Chapter 22

Natural selection: process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics

are more likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other
characteristics
Evolution: descent with modification; living species descend from ancestral
species that differed from those that currently exist; change in genetic composition
Taxonomy: a scientific discipline concerned with naming and classifying the diverse
forms of life
Fossils: preserved remains/impressions of an organism that existed in the past
Sedimentary rock: (strata) superimposed layers of rock that often times carry
fossils.
Paleontology: the study of fossils
Catastrophism: principle that events in the past occurred suddenly and were caused
by different mechanisms than those today
Uniformitarianism: principle stating that mechanisms of change are constant over
time
Descent with modification: Darwins way of saying evolution without upsetting
people of is era
Artificial selection: selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to
encourage the occurrence of desirable traits
Homology: similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry
Homologous structures: structures in different species that are similar because of a
common ancestor
Vestigial organs: organs that do not serve a purpose any more but did years ago
Biogeography: study of the past and present distribution of species
Endemic: species that is confined to a specific, super small geographic area
The Historical Context for Evolutionary Theory
1. State the two major points that Charles Darwin made in The Origin of Species
concerning Earths biota.
1) Species evolved from ancestral species that werent originally created.

2) Natural selection is a mechanism that could result in this evolutionary

change.
2. Compare and contrast Platos philosophy of idealism and Aristotles scala
naturae.
Plato: believed there were two coexisting worlds which included an ideal, real
world and am illusionary imperfect world that humans are able to perceive with
their senses.
Aristotle: had beliefs that dont include evolution. He noticed that organisms
vary from super simple to fairly complex and believed that a scale could be made
that demonstrated this, hence, scala naturae. He also believed that species stayed
the way they were and could not evolve.
3. Describe Carolus Linnaeuss contribution to Darwins theory of evolution.
Linnaeus sought order in the diversity of life. He would name and classify
organisms (taxonomy) and used it to create a hierarchy of categories. One thing he
did not do was purposely imply any form of evolutionary relations because he
believed that species were permanent and never changing. The linking of species
through categories allowed Darwin a better insight.
4. Describe Georges Cuviers contribution to paleontology.
Cuvier founded this study by examining strata (superimposed layers of rock)
and noticing that the deeper the layers of strata, the more the fossils differed from
current species.
5. Explain how Cuvier and his followers used the concept of catastrophism to
oppose evolution.
Catastrophism is theory that major changes in the earths crust are the result
of catastrophic events rather than from gradual processes of change. So in place of
evolution, he proposed that there were periodic localized catastrophes resulted in
mass extinctions that killed off previous organisms.
6. Explain how the principle of gradualism and Charles Lyells theory of
uniformitarianism influenced Darwins ideas of evolution.
First off, gradualism is principle that profound change is the cumulative
product of slow, continuous processes and uniformitarianism is the theory that
geological processes are uniform and have operated from the origin of the earth to
the present. Darwin rejected uniformitarianism, but was influenced by that the earth
must be ancient and slow and subtle processes persist and cause substantial
change which would then lead to a change in the organisms.

7. Describe Jean Baptiste Lamarcks model for how adaptations evolve. Explain the
challenges to Lamarcks ideas with respect to current understandings of biology.
Lamarck had two real explanations: use and disuse, and inheritance of
acquired characteristics.
Use and disuse: those body organs used extensively to cope with
environment become larger and stronger while those not used deteriorate.
Inheritance of acquired characteristics: the modifications an organism
acquired during its lifetime could be passed along to its offspring.
Using specific organs over the rest do not mean that they grow larger. The
example typically given would be the giraffe. He states that a giraffe originally had
a small neck but stretched it to reach food on top of trees, giving it that long neck
we see today. An animal/organism does not see this type of evolution through work
like that.
The Darwinian Revolution
8. Describe how Darwin used his observations from the voyage of the HMS Beagle
to formulate and support his theory of evolution.
Darwin noticed the similarities of finches he found throughout different
portions of the Galapagos Islands. He figured that those species were once all the
same and had flocked there long ago but the islands shape had split many of
them up. The geology varied throughout the island and the food available varied as
well. The birds began to develop different structures in order to get food. This
brought Darwin to the idea of adaptations.
9. Describe how Lyell and Alfred Russel Wallace influenced Darwin.
Lyell: Darwin agreed that geological change can result in a slow change in an
organism.
Wallace: made Darwin realize he should have published his ideas as early as
possible instead of having this guy come up with theories similar to his and living up
what Darwin wished he could.
10. Explain what Darwin meant by descent with modification.
It was his way of saying evolution without actually saying it. He believed that
as descendants of ancestral organisms lived through various habitats, they would
begin to modify within time.
11. Explain what evidence convinced Darwin that species change over time.
The Galapagos finches led Darwin to believe in a gradual change over time.

12. Describe the three inferences Darwin made from his observations that led him
to propose natural selection as a mechanism for evolutionary change.
1. Individuals do not evolve, but rather the population evolves.
2. Natural selection can amplify or diminish only heritable traits. Traits are
passed from the organism to the offspring. Although the species may make
adaptions during its lifetime, the adaptions will not be passed on to offspring.
3. Environmental factors vary from time to time. Natural selection is always
operating, but which traits are favored depends on the environment.
13. Explain how an essay by the Rev. Thomas Malthus influenced Charles Darwin.
He began to make connections between natural selection and the capacity of
organisms to overreproduce.
14. Distinguish between artificial selection and natural selection.
Artificial selection: breeding of domesticated plants and animals have
modified species
Natural selection: variation and overproduction in populations the most fit
individuals pass on their genes; results from environmental editing
15. Explain why the population is the smallest unit that can evolve.
An individual cannot evolve. That would be a mutation. The entire population
would have to involve which would make it the smallest unit to evolve.
16. Using some contemporary examples, explain how natural selection results in
evolutionary change.
Finch beaks on the Galapagos
- average beak depth oscillates with rainfall
- natural selection is situational
Butterfly reproduction
- they choose different plants depending on where they were laid
Antibiotic resistance in bacteria
Body size of guppies exposed to different predators.
17. Describe the research that suggested to David Reznick and John Endler that the
life-history traits among guppy populations are correlated with the main type or
predator in a steam pool.

The predator was attracted to the colorful guppy versus the non-colored
ones. Natural selection favored the drab colored ones because they have a better
chance of surviving.
18. Explain how homologous structures support Darwins theory of natural selection.
Explain how biogeography and the fossil record support the evolutionary deductions
based on homologies.
Homologous structures support Darwins theory of natural selection by
showing that every species shares commonality. Every species has the human hand
structure, but it was changed and morphed to better equip the organism depending
on where it lives.
19. Explain the problem with the statement that Darwinism is just a theory.
Distinguish between the scientific and colloquial use of the word theory.
The pattern of evolution has been traced and noted and has been given a
great deal of evidence. The colloquial theory is noted as a hypothesis, meaning
that its a strong feeling most have but it has yet to be stated as true. The scientific
theory means that is has had substantial proof to back it up for it to be
trustworthy/true.