Chapter 22: Descent with Modification (Natural Selection)
AP Biology
Stoneleigh-Burnham School
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Judith S. de Nuño
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Chapter Objectives

    1. State the 2 major points Darwin made in Origin of Species concerning the earth's biota
    2. Comparane and contrast Plato'sphilosophy of idealism and Aristotle's scala naturae
    3. Describe C. Linnaeus'contribution to Darwin's theory of evolution
    4. Describe G. Cuvier's contribution to paleontology
    5. Explain how Cuvier and his followers used the concept of catastrophism to oppose evolution
    6. Explain how the principle of gradualism and C. Lyell's theory of uniformitarianism influenced Darwin's ideas about evolution
    7. Describe J. B. Lamarck's model for how adaptations evolve
    8. Decribe ho Darwin used his observations from the voyage of the HMs Beagle to formulate and support his theory of evolution
    9. Describe how Alfred Russel Wallace influenced Darwin
    10. Explain what Darwin meant by the principle of common descent and descent with modification
    11. Explain what evidence convinced Darwin that species change over time
    12. State 3 inferences Darwin gmade from his observations which led him to propose natural selection as a mechanism for evolutionary change
    13. Explain why variation is so important to Darwin's theory
    14. Explain how Thomas Malthus' essay influenced Darwin
    15. Distinguish between artificial selection and nataural selection
    16. Explain why the population is the smallest unit that can evolve
    17. Using some contemporary exmaples, explain how natural selection results in evolutionary change
    18. Explain why the emergence of population genetics was an important turning point fo evolutionary theory
    19. Describe the lines of evidence Darwin used to support the principle of common descent
    20. Describe how molecular biology can be used to study evolutionary relationships among organisms

Chapter Terms:

evolution

natural selection

evolutionary adaptations

natural theology

taxonomy

fossils

sedimentary rocks

paleontology

gradualism

uniformitarianism

descent with modification

artificial selection

biogeography

homology

homologous structures

vestigial organs

ontogeny

phylogeny

 

Chapter Outline Framework

    1. Historical Context for Evolutionary Theory
      1. Western culture resisted evolutionary views of life
      2. Theories of geological gradualism helped clear the path for evolutionary biologists
      3. Lamarck placed fossils in an evolutionary context
    2. The Darwinian Revolution
      1. Field research helped Darwin frame his view of life
      2. The Origin of Species developed 2 main points
        1. occurrence of evolution
        2. natural selection as the mechanism of evolution
    3. Evidence of Evolution
      1. Evidence of evolution pervades biology
      2. What is theoretical about the Darwinian view of life?

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