Example: thick fur on a rabbit that lives in the arctic

9. How has the earth changed over time (timeline events)? Earth changed and as it did, life evolved – Earth was formed – The first life appeared (single-celled) – Oxygen appeared – Plants and animals appeared (multicellular)

10. How are humans similar to and different from other organisms? Similar: – Mammals (hair, live birth, produce milk) – Primates – Skeletons have similarities (homologous structures) Different: – Written communication – Opposable thumbs – Walk upright – Large brains

11. What can we learn by studying cladograms? Cladograms show: – Shared traits – The order the traits appeared in – Probable relationships

12. How do you read a cladogram? Reads from the bottom up – Oldest/most common trait at the bottom – Newest/least common trait at the top Each organism on the cladogram has all the traits below it

13. What are the different taxonomic groups from largest to smallest? What can classifying things tell you about evolution? Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species Classification can tell you how closely related two species are and how recently they shared a common ancestor – the more of the above groupings they have in common, the more closely related they are

14. What are the three domains and the kingdoms that fit into each? Domain: Bacteria – Kingdom: Eubacteria Domain: Archaea – Kingdom: Archaebacteria Domain: Eukarya – Kingdom: Animal – Kingdom: Plant – Kingdom: Protist – Kingdom: Fungi

15. How do you use a dichotomous key? What can a dichotomous key be used for? Read through each paired statement and answer yes or no and follow the instructions until you reach an identified object This key can be used to identify unknown objects.