| The Theory of Evolution | Change in a population of species over time |
| Theory of Acquired Traits/Lamarckism | Biologists define an acquired characteristic as one that has developed in the course of the life of an individual in the somatic or body cells, usually as a direct response to some external change in the environment or through the use or disuse of a part. |
| Charles Darwin | The father of evolution. Took a voyage to the Galapagos Island; collected and examined specimens there, and how diverse and well-suited organisms were to their unique environments |
| Based on his observations in the Galapagos Islands, Darwin identified: | 1) Trait variations from gene mutations
2) Natural Selection (Survival of the "Fittest")
3) Reproductive Inheritance
4) Population Adaptation |
| Trait Variation from Gene Mutations | Random mutations in DNA add diversity to the variation of traits in a "gene pool", which refers to the frequency of genetic variations in a population |
| Natural Selection("Survival of the "Fittest") | Nature selects in favor of organisms possessing advantageous traits that increase their "fitness", which is the ability to survive and reproduce. |
| Reproductive Inheritance | An organism with an advantageous adaptation are able to survive long enough to reproduce and pass that adaptive trait to the next generation of offspring |
| Population Adaptation | Overtime, the frequency of organisms in the population with the adaptive trait will be higher than the frequency of organisms with less advantageous traits |
| Speciation | New species arise when organisms diversify away from a common ancestor by evolving and evolving to specialize in a new niche |
| Species | Organisms similar enough that they can mate (inbreed) AND produce FERTILE offspring |
| Fossils | A historical timeline of change in organisms |
| Relative Dating | The deeper the fossil, the older it is |
| Radioactive Carbon Isotope Dating | Estimates a fossil's age by how much its radioactive carbon isotope has decayed over time; the less there is, the older it is |
| Embryology | Some scientists theorize that the similarities organisms share as embryos suggests that all organisms have evolved from one shared common ancestor |
| Homologous Structures | Similar bone structures without having to have the same function. Evolutionists argue that they're similar because they all evolved from one shared common ancestor |
| Vestigial Structures & Behaviors | Theorized to be leftover remnants of evolutionary common ancestor because they are not necessary for survival; other scientists argue there's no such thing, because there's still a purpose for them today even if undiscovered |
| Analogous Structures | Bone structures that don't look similar but serve the same function |
| What's the biggest misconception about Evolution? | That Humans evolved from modern-day apes. This is not true! |
| Gene Pool | total collection of genes in a population at any 1 time |
| Natural selection cannot fashion perfect organisms because... | natural selection operates on a "better than" basis |
