Charles Darwin and Tree of Life

Darwin noticed that many organisms seemed well suited to

• being preserved as fossils.

• providing humans with food.

• surviving in the environments in which they lived.

• swimming from South America to the Galápagos Islands.

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The species of finches that Charles Darwin found on different Galápagos Islands varied in certain structural and anatomical adaptations. One of the most significant adaptations that Darwin noted was the

• similarities of the birds’ embryos.

• birds’ different coloration and shaped of their beaks.

• length of the birds’ necks.

• number of eggs in each bird’s nest.

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Based on the adaptations Charles Darwin observed in finches and tortoises in the Galápagos, he wondered

• if species living on different islands had once been members of

  the same species.

• if finches and tortoises had originated from the same ancestral

  species.

• if all birds on the different islands were finches.

• why all tortoises on the different islands were identical.

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Which of the following ideas was NOT part of Darwin’s contribution to science?

• descent with modification

• inheritance of genetic characteristics

• survival of the fittest

• natural selection

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Charles Darwin’s observation that finches of different species on the Galápagos Islands have many similar physical characteristics supports the hypothesis that these finches

• have the ability to interbreed.

• acquired traits through use and disuse.

• all eat the same type of food.

• descended from a common ancestor.

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On the Galápagos Islands, Charles Darwin observed

• completely unrelated species on each of the islands.

• species exactly like those found in South America.

• species similar to mainland South American species.

• species completely unrelated to those found in South America.

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Which of the following ideas is supported by Darwin’s observation of local variation among tortoises in the Galápagos Islands?

• artificial selection

• adaptation

• acquired characteristics

• tendency towards perfection

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Each of the following is a condition necessary for natural selection to occur EXCEPT

• more offspring are born than can survive.

• there is heritable variation among members of the population.

• fitness varies among individuals.

• population size is very large.

Charles Darwin called the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its specific environment

• diversity.

• evolution.

• adaptation.

• fitness.

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In humans, the pelvis and femur, or thigh bone, are involved in walking. In whales, the pelvis and femur shown are

• examples of fossils.

• examples of natural variation.

• acquired traits.

• vestigial structures.

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