Name: _______________________________________ Date: ________________ Per: __________ #: ______
Evolution Practice Sheet
Use your worksheets to complete the following:
1.
_____________________An English geologist that claimed that Earth must be much older than 6,000 years old.
2. _____________________An English naturalist that had 3 things in common with Darwin: he developed a similar
Theory of Evolution, tour South America, made similar observations as Darwin.
3. _____________________A French naturalist who was one of the 1st scientists to propose that traits acquired
during one’s lifetime could be passed onto their offspring.
4. _____________________ A scientist that studied the effects of pollution on the peppered moth population.
5. _____________________ A scientist that began to develop his theory of natural selection aboard the HMS Beagle.
Acquired Traits
Inherited Traits
Evolution
Paleontologists
Fossil Record
Adaptation
Vestigial Structures
Natural Selection
Eukaryotic
Prokaryotic
Overproduction Radiometric Dating
Embryology
Fossil
Variation
Successful Reproduction
Competitors
6. _________________________ Traits passed on from one generation to the next.
7. _________________________ Traits organisms develop over a lifetime.
8. _________________________ Process that explains why species change over time.
9. _________________________ Type of cells that contain a nucleus.
10. _________________________ Scientists who study fossils to learn about the past.
11. _________________________ Preserved remains of organisms from the distant past.
12. _________________________ Traits differ between organisms.
13. _________________________ Organisms produce more offspring than are likely to survive.
14. _________________________ Organisms with the best traits will survive to pass them on to the next generation.
15. _________________________ The order in which fossils appear base on the layer of rock they are found in.
16. _________________________ Technique used to measure how much radioactive materials have broken down over time.
17. _________________________ Study of how organisms develop in their earliest stages of development
18. _________________________ Structures that have lost their purpose over time. An example is the tailbone in
humans or the wings of ostriches.
19. _________________________ Process that states that traits that offer an advantage will be more likely to be
passed along to offspring.
20. ________________________ One or more organisms that are struggling for a particular resource.
21. ________________________ A characteristic that improves an organisms ability to survive.
22. When were the two largest mass extinctions in time? How is it believed that each occurred?
a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________________________
23. Recall the fish in the pond classroom activity and Barballus Lab. Be prepared to explain a similar scenarios.
24. Explain in detail where the Industrial Revolution took place and how the peppered moth population differed
before, during, and after the Industrial Revolution.___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
25. List the four major timeframes of geologic time and list two (or more) events that occurred during each.
a.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
b.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
c. _____________________________________________________________________________________
d. _____________________________________________________________________________________
Use the diagram and paragraph below along with your knowledge of natural selection to answer the following questions.
Average beak sizes of the seed-eating ground finch on one of the Galapagos Islands are shown in the diagram below.
During wet years, all types of seeds are abundant. The ground finch prefers to eat small seeds that are easy to crush.
However, during droughts (dry years), when small seeds are not as abundant, they eat the larger seeds on the island.
26. Why did the average beak size get larger in 1977, 1980, and 1982?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
27. How did variation exist in the ground finch population?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
28. What were the ground finches competing for? ______________
29. Not all of the ground finches were able to survive the drought. What adaptation gave them a better chance to
survive to pass on their genes to the next generation? How did this adaptation help them survive?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
30. How might an extended period of drought influence the ground finch population in the future?
A.
The birds with smaller beaks would be more numerous.
B.
The birds with larger beaks would be more numerous.
C.
Drought decreases seed availability, but has no influence on the ground finch.
D.
Drought increases seed availability, and all ground finches would be more numerous.
31. Explain your choice.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Name: ______
KEY_________ Date: ________________ Per: __________ #: ______
Evolution Practice Sheet
Use your worksheets to complete the following:
1.
CHARLES LYELL
An English geologist that claimed that Earth must be much older than 6,000 years old.
2. ALFRED WALLACE
An English naturalist that had 3 things in common with Darwin: he developed a similar
Theory of Evolution, tour South America, made similar observations as Darwin.
A French naturalist who was one of the 1st scientists to propose that traits
3. JEAN-BAPTISTE LAMARCK
acquired during one’s lifetime could be passed onto their offspring.
4. BERNARD KETTLEWELL
5. CHARLES DARWIN
A scientist that studied the effects of pollution on the peppered moth population.
A scientist that began to develop his theory of natural selection aboard the HMS Beagle.
Acquired Traits
Inherited Traits
Evolution
Paleontologists
Fossil Record
Adaptation
Vestigial Structures
Natural Selection
Eukaryotic
Prokaryotic
Overproduction Radiometric Dating
Embryology
Fossil
Variation
Successful Reproduction
Competitors
6. INHERITED TRAITS
Traits passed on from one generation to the next.
7. ACQUIRED TRAITS
Traits organisms develop over a lifetime.
8. EVOLUTION
Process that explains why species change over time.
9. EUKARYOTIC
Type of cells that contain a nucleus.
