SB4c.

4 Evolving ideas – Homework 1

Name Class Date

1 a Two scientists independently came up with an idea to explain how evolution occurred. What are
their names? ______________________________________________________________________
b By what process did these two scientists think that evolution occurred? Tick one.

 selective breeding  neutral selection  natural selection  artificial selection

c An essay by Thomas Malthus helped both these scientists come up with the idea. In the essay,
Malthus argued that if people have too many children there is a struggle for survival and some children
will die. State why the children will die.

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d The table shows the stages by which the scientists thought evolution occurred. Number the stages in
the order in which they happen.

Order Event
Individuals in a population of a species vary slightly in their characteristics.
Over a period of time the proportion of individuals with the advantageous
characteristics in the population will increase and increase.
Surviving organisms pass on the advantageous characteristics to their offspring.
There is competition for survival between the organisms due to limited resources.
Variations that allow greater success at obtaining resources make some individuals
more likely to survive.
Organisms produce more offspring than will survive.

e The graph shows the population of

great blue herons in San Francisco
Bay. The females lay between three
and six eggs each year. Use Malthus’
ideas to explain the overall shape of
the graph.

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2 Describe how the pentadactyl limbs of vertebrates support the idea of evolution by the process described
in the table in question 1d, and not the idea that organisms come to life independently.

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3 Give one way in which the development of a theory of evolution has influenced biology today.

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