3. What were the key observations made by Darwin to develop the basic tenants of

Question

3. What were the key observations made by Darwin to develop the basic tenants of the theory of evolution? Has this theory been tested?

4. What are the most common misconceptions about evolution and why are they not valid arguments against evolution?

5. The key component of the theory of evolution is natural selection. Define this process. Why is it commonly known as “survival of the fittest”? What are examples of factors (selective pressures) that drive evolution of populations?

6. What is the indirect evidence of evolution? What are homologous and analogous structures? What is convergent evolution? How does similarity of proteins between different species support the idea of evolution?

7. Be able to explain why the following statement is true: Natural Selection works on individuals while evolution works on populations over generations. Or to put it another way: Individuals do not evolve, populations do.

Explanation / Answer

3.

Charles Darwin proposed the coherent theory of evolution. Natural selection is Darwin's most famous theory.

The fundamental ideas in Darwin’s theory of evolution are as follows:

Species change over time and space

All organisms share common ancestors with other organisms

Evolutionary change is gradual and slow

The four components in Darwin’s process of natural selection are as follows:

Variation

Inheritance

High rate of population growth rate

Differential survival and reproduction

The Darwin’s theory was tested more rigorously than most other theories.

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