Change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations

English naturalist that proposed the idea that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors

A version of a gene

A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding

Any difference between cells, individual organisms, or groups of organisms of any species

A process in which organisms that are better adapted to the environment survive and produce more offspring

When Arizona's Grand Canyon formed, squirrels and other small mammals that had once been part of a single population could no longer contact and reproduce with each other across this new geographic barrier. They could no longer interbreed. Today, two separate squirrel species inhabit the north and south rims of the canyon. This is an example of

Bacteria that can cause serious diseases such as gonorrhea, urinary tract infections, and MRSA are often treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic action is an environmental pressure; those bacteria which happen to have a certain mutation makes them more resistant to the antibiotic, allowing them to survive and reproduce. They then will pass this trait to their offspring, which will be a fully resistant generation. This is an example of ___________________.

In the caves deep underground off the coast of Mexico lives a species of fish known as Astyanax mexicanus. This pale fish has eyes, but at is developing in the egg, the eyes begin to degenerate, and the fish is born with a collapsed remnant of an eye covered by a flap of skin. Fish of the same species live right above, near the surface, where there is plenty of light, and these fish have fully functioning eyes. The fish that live deep in the caves have a trait (remnant of eye covered by skin flap) that are a leftover trait that used to be useful for their ancestors (functioning eyes). This remnant eye is an example of a(n) ______________.

Lyudmila Trut of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Siberia started a fox domestication experiment in the late 1950s at the age of 25 and is still running it today. By selecting foxes that are less aggressive and mate them together to produce the next generation, they had produced foxes that were extremely docile (kind) towards humans by the fifth generation. Today, Trut and her team are approaching their 60th generation of foxes, which have behaviors similar to those of a friendly and well-behaved family dog. This is an example of __________________________ .

“Amphibian horror” isn’t a movie genre, but on this evidence perhaps it should be. Harvard biologists have described a bizarre, hairy frog with cat-like extendable claws. This species of frog, known as Trichobatrachus robustus actively breaks its own bones to produce claws that puncture their way out of the frog’s toe pads, probably when it is threatened. This trait helps the frog to survive in its environment, therefore increasing it’s odds of reproducing and passing on this beneficial trait. This trait is an example of a(n) ______________________.

The study of embryology provides evidence for evolution because

The small hind leg bones found in whales are examples of ____________.

A structure that is similar in form and structure but perform different functions is called a

___________ is the study of how and why plants and animals live where they do. It also provides evidence for evolution.

Darwinian “fitness” best relates to the _______ of an individual within the population.

Evolution happens to populations, NOT individuals

The best description of natural selection is:

Evolution happens to _______________.

The scientist who proposed natural selection was named ________________.

The mustard plant, broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts, and cabbage are examples of _______________.

The manipulation of breeding to produce organisms with specific traits is called

A variation that helps an organism survive and successfully reproduce is called a(n)

When scientists look at genes from different species to determine their relatedness, they use

Bunnies that have ________ fur will have a better chance of surviving in the snow where there are hungry wolves looking for bunnies to eat.

A _______________ is a group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

A vestigial structure is a structure that ___________________.

The phalanges (fingers) and other similar bones that we see in whales, humans, bats, and dogs is an example of __________ structures.

This picture shows ____________, which is evidence of evolution.