10. PALEONTOLOGISTS
Scientists who study fossils to learn about the past.
11. FOSSIL
Preserved remains of organisms from the distant past.
12. VARIATION
Traits differ between organisms.
13. OVERPRODUCTION
Organisms produce more offspring than are likely to survive.
14. SUCCESSFUL REPRODUCTION Organisms with the best traits will survive to pass them on to the next
generation.
15. FOSSIL RECORD
The order in which fossils appear base on the layer of rock they are found in.
16. RADIOMETRIC DATING Technique used to measure how much radioactive materials have broken down over time.
17. EMBRYOLOGY
Study of how organisms develop in their earliest stages of development
18. VESTIGIAL STRUCTURES Structures that have lost their purpose over time. An example is the tailbone in humans
or the wings of ostriches.
19. NATURAL SELECTION
Process that states that traits that offer an advantage will be more likely to be passed along to offspring.
20. COMPETITORS
One or more organisms that are struggling for a particular resource.
21. ADAPTATION
A characteristic that improves an organisms ability to survive.
22. When were the two largest mass extinctions in time? How is it believed that each occurred?
a. AT THE END OF THE PALEOZOIC ERA – CAUSED BY THE FORMATION OF PANGAEA. REDUCING
SHORELINE, REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF MARINE LIFE
b. AT THE END OF THE MESOZOIC ERA – CAUSED BY EARTH COLLIDING WITH COMET OR ASTEROID.
SUNLIGHT WAS REDUCED, KILLING PLANTS AND ANIMALS
23. Recall the fish in the pond classroom activity and Barballus Lab. Be prepared to explain a similar scenarios.
24. Explain in detail where the Industrial Revolution took place and how the peppered moth population differed
before, during, and after the Industrial Revolution. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION TOOK PLACE IN ENGLAND.
BEFORE THE REVOLUTION, THERE WERE MORE LIGHT MOTHS THAN DARK BECAUSE THE LIGHT MOTH
BLENDED IN WITH THE TREES BETTER AND THEREFORE WERE NOT EATEN AS MUCH. AFTER THE REVOLUTION,
THE TREES WERE DARKER IN COLOR AND THE OPPOSITE OCCURRED… THE DARKER MOTHS WERE NOT EATEN
AS MUCH SO THE PERCENTAGE OF DARKER MOTHS WENT UP AND LIGHER MOTHS WENT DOWN.
25. List the four major timeframes of geologic time and list two (or more) events that occurred during each.
1. Precambrian
Began 4.6 billion years ago
Prokaryotes appear
Cyanobacteria appear
The ozone layer develops.
Cells with nuclei form.
2. Paleozoic
3. Mesozoic
4. Cenozoic
Began 542 million years ago
Began 251 million years ago
Began 65.5 million years ago
All major plant groups
appear
Insects appear.
Age of Reptiles
Dinosaurs dominate Earth.
First birds appear.
Humans appear.
Age of Mammals
Flowering plants appear
Use the diagram and paragraph below along with your knowledge of natural selection to answer the following questions.
Average beak sizes of the seed-eating ground finch on one of the Galapagos Islands are shown in the diagram below.
During wet years, all types of seeds are abundant. The ground finch prefers to eat small seeds that are easy to crush.
However, during droughts (dry years), when small seeds are not as abundant, they eat the larger seeds on the island.
26. Why did the average beak size get larger in 1977, 1980, and 1982?
THERE WAS LESS RAINFALL IN THOSE YEARS AND THE SEEDS WERE
THEREFORE LARGER. THE FINCHES NEED LARGER BEAKS TO EACH
THE LARGER SEEDS.
27. How did variation exist in the ground finch population?
THE SIZE OF THE BEAKS VARIED WITHIN THE POPULATION. SOME
BEAKS WERE LARGE AND SOME WERE SMALL
28. What were the ground finches competing for? SEEDS
29. Not all of the ground finches were able to survive the drought. What adaptation gave them a better chance to survive to pass on their
genes to the next generation? How did this adaptation help them survive?
LARGER BEAK SIZE GAVE THEM A BETTER CHANCE TO SURVIVE BECAUSE THERE WERE ONLY LARGER SEEDS TO
EAT. SMALL BEAKS COULD NOT EAT THE LARGER SEEDS.
30. How might an extended period of drought influence the ground finch population in the future?
A.
The birds with smaller beaks would be more numerous.
B.
C.
D.
The birds with larger beaks would be more numerous.
Drought decreases seed availability, but has no influence on the ground finch.
Drought increases seed availability, and all ground finches would be more numerous.
31. Explain your choice.
THE BIRDS WITH THE LARGER BEAKS WOULD SURVIVE BETTER THAN THE ONES WITH THE SMALLER BEAKS AND
THEREFORE PASS THEIR GENES ONTO THE NEXT GENERATION. THIS WOULD CONTINUE YEAR AFTER YEAR AND
THE AVERAGE BEAK SIZE WOULD CONTINUE TO INCREASE.