Evolution

Think of an animal that lives in the Sahara desert. What are three adaptation that this animal has developed? Detail how each one helps it survive in its environment.

A camel has devoloped three adaptations to help it survive: longer eyelashes to help protect them from the sand, fat filled humps which hold water and food to keep them nourished, and a thick coat of hair that protects them from the heat in the day, and keeps them warm at night.

Think of an animal that lives in a swamp or marsh. What are three adaptation that this animal has developed? Detail how each one helps it survive in its environment.

A crocodile has devoloped three adaptations to help it survive: tough skin so predators won't be able to bit into them, cold blooded so it helps them maintain body temperature, and strong jaws to devour its prey.

Think of an animal that lives in the snowy tundra. What are three adaptation that this animal has developed? Detail how each one helps it survive in its environment.

A polar bear has devoloped three adaptations to help it survive: all white fur which is used as camouflage from prey on the snow and ice, thick layers of fat and fur which are used for insulation against the cold, and being a strong swimmer has allowed them to catch prey and swim through ice.

List and define the three types of camouflage and give an example of each.

Concealing, disruptive coloration, and mimicry are the three types of camoflage. Concealing is when an animal blends in with its background. An example of concealing is how a tree frog blends in with vegetation. Disruptive coloration is when an organism's color is broken up with a pattern (like stripes of spots) so it confuses or conceals when alone or in a group. An example of disruptive coloration is how a zebra's patterns are broke up to confuse predators. Mimicry is when an animal copies or mimics the form of something else. An example of this is how some butterflies' wings have spots that look like owl eyes.

What is the impotance of DNA in the human body? How does DNA relate to evolution?

DNA is important to the human body because it codes the genetic characteristics of a living organism. Evolution happens when there is a good mutation in the DNA.

During our natural selection simulation we found that our population icreased its chance of survival if we increased _________________. (mutation, survival, sedimentary, past, today, diversity, fittest, variation, homologous structures)

During our natural selection simulation we found that our population icreased its chance of survival if we increased variation.

Evolution depends on _______________ because this is the way that new traits are created. (mutation, survival, sedimentary, past, today, diversity, fittest, variation, homologous structures)

Evolution depends on mutation because this is the way that new traits are created.

Fossils in the upper layer of the Earth resemble organisms from________ while deeper fossils look like organisms from the____________. (mutation, survival, sedimentary, past, today, diversity, fittest, variation, homologous structures)

Fossils in the upper layer of the Earth resemble organisms from today while deeper fossils look like organisms from the past.

Variation

any difference between individuals of the same species

Evolution

the gradual change in a species over time

Natural Selection

the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than others

Diversity

the variety of organisms that inhabit our planent

Missing Link

transitional fossil that exhibits traits common to both an ancestral group and its descendants

Extinction

when the entire population of a species dies off

"Survival of the Fittest"

"Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that means those species that are best adapted to their environment will live longer than those that don't. These species will pass on their traits to offspring through reproduction.

Modern camels developed their traits of long eyelashes and fat-filled humps through natural selection. What do you think occurs during the process of natural selection with relation to these traits?

I think that in a desert climate short eyelashes would allow more sand to get in the eyes of camels which could affect search for food and lead to death. So over time the camels with longer eyelashes, to help protect them from the sand, survived and passed on their traits. In a desert environment water and nutritous food are scare. So camels who were not able to get the resources they needed died off. So camels that had fat filled humps which hold water and food to keep them nourished were more likely to survive and pass on their traits.

In a population of salmon, a scientist notes that some fish have larger fins than others. These differences among the traits of organisms in a population are known as______________. (mutation, survival, sedimentary, past, today, diversity, fittest, variation, homologous structures)

In a population of salmon, a scientist notes that some fish have larger fins than others. These differences among the traits of organisms in a population are known as diversity.

In our bird beak lab, how did the different tools we used as bird beaks demonstrate adaptation?

It showed that some beaks were more well adapted to eat certain food. This demonstrates adaptation because the birds who have beaks that are able to eat a certain food easily are more likely to survive and pass on their traits.

Why did the population of the peppered moths in England change from the light variation to the dark variation after the Industrial Revolution?

The population of the peppered moth changed from light variation to the dark variation because before the Revolution the light colored moth matched the tree bark which helped them camouflage from predators. When the Revolution happened, factories poured out black smoke which covered the white trees. This made the white moth easy to spot for predators so this trait was no longer advantageous. This made the black moth have a better chance of survival since they were camouflaged. This led to the black moth population growing and the white moth poulation decreasing.

Darwin observes and recorded data about several different species of finches. According to Darwin, how did the resources on each island affect the evolution of the finches?

The resources on each island completely controlled the evolution of finches. For example, the food on each island affected how the beak was shaped. The resources that are available to a species are what are the main factor that species evolve around. Species evolve around this because if they didn't they would not be able to survive and pass on traits.

The wing of a bat, the flipper of a whale, and the arm of a human show that those three organisms may have evolved from a common ancestor. These are known as __________________ ___________________. (mutation, survival, sedimentary, past, today, diversity, fittest, variation, homologous structures)

The wing of a bat, the flipper of a whale, and the arm of a human show that those three organisms may have evolved from a common ancestor. These are known as homologous structures.

Some scientists believe that giant woolly mammoths became extinxt when the climate became warmer. Why might this led to extinction?

The woolly mammoths could have got hot due to their think coats and eventually had a heat stroke. There was no way that the woolly made could have adapted to their new climate fast enough to stay alive. Another possibility is that the warmer climate caused lakes to become shallower, leaving the animals unable to quench their thirst.

A cheetah has springy, flexible backbone that allows it to run faster than other big cats. Those cheetahs with the most flexible backbones can run the fastest, helping them catch more food to care for themselves and their young. This is an example of __________ of the _____________. (mutation, survival, sedimentary, past, today, diversity, fittest, variation, homologous structures)

This is an example of survival of the fittest.

In the phrase "survival of the fittest" what does it mean to be FIT?

To be fit is to be best adapted to your environment which will help you survive and reproduce.

Adaptation

a behavior or physical characteristic that allows an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

Fossil

a preserved remnant or impression of an organism that lived in the past

Mutation

a result of change in DNA in an organism

Homologous Structure

a structure that shows how certain species have inherited a trait from an ancestor.