Evolution
Survival of the Fittest: an animal that is better adapted to the environment to survive
Fitness: an organism's ability to survive
Adaptation: an inherited characteristic that helps and organism to survive
Natural Selection: says that the best fitted for the environment will survive and reproduce
Natural Variation: natural differences from animals of the same species
Population: the amount of organisms of the same species in an area
Homologous Structures: similar bone structures in organisms in different species could mean similar ancestors
Vestigial Organ: an organ an organism used a long time ago but doesn't need it anymore.
Evolution: the change in life over a long period of time
Fitness: an organism's ability to survive
Adaptation: an inherited characteristic that helps and organism to survive
Natural Selection: says that the best fitted for the environment will survive and reproduce
Natural Variation: natural differences from animals of the same species
Population: the amount of organisms of the same species in an area
Homologous Structures: similar bone structures in organisms in different species could mean similar ancestors
Vestigial Organ: an organ an organism used a long time ago but doesn't need it anymore.
Evolution: the change in life over a long period of time
Critical Questions
How do scientists explain how evolutionary change happens?
Evolution happens over long periods of time. Unlike Lamarck's theory of evolution through the passing of acquired traits to off spring, scientists theorize that through natural selection and natural variation, a population of an organism can change. But it doesn't happen right away, an organism can't just change into a different one on spot. No, instead a specie's ability to survive, or fitness, is based on natural selection and survival of the fittest. For example, scientists think that all four limb animals came from one fish that ventured on to land. This fish could have had a mutation that made it have four fins or through a series of adaptations from the fish's ancestors. Another example would be from a lab we preformed in class. Scientist's also have very interesting evidence in living creatures for evolution. Whales have a femur the bone that humans use to walk. A whale doesn't need a femur anymore than humans need fins. Since the whale obviously doesn't use the femur scientists think that the whale possibly came from a similar ancestor that had four limbs.
How can environmental factors affect the evolution of populations?
The environment is what influences how an organism eats, its characteristics, and if it survives. In other words the fitness of an organism relies on the environment. For example, a penguin that once lived in Antarctica moved to the Arizona desert, that penguin would quickly over heat because of it's excessive amount of blubber and feather to keep in heat. The penguin who had adapted for lots of generations to be able to live in the blistering cold could not not survive in the heat of a desert. Through natural selection and variation an organism changes to be the fittest in the environment. The fittest animal that survives in that environment passes down it's genetic information to its off spring.
Evolution happens over long periods of time. Unlike Lamarck's theory of evolution through the passing of acquired traits to off spring, scientists theorize that through natural selection and natural variation, a population of an organism can change. But it doesn't happen right away, an organism can't just change into a different one on spot. No, instead a specie's ability to survive, or fitness, is based on natural selection and survival of the fittest. For example, scientists think that all four limb animals came from one fish that ventured on to land. This fish could have had a mutation that made it have four fins or through a series of adaptations from the fish's ancestors. Another example would be from a lab we preformed in class. Scientist's also have very interesting evidence in living creatures for evolution. Whales have a femur the bone that humans use to walk. A whale doesn't need a femur anymore than humans need fins. Since the whale obviously doesn't use the femur scientists think that the whale possibly came from a similar ancestor that had four limbs.
How can environmental factors affect the evolution of populations?
The environment is what influences how an organism eats, its characteristics, and if it survives. In other words the fitness of an organism relies on the environment. For example, a penguin that once lived in Antarctica moved to the Arizona desert, that penguin would quickly over heat because of it's excessive amount of blubber and feather to keep in heat. The penguin who had adapted for lots of generations to be able to live in the blistering cold could not not survive in the heat of a desert. Through natural selection and variation an organism changes to be the fittest in the environment. The fittest animal that survives in that environment passes down it's genetic information to its off spring.