Category: My Classroom Material

Darwin & Natural Selection

 


Charles Robert Darwin		 Darwin and Evolution

All Materials © Cmassengale

 

History of Evolution:

  • Plato & Aristotle believed species were fixed & could be arranged according to their complexity
  • In the mid eighteenth century, Carolus Linnaeus developed a system of classification that called binomial nomenclature
  • George Cuvier, in the eighteenth century, explained changes in the fossil record by proposing that a whole series of catastrophes (extinctions) and re-populations from other regions had occurred giving the appearance of change over time
  • Prior to Darwin, it was thought that the world was young & species did not change
  • Lamarck (1744-1829) was first to state that descent with modification occurs and that organisms become adapted to their environments
  • Inheritance of acquired characteristics was the Lamarckian belief that organisms become adapted to their environment during their lifetime and pass on these adaptations to their offspring
  • Lamarck believed that the long necks of giraffes evolved as generations of giraffes reached for ever higher leaves; known as the Law of Use & Disuse

Giraffe neck extension

  • Because it is supported by so many lines of evidence, evolution is no longer considered a hypothesis
  • Evolution is one of the great unifying theories of biology

Darwin’s Background & Voyage:

  • His nature was too sensitive to become a doctor like his father so he studied divinity
  • He attended biology and geology lectures and was tutored by the Reverend John Henslow who arranged his trip on the HMS Beagle
  • In 1831, at the age of 22, Charles Darwin accepted a naturalist position aboard the ship HMS Beagle & began a five-year voyage around the world

Map showing Darwin's voyage on the Beagle

  • He read Principles of Geology by Charles Lyell that stated that the observed massive geological changes were caused by slow, continuous processes (erosion, uplifting…)
  • Darwin carried this book with him on his voyage as he witnessed Argentina coast earthquakes raising the earth several feet, & marine shells occurring far inland and at great heights in the Andes
  • Darwin’s many observations led him to the idea that species slowly change over time
  • Darwin’s comparison of the animals of South America and the Galapagos Islands caused him to conclude that adaptation to the environment can cause diversification, including origin of new species
    Examples: Patagonian hares replaced rabbits in the South American grasslands

The Galapagos Islands:

  • Volcanic islands off the South American coast
  • Island species varied from the mainland species, and from island-to-island
  • Each island had either long or short necked tortoises depending on the island’s vegetation

  • Finches on the Galapagos Islands resembled a mainland finch, but there were more types
  • Bill shapes are adaptations to different means of gathering food. Diversity of bill shape in the Hawaiian honey creeper
  • Galapagos finch species varied by nesting site, beak size, and eating habits


Darwin’s Theory of Evolution:

  • An adaptation is a trait that helps an organism be more suited to its environment
  • Darwin decided adaptations develop over time
  • Natural selection was proposed by both Alfred Russell Wallace and Darwin as a driving mechanism of evolution
  • Darwin and Wallace both read an essay by Thomas Malthus that proposed that human populations outgrow resources so there is a constant struggle for existence

mathusianpopulation.gif (10181 bytes)

  • Fitness is a measure of an organism’s reproductive success
  • Organisms most fit to reproduce are selected by environment which results in adaptation of the population
  • Natural selection is also called “survival of the fittest”
  • Conditions for natural selection include:
    a. Variations exist among members of a population
    b. Many more individuals are produced each generation than will survive
    c. Some individuals are better adapted so they survive & reproduce
    d. Members of a population compete for food, space, mates…
  • Variations that make adaptation possible are those that are passed on generation to generation
  • Extinction occurs when previous adaptations are no longer suitable to a changed environment

On the Origin of Species by Darwin:

  • After the HMS Beagle returned to England in 1836, Darwin waited over 20 years to publish
  • Darwin was forced to publish Origin of Species after reading a similar hypothesis by Alfred Russell Wallace
  • Both men concluded that life forms arose by descent from a common ancestor, and       that natural selection is the mechanism by which species change and new species arise

Fossil Evidence:

  • Fossils are relics or impressions of ancient organisms
  • Most fossils are found in layers (strata) of sedimentary rock

  • The fossil record traces history of life and allows us to study history of particular organisms
  • Through radioactive dating, geologists estimate the age of the earth at about 4.6 billion years

 

