Evolution Quiz
1. What was the probable function of the MUSCLES THAT MOVE YOUR EARS? 2. Why is it considered vestigial?
1. Around the human ear are tiny, weak muscles that once would have let evolutionary ancestors pivot their ears to and fro. 2. Humans no longer need to move our ears to listen for prey or predators. These muscles are vestigial, meaning they're remnants of evolution that once had a purpose but no longer do.
1. What was the probable function of WISDOM TEETH? 2. Why is it considered vestigial?
1. Believed to help our prehistoric ancestors, who needed serious chewing power to grind through the rough plants, seeds, nuts and foliage which made up the bulk of their diets. 2. Humans no longer eat tough plant material that our wisdom teeth were originally needed to help break apart.
1. What was the probable function of the LITTLE TOE? 2. Why is it considered vestigial?
1. Humans used to use their feet for grabbing things, like primates do, and for climbing trees and hopping around. 2. We no longer climb trees and we wear supportive footwear.
1. What was the probable function of the APPENDIX? 2. Why is it considered vestigial?
1. May have once aided our primate ancestors with the digestion of plants. 2. We no longer eat certain items that require the digestive functions of the appendix.
1. What was the probable function of the TAILBONE? 2. Why is it considered vestigial?
1. Very last part of your vertebrae, and is the remnant of a lost tail 2. We no longer need a tail for balance as we no longer need to hop from tree limb to tree limb
1. What was the probable function of the MUSCLES THAT MAKE YOUR HAIRS STAND UP? 2. Why is it considered vestigial?
1. When humans become cold, or sometimes scared, we get goosebumps, which are caused by the arrector pili muscle in the skin contracting and pulling the hair shaft upward. 2. This process is vestigial in humans because we don't have enough hair or fur to make it worthwhile. Fluffing up hair or fur creates pockets to trap air and warm the body. It also can make the animal look bigger as protection against threatening creatures.
natural selection
A natural process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.
Vestigial structures
A structure that is present in an organism but no longer serves its original purpose
What is the term for a feature that allows an organism to survive better in its environment?
Adaption
Common Ancestor
An ancestral species from which later species evolved from
Variation
Any difference between individuals of the same species.
The tortoise from Abingdon Island, shown in the following diagram, would likely be better adapted than the Albemarle Island tortoise to which of the following environments?
Areas with lots of taller plants
Why are black peppered moths less likely to be seen in the polluted city parks?
Birds cannot see them as clearly on the dark tree bark.
Analogous Structures
Body parts that share a common function, but not structure
Alfred Russel Wallace
British naturalist who developed a hypothesis of natural selection similar to Darwin's
Galapagos Islands
Chain of islands near South America where Darwin developed his theory of natural selection by studying the unique life there.
Jean Baptiste-Lamarck
Developed the first cohesive theory of evolution after his studies of biology.
Charles Darwin
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection
True or False: Evolution is a fast process that only takes a few years.
False
True or False: Evolution is when you inherit traits from your friends' parents.
False
True or False: Traits acquired during an organism's lifetime can be passed down to its offspring.
False
True or False: Water is used as evidence of evolution
False
What was Darwin's ship called?
HMS Beagle
Adaptation
Inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival
Individuals that are well adapted to their environment will survive and produce
More offspring
Theory of Evolution
Organisms change and develop over time to adapt an increase rate of survival
Fossils
Preserved remains of once-living organisms
H.M.S Beagle
The ship Charles Darwin sailed on
True or False: Geography plays a role in evolution.
True
The remnant of an organ that had a function in an early ancestor is known a(n).
Vestigial structure
The hind leg bones shown in the following diagram of whale are examples of
Vestigial structures
Fossil evidence shows that structures considered vestigial in living organisms
Were useful to their ancestors
Most evidence of evolution comes from
fossils
Body parts of organisms that are similar in structure and position but different in function are what?
homologous structures
Another way to say "survival of the fittest" is
natural selection
Homologous Structures
similar structures that related species have inherited from a common ancestor
Embryology
study of embryos and their development
Body parts that have lost their original function through evolution are called
vestigial structures