Section 15-3 Darwin Presents His Case: Publication of On The Origin of Species

Name______________________________ Class___________________ Date_______________
Section 15-3 Darwin Presents His Case

(pages 378-386)
Key Concepts
• How is natural variation used in artificial selection?
• How is natural selection related to a species’ fitness?
• What evidence of evolution did Darwin present?
Publication of On the Origin of Species (pages 378-379)

1. Is the following sentence true or false? When Darwin returned to England, he rushed to
publish his thoughts about evolution.
1. The naturalist whose essay gave Darwin an incentive to publish his own work was
3. Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about Darwin’s book On the Origin
of Species.
a. It was published in 1869.
b. It was ignored when it was first published.
c. It contained evidence for evolution.
d. It described natural selection.
Inherited Variation and Artificial Selection (page 379)

4. Differences among individuals of a species are referred to as
5. Is the following sentence true or false? Genetic variation is found only in wild
organisms in nature.
6. Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about artificial selection.
a. It is also called selective breeding.
b. It occurs when humans select natural variations they find useful.
c. It produces organisms that look very different from their ancestors.
d. It is no longer used today.
Evolution by Natural Selection (pages 380-382)

7. What was Darwin’s greatest contribution?
Match each term with its definition.
Terms Definitions
________8. fitness a. Any inherited characteristic that increases an
________9. adaptation organism’s chance of survival
_______10. natural selection b. Survival of the fittest
c. The ability of an individual to survive and
reproduce in its specific environment
© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall.
18
Name______________________________ Class___________________ Date_______________
11. What does the phrase struggle for existence mean?
12. Is the following sentence true or false? Adaptations can be physical characteristics but not
more complex features such as behavior.
13. Explain what Darwin meant by the phrase survival of the fittest.
14. Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about natural selection.
a. It selects traits that increase fitness.
b. It takes place without human control.
c. It can be observed directly in nature.
d. It leads to an increase in a species’ fitness.
15. The principle that living species descend, with changes, from other species over time is
referred to as
15. The principle that all species were derived from common ancestors is known as
Evidence of Evolution (pages 382-385)

17. Is the following sentence true or false? Darwin argued that living things have been
evolving on Earth for thousands of years.
17. Complete the concept map.
Evidence for
Evolution
can be found in
The fossil record
19. How do fossils that formed in different rock layers provide evidence of evolution?

19
Name______________________________ Class___________________ Date_______________
20. Circle the letter of the way Darwin explained the distribution of finch species on the
Galápagos Islands.
a. They had descended with modification from a common mainland ancestor.
b. They had descended with modification from several different mainland ancestors.
c. They had remained unchanged since arriving on the Galápagos from the mainland.
d. They had become more similar to one another after arriving on the Galápagos.
21. How did Darwin explain the existence of similar but unrelated species?
22. Structures that have different mature forms but develop from the same embryonic tissues
are called
23. Is the following sentence true or false? Homologous structures provide strong evidence that
all four-limbed vertebrates have descended, with modifications, from common
ancestors.
24. Organs that are so reduced in size that they are just vestiges, or traces, of homologous
organs in other species are called
Summary of Darwin’s Theory (page 386)

25. Circle the letter of each idea that is part of Darwin’s theory of evolution.
a. There is variation in nature.
b. Fewer organisms are produced than can survive.
c. There is a struggle for existence.
d. Species change over time.
26. According to Darwin’s theory, what happens to individuals whose characteristics are
not well suited to their environment?
27. Darwin believed that all organisms on Earth are united into a single tree of life by
Strengths and Weaknesses of Evolutionary Theory (page 386)

28. What is the status of Darwin’s hypotheses today?

20

Section 15-3 Darwin Presents His Case: Publication of On The Origin of Species

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Section 15-3 Darwin Presents His Case: Publication of On The Origin of Species

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Section 15-3 Darwin Presents His Case: Publication of On The Origin of Species

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Name____________________ Class_ Date_______

Section 15-3 Darwin Presents His Case

Publication of On the Origin of Species (pages 378-379)

Inherited Variation and Artificial Selection (page 379)

Evolution by Natural Selection (pages 380-382)

11. What does the phrase struggle for existence mean?

Evidence of Evolution (pages 382-385)

The fossil record

© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall.

Summary of Darwin’s Theory (page 386)

Strengths and Weaknesses of Evolutionary Theory (page 386)

© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall.

You might also like