ERA PERIOD EPOCH DATES
MYA		 AGE of Notes
Cenozoic Quaternary Holocene 0-2 Mammals Humans
Pleistocene  Other Mammal Species
Tertiary Pliocene 2-5
Miocene 5-24
Oligocene 24-37
Eocene 37-58
Paleocene 58-66 Extinction of dinosaurs
Mesozoic Cretaceous 66-144 Reptiles Flowering plants
Jurassic 144-208 1st birds & mammals
Triassic 208-245 First Dinosaurs
Paleozoic Permian 245-286 Amphibians End of trilobites
Carboniferous Pennsylvanian 286-320 First reptiles
Mississippian 320-360 Large primitive trees
Devonian 360-408 Fishes First amphibians
Silurian 408-438 First land plant fossils
Ordovician 438-505 Invertebrates First Fish
Cambrian 505-570 1st shells, trilobites dominant

Precambrian

 570-2,500 1st Multi-celled organisms
2,500-3,800 1st one-celled organisms
3,800-4,600

 

 

  • Fossils are at least 10,000 years old and include skeletons, shells, seeds, insects trapped in amber, imprints of organisms, organisms frozen in ice (wooly mammoth),  or trapped in tar pits (saber-toothed tiger)
  • Transitional forms reveal links between groups (Example: Therapsids were mammal-like reptiles and Pterosaurs were bird like reptiles)

pterosaur_flying.gif (50359 bytes)
PTEROSAURS

Biogeographical Evidence:

  • Biogeography is the study of the geographic distribution of life forms on earth
  • Physical factors, such as the location of continents, determine where a population can spread
  • Example: Placental mammals arose after Australia separated from the other continents, so only marsupials diversified in Australia

 

KOALA KANGAROO

 

Anatomical Evidence:

  • Organisms have anatomical similarities when they are closely related because of common descent
  • Homologous structures in different organisms are inherited from a common ancestor have have similar structures
  • Example : Vertebrate forelimbs contain the same sets of bones organized in similar ways, despite their dissimilar functions

  • Analogous structures are inherited from different ancestors and have come to resemble each other because they serve a similar function
  • Example: Bird wing & bat wing are both for flight but they are structurally different
  • Vestigial Structures are remains of a structure that is no longer functional but show common ancestry
  • Example: Humans have a tailbone but no tail

Embryological Evidence:

  • During development, all vertebrates have a post-anal tail and paired pharyngeal pouches
  • Organisms that show similarities in their embryonic development may have a common ancestry

Biochemical Evidence:

  • Almost all living organisms use the same basic biochemical molecules, e.g., DNA, ATP, enzymes …
  • Similarities in amino acid sequences, DNA codes, etc. can be explained by descent from a common ancestor

Examples of Evolution in Modern Times:

  • Peppered moth — light colored vs. dark colored (industrialization influence) Manchester, England
  • Insect resistance to insecticides
  • Bacterial resistance to antibiotics

 

Classification Bi Worksheet

 

Classification

 

