reading
evolution by natural selection
answer the following questions after you have completed reading the read about it.
1. vocabulary in paragraph 1, you considered two very different squirrels visiting a feeder. although one is white and the other is gray, they are the same species. what does the term species mean?

2. in paragraph 4, you read about lamarck’s theory of transformation. why did it fail?

3. in paragraph 5, you read about the work of charles lyell and mary anning. how did the scientists show that organisms and earth changed over time?

4. in paragraphs 6–8, you read about darwin’s work on the galápagos islands. what convinced darwin that species can change over time?

Question

reading
evolution by natural selection
answer the following questions after you have completed reading the read about it.
1. vocabulary in paragraph 1, you considered two very different squirrels visiting a feeder. although one is white and the other is gray, they are the same species. what does the term species mean?

2. in paragraph 4, you read about lamarck’s theory of transformation. why did it fail?

3. in paragraph 5, you read about the work of charles lyell and mary anning. how did the scientists show that organisms and earth changed over time?

4. in paragraphs 6–8, you read about darwin’s work on the galápagos islands. what convinced darwin that species can change over time?

Accepted Answer

To answer these questions, we need to recall concepts from the study of evolution (a subfield of Biology, which is part of Natural Science). Here are the answers based on typical knowledge about evolution:

### Question 1
# Brief Explanations:
A species is a group of living organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. In the case of the squirrels, even with different colors, they can mate and have viable, fertile young, so they are the same species.
# Answer:
A species is a group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

### Question 2
# Brief Explanations:
Lamarck's theory of transformation (also called the theory of acquired characteristics) failed because it proposed that organisms could pass on traits acquired during their lifetime to their offspring. For example, he thought a giraffe stretching its neck to reach leaves would pass on a longer neck to its young. However, we now know that acquired traits (like a scar or muscle growth from exercise) do not change the genetic material (DNA) and thus cannot be inherited.
# Answer:
Lamarck's theory failed because it suggested acquired traits (traits gained during an organism’s lifetime) could be inherited, but acquired traits don’t alter an organism’s genetic material, so they can’t be passed to offspring.

### Question 3
# Brief Explanations:
Charles Lyell (a geologist) showed that Earth changes over long periods through gradual processes (uniformitarianism), like erosion and sedimentation. Mary Anning (a paleontologist) discovered fossils of extinct marine reptiles, showing that organisms that no longer exist once lived, providing evidence of change in life over time. Together, Lyell’s geological evidence and Anning’s fossil evidence supported the idea that both Earth and organisms change over time.
# Answer:
Charles Lyell showed Earth changes gradually over time (uniformitarianism) via processes like erosion. Mary Anning discovered fossils of extinct organisms, showing life has changed. Their work (geological processes + fossil evidence) demonstrated change over time.

### Question 4
# Brief Explanations:
On the Galápagos Islands, Darwin observed different species of finches (and other organisms) with variations adapted to their specific environments. For example, finches had different beak shapes suited to the food sources on their respective islands. He also noticed similarities between Galápagos species and those on the South American mainland, suggesting the island species evolved from mainland ancestors, convincing him species could change over time.
# Answer:
Darwin was convinced by observing Galápagos organisms (like finches with varied beaks for different foods) and their similarities to mainland species, showing adaptation to local environments and evolution from common ancestors.

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