Why was Lyell's concept of uniformitarianism, which proposed that the Earth had been going through gradual geological changes over a much longer period of time than previously believed, important for the development of Darwin's ideas about natural selection? Geological catastrophes can reform the landscape and open new niches into which species can adapt and thrive It provided another argument against the Church's explanation for the creation of Earth It explained how vast mountain ranges could form to separate populations It explained the presence of fossils for species that no longer existed An old Earth provides enough time for the gradual process of evolution to take place

Why was Lyell's concept of uniformitarianism, which proposed that the Earth had been going through gradual geological changes over a much longer period of time than previously believed, important for the development of Darwin's ideas about natural selection? Geological catastrophes can reform the landscape and open new niches into which species can adapt and thrive It provided another argument against the Church's explanation for the creation of Earth It explained how vast mountain ranges could form to separate populations It explained the presence of fossils for species that no longer existed An old Earth provides enough time for the gradual process of evolution to take place

Concepts of Biology

1st Edition

ISBN:9781938168116

Author:Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James Wise

Publisher:Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James Wise

Chapter11: Evolution And Its Processes

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 4RQ: What is the difference between micro- and macroevolution? a. Microevolution describes the evolution...

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. Some scientists vigorously rejected Darwin’sideas when On the Origin of Species was published. Richard Owen (1860), perhaps the mostrespected biologist in England, wrote (amongmany other objections): “Are all the recognisedorganic forms of the present date, so differentiated, so complex, so superior to conceivableprimordial simplicity of form and structure,as to testify to the effects of Natural Selectioncontinuously operating through untold time?Unquestionably not. The most numerous livingbeings … are precisely those which offer suchsimplicity of form and structure, as best agrees…with that ideal prototype from which…vegetableand animal life might have diverged.” Howmight Darwin, or you, argue against Owen’slogic?
The theory of evolution is most accurately described as Group of answer choices A. Nn opinion that some scientists hold about how life originated on Earth. B. An overarching explanation, supported by much evidence, for how populations change over time and new species arise from ancestral species. C. One possible explanation, among several scientific alternatives, about how species have come into existence. D. An educated guess about how species originate. E. An idea about how acquired characteristics are passed on to subsequent generations.
What is the difference between micro- and macroevolution? a. Microevolution describes the evolution of small organisms, such as insects, while macroevolution describes the evolution of large organisms, like people and elephants. b. Microevolution describes the evolution of microscopic entities, such as molecules and proteins, while macroevolution describes the evolution of whole organisms. c. Microevolution describes the evolution of populations, while macroevolution describes the emergence of new species over long periods of time. d. Microevolution describes the evolution of organisms over their lifetimes, while macroevolution describes the evolution of organisms over multiple generations.
Aardvarks, anteaters, and pangolins are only distantly related but are similar in structure and form as a result of (a) homology (b) convergent evolution (c) biogeography (d) vestigial structures (e) artificial selection
Darwin’s idea on evolution by natural selection has been disproven when it comes to the origin of life because Pasteur discredited spontaneous generation.A) True.B) True, with regards to origin of life only; natural selection applies to later lifeC) False. Pasteur’s experiment discredited ideas that complex organisms (e.g., mice) could arise in weeks or months later from inanimate matter (e.g., cloth) or from other organisms (e.g., grain). Pasteur’s experiment does not discredit the possibility of simple life evolving over billions of year
Recent reconstructions of evolutionary history are often dependenton assigning divergence in terms of changes in amino acid ornucleotide sequences. For example, a comparison of cytochromec shows 10 amino acid differences between humans and dogs,24 differences between humans and moths, and 38 differencesbetween humans and yeast. Such data provide no information asto the absolute times of divergence for humans, dogs, moths, andyeast. How might one calibrate the molecular clock to an absolutetime clock? What problems might one encounter in such acalibration?
Which pattern of evolution is more likely to introduce homoplasies in the relationships between species?A) divergent evolutionB) parallel evolutionC) convergent evolution
The elaborate tail of the peacock (Pavo cristatus) is approximately 120 cm to 150 cm long, while the tail ofthe peahen is quite short. The long tail reduces the male bird’s ability to maneuver and fly and makes him moreconspicuous to predators. Suggest at least one reason why this cumbersome structure has not been eliminatedby natural selection.
In what way does the modern synthesis strengthen scientific understanding of evolution? (a) is based on the sequence of fossils in rock layers (b) uses genetics to explain the source of hereditary variation that is essentialto natural selection (c) was first proposed by ancient Greek scholars (d) considers the influence of the geographic distribution of organisms on their evolution (e) is reinforced by homologies that are explained by common descent
Consider Theodosius Dobzhansky’s remark, “Nothing in biologymakes sense except in the light of evolution.” Why is evolution soimportant to the field of biology? Give some specific examples of howthe theory of evolution helps us to make sense of biology.
The theory of evolution by Darwin is a composite theory, i.e. it has five component theories: 1. Evolution as such is the simple proposition that the characteristics of lineages of organisms change over time 2. Common descent is a radically different view of evolution than the scheme Lamarck proposed. Common descent is a concept in evolutionary biology applicable when one species is the ancestor of two or more species later in time. 3. Gradualism – Darwin’s proposition that the differences between even radically different organisms have evolved incrementally, by small steps through intermediate forms. The alternative to this theory, as discussed in later sections, is saltation with great reference to large differences that are believed to have evolved by leaps without intermediates. 4. Populational change – Darwin’s thesis that evolution occurs by changes in the proportions of individuals within a population that have different inherited characteristics. 5. Natural selection – Darwin’s…
The theory of evolution by Darwin is a composite theory, i.e. it has five component theories: 1. Evolution as such is the simple proposition that the characteristics of lineages of organisms change over time 2. Common descent is a radically different view of evolution than the scheme Lamarck proposed. Common descent is a concept in evolutionary biology applicable when one species is the ancestor of two or more species later in time. 3. Gradualism – Darwin’s proposition that the differences between even radically different organisms have evolved incrementally, by small steps through intermediate forms. The alternative to this theory, as discussed in later sections, is saltation with great reference to large differences that are believed to have evolved by leaps without intermediates. 4. Populational change – Darwin’s thesis that evolution occurs by changes in the proportions of individuals within a population that have different inherited characteristics. 5. Natural selection – Darwin’s…