Section 18-1            History of Taxonomy 

1. Define taxonomy. 

2. Who was first to classify organisms? 

3. Explain Aristotle’s taxonomy of organisms. 

4. Why are common names not good to use when classifying organisms? Give an example. 

5. Describe Carolus Linnaeus’s system of classification. 

6. Linnaeus used ____________________ or form & structure to classify organisms. 

7. List Linnaeus’s levels of organization in order starting with the broadest classification level. 

8. Name Linnaeus’s two kingdoms. 

9. What is the difference between phylum & division? How are they alike?

10. What classification level contains only a single type of organism? 

11. Give the taxonomy for a lion. 

12. In Linnaeus’s naming system, ___________________ words are used as the name. 

13. Explain Linnaeus’s 2-word naming system. 

14. What is Linnaeus’s naming system called? 

15. Write the scientific name for man. 

16. The ___________ name is written first and must always be __________________. 

17. The ____________ name is written second and should _____________ be capitalized. 

18. Name 2 things a species name may do. 

19. What are varieties? 

20. What are subspecies? 

21. Write a scientific name that includes a subspecies. 

22. What do modern taxonomist use to classify organisms? 

23. What is phylogeny? 

Section 18-2            Modern Phylogenetic Taxonomy 

24. Name 6 things used by modern taxonomists to classify organisms. 

25. Classification of an organism should reflect its __________ or ___________ history.

26. What is systematics?

27. Name a tool used by systematic taxonomists.

28. What is a phylogenetic tree? 

29. Draw a phylogenetic tree showing the possible relationships among animal phyla. 

30. Do phylogenetic trees ever change?  Explain. 

31. What complex animal group is located at the top of your phylogenetic tree? 

32. Do all organisms have complete fossil records? Explain. 

33. Which structures show that organisms are more closely related, homologous or analogous? 

34. Features similar in structure but with different functions are called _______________ structures.

35. Early patterns of similar ______________________ development show relationships. 

36. The fertilized egg or _______________ divides by mitosis. 

37. What is the blastula & make a sketch? 

38. What is the blastopore, & what does it become? 

39. The blastopore becomes the mouth in many animals except in ________ where it becomes their ______________.

40. What invertebrate group is most closely related to the vertebrates? 

41. Taxonomists compare macromolecules such as ____________, ____________, & ____________ to show similarities among species. 

42. If two organisms have similar banding patterns on their chromosomes then they are _______________ related.

43. What is used in cladistics to show evolutionary relationships? 

44. What is a derived character & give an example? 

45. Do shared derived characters show common ancestry?

46. What is a cladogram? 

47. Sketch a cladogram for vertebrates. 

Section 18-3            Modern Systems of Classification 

48. The discovery of 2 broad types of bacteria led taxonomists to develop what type of classification system? 

49. Name the 6 kingdoms & tell which are prokaryotes & which are eukaryotes. 

50. Describe members of the kingdom Archaebacteria. 

51. In what type of environment are Archaebacteria found? 

52. Did Archaebacteria carry on photosynthesis? 

53. What kingdom contains true bacteria? 

54. Name 4 things Eubacteria do that affect your life.

55. Do all true bacteria use oxygen? Explain. 

56. How do all bacteria reproduce? 

57. Why are bacteria able to evolve so quickly? Give an example. 

58. Most protists are ______ organisms, but some like the giant kelp are _________ without __________. 

59. Since protists are eukaryotes, what special structures do they contain? 

60. Some protists like ________________ feed on other organisms, while __________ have chloroplasts & make their own food.

61. Describe the characteristics of fungi. 

62. How do fungi get food? 

64. Multicellular plants are in the ____________________ kingdom. 

65. Most plants are ________________ and make food energy by ________________. 

66. Most plants live on ________________. 

67. Name 4 examples of major plant groups. 

68. Describe the characteristics of the animal kingdom. 

69. Most animals have _______________ body organization. 

70. Both plants & animals reproduce ________________. 

71. Using information about __________ RNA, __________ developed the three _______ classification system. 

72. Name the 3 domains. 

73. Domain ___________ contains the same organisms as the kingdom Archaebacteria. 

74. Domain ________________ contains the same organisms as kingdom Eubacteria. 

75. What is included in domain Eukarya? 

76. What characteristic do all members of the domain Eukarya have in common with each other

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Darwin Day PreAP 2003

 

Galapagos Finches H.M.S. Beagle
Voyage of the Beagle Ship’s Naturalist
Beaks of Galapagos Finches Five Year Voyage
 

Charles Darwin’s Life and Studies

Charles Robert Darwin was his name.
The evolution theory was his claim to fame.
He studied theology and received his bachelor’s degree,
from a highly noted school, Cambridge University.

Darwin was a naturalist on a British expedition.
To study plants and animals was his mission.
The H.M.S Beagle sailed far and near.
Darwin found new animals in places rare.

Darwin had a large collection of fossils
He knew that his finds were colossal.
The fossils connected life old and new.
And from this his theory grew.

After studying his organism collection.
He developed the theory, natural selection.
Survival of the fittest was another name,
for the natural selection game.

The people of his time were shocked by his theory.
Of humans from monkeys, they were wary.
Darwin’s theories impacted religious thought.
And changed the science that was taught. 

Darwin lived until 1882,
but his work is still studied by me and you.

