Biological Change Quiz

Use the following terms to complete the paragraph below. Use the plural form of a word if necessary: body, fossil, geographic, molecular. Organisms change over time as they adapt to a changing environment and interact with other organisms. Scientists use evidence from (1) __________, such as impressions in stone, to help determine how and when organisms changed. They also use evidence of (2) __________ distribution of organisms to learn about their history and relatedness to other living things. Other evidence of change over time includes changes in (3) __________ features of embryos and adults, as well as (4) __________ similarities and differences.

Three friends wrote examples about how whales may have evolved. The goal of this activity was to create examples that support the modern theory of evolution. Circle the statement(s) that most likely support the modern theory of evolution.

• All whales evolved from a land-dwelling mammal that had a long skull and large, carnivorous teeth.

• All whales evolved to breathe from the surface because they did not use their gills as often.

• All whales evolved from the inheritance of genetic changes that they received from their parents.

Turn to the Evolution of Whales diagram. Cross out the youngest whale in the diagram, circle the common ancestor of all whales, and put a box around all the transitional fossils between the mammal and the whale.

Using the Evolution of Whales diagram, circle the words to make the sentences correct. The hind legs of the mammal were gained | lost and the forelimbs became fins in the modern whale. The overall body shape changed, making whales more streamlined for swimming | walking and better suited to a(n) terrestrial | aquatic environment.

Age dating provides evidence for evolution of different species on different continents. As organisms are together | isolated, they are more likely to evolve different characteristics to survive.

Marsupials were once found throughout the world. Recent research shows that the distribution of distant, related species of marsupials is found on three different continents. There are over 334 species of marsupials, such as the opossum and kangaroo, with approximately 220 species in Australia, 100 species in South America, and 14 species in North America. Fossils have been found in rocks from the Late Cretaceous period (100–66 million years ago). Propose a likely explanation for this distribution of marsupials and the presence of different species in the different locations.

Using the differences in DNA Sequences table, circle the species that is least genetically similar to humans.

• chimpanzee

• orangutan

• gibbon

• monkey

The DNA sequences of mice is 85% similar to that of humans. However, monkeys have more DNA sequences in common with humans. How can you use genetic data to determine evolutionary relationships between species?