BSC 1005 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Parasitism, Assortative Mating, Cytochrome C
Document Summary
Explain how darwin"s study of fossils and biogeography contributed to the development of the t- heory of natural selection. Study of fossils: while darwin was making geological observations, he also was collecting fossil specimens that differed somewhat from modern species. When darwin accepted the supposition that earth must be very old, he began to think that there would have been enough time for descent with modification to occur. Living forms could be descended from extinct forms known only from the fossil record. It would seem that species are not fixed; instead, they change over time. Biogeography: when darwin did his traveling, instead of finding rabbits, he found patagonian hares in the grasslands of south america. The patagonian hare is a rodent that has long legs and ears and the face of a guinea pig. It often takes many generations for an adaptation to develop. Describe the steps in the theory of natural selection.