 

 The Man Behind Evolution 

An English Naturalist named Charles Darwin made many contributions
For he was best known for his statement on the theory of evolution.
In his revolutionary book, “The Origin of Species by Natural Selection,”
Darwin stated the facts he knew about evolution and with that he started a collection.
He presented the vast array of facts based on the development of animals and plants,
He studied from flowers, trees, and shrubs all the way to finches and ants.
In a 2nd book “The Descent of Man”,
Darwin applied his theory to the human race and he knew he had discovered a plan.
Darwin was born in the town of Shrewsbury and at the University of Edinburgh and Cambridge is where he began to learn,
His father wanted him to be a clergyman, but without his interest at cause, his fame he would not have earned.
After graduation he began an expedition on the H.M.S. Beagle where he set sail,
He explored for five years of different animals and plants that he would soon prevail.
Back to England to study the theory of evolution he came,
Darwin received credit for the development of the theory and to this is how he earned his well-known name.
While in South America in April 19, 1882, a disease called charges soon infected him,
But his theory of evolution and his facts worldwide and truly just began.
Galapagos Islands Ancestors of Birds
Galapagos Tortoises Volcanic Islands
Galapagos Island “cupcakes” H.M.S. Beagle “pie”
Beaks of Finches Ground Finch
Off the Coast of South America Captain Fitzroy’s Ship
Galapagos Tortoise Darwin’s Life

 

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Club Officer Form

 

 

Biology Club Officer Form

Students running for club office must maintain a “C” average and have no discipline record (in school or out of school suspension).

Student Name _______________________________

 

Class Schedule
Period Class Teacher
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th/6th
7th
8th
9th

 

Office (Circle One):      President    Vice President    Secretary    Treasurer    Reporter

Teacher signatures:

Science Teacher    ____________________

Math Teacher       ____________________

Other                ____________________

Write 2 paragraphs on the back of this sheet explaining what specific activities you would like Biology Club to be involved in this school year.  Include not only “fun ACTIVITIES”, but money-making activities, charity ideas, etc.

List at least 2 speakers you would be willing to contact to come and speak to Biology Club on a science topic this year.

1. ________________________________

2. ________________________________

 

Darwin Events AP

 

Darwin Day Events
CHARLES DARWIN

 

Darwin Trivia Game Questions:

 

When was Charles Darwin born?
What was the name of the ship on which he was the naturalist?
What islands were the main source of his findings?
What was the complete title of his original book?
What famous American president shares the same birth date?
How long was his voyage scheduled to last?
“Darwin Trivia Game”
The Galapagos Islands

Adaptations of the Galapagos Finches
  The “Missing” Link

Darwin “Fortune” CookiesDarwin only took with him a simple microscope on the Beagle to observe microscopic organisms.
When Darwin was sixteen, his father took him out of school because he felt that Charles was wasting time, and he sent him to Edinburgh University.
Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England.
Darwin transferred to Cambridge to study the theology of the Church of England wanting to become an Anglican priest.
“Changes From Within”

Lyrics & music by:  Nicole Higham
Sung by:  Brett Rabeneck, Bradley Wise, & Carrie Steves
Changes From Within
Verse 1:
Once I read a book, and this is what it said,
That the Origin of Species, came from Darwin’s head.
He studied all the life, from some islands of the west,
and distinguished adaptations, and who survived the best.
He was much more successful than scientists before,
And his use of common logic, convinced them even more.Chorus:
And it read:
You take two monkeys, and you put them to the test,
Check out their different habitats, and see nature at its best.
According to Darwin, a species can begin,
From an individual that changes from within.

Verse 2:
Natural selection, a theory he derived
Sys the strongest just get stronger while the weakest don’t survive.
So he published his ideas, he was sort of in a bind
There was another man, who wasn’t far behind.
Their ideas were the same, their timing coincided,
But Darwin finished first, and in the glory he delighted.

Verse 3:
About all of his theory, that I choose to sing about
Some people think it’s true, while others have their doubts.
To me it’s quite reasonable, to have either point of view
But think about it carefully, no matter what you do.
For starters think about that which, you really do believe
For me this includes a little story about Adam and Eve.

2nd Chorus:
I appreciate your patience, as an audience you’ve been kind
I bet this kind of song, wasn’t what you had in mind
I’ll leave you with this list of things that really matter most,
There’s life and love and happiness, but first the Holy Ghost.
Burying a Darwin Day Time Capsule

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