Biology I—Chapter 15                                                                      

Darwin's Theory of Evolution                                                              

 

After reading pages 369-377, I can:                             (terms)

 

  1. name the concept that describes the tremendous variety of living things that can and do exist on the Earth.
  2. define evolution.
  3. name the individual that contributed more to our concept of evolution than any other scientist.
  4. name the ship on which he traveled during his epic voyage;  tell how long his trip took; and *tell what his job was on the ship.
  5. give the name that describes the preserved remains of ancient organisms.
  6. name (and locate) the place (while on his voyage) Darwin attributes to having the most influence in the development of his Theory of Evolution.
  7. in a sentence or two describe what most Europeans of Darwin’s day believed about the origin of life on the Earth.
  8. describe the work of geologists James Hutton and Charles Lyell (Principles of Geology), both of which made major contributions to Darwin’s theory.
  9. outline French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck’s (incorrect) theory of evolution.
  10. describe the work of English economist Thomas Malthus; *describe the Malthusian doctrine.

 

After reading pages 378-386, I can:                             (terms)

 

1.      name the literary work in which Darwin outlined his views on evolution;  tell why he finally decided to publish the book after leaving it “on the shelf” for almost 25-years.

2.      give the term that describes the natural differences among the individuals of a species.

3.      describe the process of selective breeding;  give the name Darwin used for the process.

4.      give the term that describes an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in a certain environment while undergoing its struggle for existence.

5.      give the term for any inherited characteristic that increases an organism’s chances of survival.

6.      give the phrase Darwin coined to describe, “Individuals with characteristics that are not well suited to their environment….either die or leave few offspring.  Individuals that are better suited to their environment…..survive and produce most successfully.”

7.      give the name Darwin gave to the concept described above.

8.      describe homologous structures.

9.      tell what is meant when a structure is said to be vestigial.

10.  summarize (list) the five major tenants of  Darwin’s theory as shown on page 386.