1. What is the name of the book published by Charles Darwin with his theory of evolution, and when was it published ?
Answer
On the Origin of Species, published 1859.
2. Which scientist studied inheritance of characteristics using breeding experiments in plants ?
Answer
Gregor Mendel.
3. Why can bacteria evolve rapidly ?
Answer
They reproduce at a fast rate.
4. Give some possible causes of a prehistoric species' extinction.
Answer
Possible causes of prehistoric species’ extinction include the destruction of habitats, environmental changes such as ice ages, the emergence of new predators, the spread of new diseases, competition for food, water, mates, or territory, asteroid collisions, and volcanic eruptions.
5. Describe some reasons why Darwin's theory was only gradually accepted.
Answer
It challenged the idea that God created all the animals and plants that live on Earth. At the time the theory was published, there was insufficient evidence to convince many scientists. The mechanism of inheritance and variation was not discovered until 50 years after the theory was published.
6. Gregor Mendel showed that traits are controlled by "units" passed unchanged to offspring. What are these units called, and in which structures are they found?
Answer
They are called genes and are found in chromosomes.
7. Give some reasons why bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics can spread.
Answer
People are not immune to it, or there is no effective treatment.
8. In the Galápagos Islands, differences can be observed in the beaks of finches. The finches’ beaks have different shapes, allowing them to eat different types of food. The figure below shows three species of finch and the food they eat. Explain the evolution of the nut-eater beak shapes using Darwin's theory.
Answer
There was natural variation in the size/shape of the finches' beaks. The finches with bigger beaks could eat nuts and get more food than finches with smaller beaks. The finches with bigger beaks were more likely to survive and breed and pass the gene for bigger beaks to their offspring.
9. How can fossils give evidence for the evolution of finches' beaks ?
Answer
Fossils would show that the beak shapes have changed over time.
10. There are now 13 species of finches that evolved from a common ancestor. Explain how the different species of finch developed from a common ancestor.
Answer
The populations of finches were isolated from each other by the sea, by geographical barriers, or simply because they lived on different islands. The environmental conditions varied on each island, and the food sources were also different. Random mutations created variation in beak shape and size, and the phenotypes that were most advantageous in each habitat thrived, passing their alleles on to their offspring. Eventually, the populations became so different that they could no longer interbreed.