Exam 16: An Introduction to Evolution: Charles Darwin, Evolutionary Thought, and the Evidence for Evolution

Male guppies that have colorful spots on them are chosen more often by female guppies for mating. Males can have from one to six spots. The more spots they have the more females are attracted to them. However, bright spots also make the males more vulnerable to predators. In a pond with predators, male guppies have an average of 3.2 spots. Predict what would happen to the average spot number on the males over the generations if you removed all predators from the pond. Using natural selection, explain your answer.

In science, a theory is:

Which of the following is the most important force in shaping evolution?

Who believed the species on Earth changed over time as a result of periodic great catastrophes?

Match the following. A) evidence for evolution from the existence of vestigial characters B) experimental evidence for evolution C) evidence for evolution from homologous structures D) supportive evidence for evolution from radiometric dating E) evidence for evolution from gene modification -Ostriches have wings but do not fly, and humans have auricular muscles even though we cannot swivel our ears.

The theory of natural selection states that:

Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution through natural selection immediately after returning from his trip on the HMS Beagle.

Which of the following does not provide evidence for evolution?

The publication date of Darwin's Origin of Species was:

The convergence of evolutionary biology with genetics produced the unified evolutionary theory known as:

In Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology, what idea had a significant impact on Charles Darwin's thinking?