CH 16-17

The species of finches that Charles Darwin found on different Galápagos Islands varied in certain structural adaptations. One of the most significant adaptations that Darwin noted was the

• similarities of the birds’ embryos.

• birds’ different-shaped beaks.

• length of the birds’ necks.

• number of eggs in each bird’s nest.

Based on the adaptations Charles Darwin observed in finches and tortoises in the Galápagos, he wondered

• if species living on different islands had once been members of the same species.

• if finches and tortoises had originated from the same ancestral species.

• if all birds on the different islands were finches.

• why all tortoises on the different islands were identical.

People of Charles Darwin’s time understood that fossils were

• preserved remains of ancient organisms.

• available for every organism that ever lived.

• unrelated to living species.

• evidence for the evolution of life on Earth.

Charles Darwin called the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its specific environment

• diversity

• fitness

• adaptation.

• evolution.

When a farmer breeds only his or her best livestock, the process involved is

• natural selection.

• artificial selection.

• artificial variation.

• survival of the fittest.

When a dairy farmer chooses to breed the cows that give the most milk in the herd, the farmers are following the principle of

• acquired characteristics.

• descent with modification.

• artificial selection.

• natural selection.

According to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, the individuals that tend to survive are those that have

• characteristics their parents acquired by use and disuse.

• characteristics that plant and animal breeders value.

• the greatest number of offspring.

• variations best suited to environmental conditions.

Which of the following phrases best describes the results of natural selection?

• the natural variation found in all populations

• unrelated species living in different locations

• changes in the inherited characteristics of a population over time

• the struggle for existence undergone by all living things

Biogeography is the study of

• where species and their ancestors live.

• how extinct species can be related to living species.

• how different species can interbreed.

• how animals that live in the same area are closely related.

In humans, the pelvis and femur, or thigh bone, are involved in walking. In whales, the pelvis and femur shown are

• examples of fossils.

• vestigial structures.

• acquired traits.

• examples of natural variation.