Natural Selection Notes
Name _______________________ Date _______
1. Evolution is ______________________________________________________________.
2. The basis for the theory of evolution came by observations from ____________________.
His observations were made when he visited the __________________________________.
One of Darwin’s most famous observations involved _______________________________.
3. Record the observations you make from the video clip in class about the finches such as
size, type of beak, what they eat, where they live, etc. _______________________________
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4. After years of analyzing his observations, Darwin proposed _________________________
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5. Darwin proposed that evolution could be explained by _____________________________
a process through which ______________________________________________________
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6. Describe in your own words what is happening in the diagram below and how it illustrates
natural selection.
7. One of the key ideas of natural selection is ______________________________________
which means there are _______________________________________________________
8. Many of the differences among individuals results from ____________________________
_____________________________. Organisms that have a greater variation in genetic
material are those that _________________________________ because _______________
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Natural Selection Notes
Name _______________________ Date _______
9. A new variation in genetic material can occur when _______________________________
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10. Describe how the environment can contribute to genetic variation. __________________
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11. An adaptation is __________________________________________________________
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Examples of adaptations ______________________________________________________
12. Camouflage is ___________________________________________________________
13. Mimicry is ______________________________________________________________
Examples of mimicry _________________________________________________________
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14. Can organisms “decide” to adapt or evolve? Explain your answer. __________________
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15. How has the adaptation of venom evolved? ____________________________________
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16. Use the “Peppered Moths of Manchester” to describe the process of natural selection and
human influence on evolution. __________________________________________________
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