1. A.

1
Evolutionary Concepts
Descent with Modification
- Observable fact that when parents have children, those children often look
and act slightly different from their parents and slightly different from each
other. They descend from their parents with modifications. Differences found
in offspring are partially due genetic mutations.
Common Descent
- Is the idea that all life on Earth is related? We descend from a common
ancestor through the gradual process of descent with modification of many,
many generations. Not a directly observable fact
No one could explain how complex life arose from simple life through random
variation, until Charles Darwin discovered Natural Selection.
Charles Darwin and the Theory of Natural Selection
Unique creatures were similar from island to island, but wonderfully adapted
to their environments which led him to ponder the origin of the islands
inhabitants
Example: the favorable adaptations of Darwins Finches beaks were selected
for over generations until they all branched out to make new species
1. A.2
Environments change and act as selective mechanism on populations
- Peppered moth
Evolution is an extremely slow process. A category of evolution is
microevolution. An example of microevolution is the Industrial Melanism. In
Industrial Melanism, natural selection causes a population of dark-colored
organisms to evolve from pre-existing light-colored one. The black peppered
moth is a European species that rests on the trunks of trees in the daytime.
Before 1850, practically all the peppered moths had silvery-white wings, mottles
with black. Only a few had black wings. Over the next 50 years, in industrial
areas, the black-winged few increased in the population until they made up the
whole population. This evolutionary change was due to a change in the
surroundings of the moths. Before 1850, there werent many factories. The tree
trunks on which the silvery peppered moths rested were covered with lightcolored lichens. In addition, the soot deposits darkened the tree trunks. The
silvery peppered moths were easily detected by their predators as they rested
on their dark-colored tree trunks. The mutant black peppered moths, however,
were well concealed, since their coloring now blended with that of the
background. Selection pressure acted against the original silvery peppered moth,
and this led to the gradual increase in the numbers of the mutant black
peppered moth.
Humans impact variation in other species
- Artificial Selection (People instead of nature select which organisms get to
reproduce)

Intentional breeding of plants or animals. The same thing as selective

breeding. A technique used when breeding domesticated animals such as
dogs, pigeon, and cattle.
Farmers allowed only the plants and animals with desirable characteristics to
reproduce, causing the evolution of farm stock.
- Artificial selection is perhaps best understood as a contrast to natural
selection, where the random forces of nature determine which individuals
survive and reproduce. In both cases, the outcome is the same: a
population changes over time, so that certain traits become more
common.

1. A.3
Evolutionary change is also driven by random processes
- Genetic drift is a nonselective process occurring in small populations
In each generation, some individuals may, just by chance, leave behind a few
more descendants (and genes, of course!) than other individuals. The genes
of the next generation will be the genes of the "lucky" individuals, not
necessarily the healthier or "better" individuals. That, in a nutshell, is genetic
drift. It happens to ALL populations there's no avoiding the vagaries of
chance. Genetic drift affects the genetic makeup of the population but, unlike
natural selection, through an entirely random process. So although genetic
drift is a mechanism of evolution, it doesn't work to produce adaptations.
The Founder Effect is genetic drift that occurs after the start of a new
population

1. A.4
-Morphology is a branch of biology dealing with the study of the form and
structure of organisms and their specific structural features.
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paUP3z9RQR8
(Morphology)
https://answersingenesis.org/fossils/
(Fossils)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11iYk0Yrx3g
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-genetic-variation-sources-definitiontypes.html
(Genetic variation)
http://study.com/academy/lesson/phenotypic-variation-definition-lessonquiz.html
(Phenotypic variation)