Unit 8 Evolution
Essential Standard: Each Student will understand and describe how genetic variation resulting from the natural selection process provides evidence for biological evolution and biodiversity.
Learning Targets:
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Explain natural selection. (Include: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for an environment’s limited supply of the resources that individuals need in order to survive and reproduce, and (4) the ensuring proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in that environment.)
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Evaluate the evidence that supports the theory of biological evolution (e.g., fossil records, similarities between DNA and protein structures, similarities between developmental stages of organisms, homologous and vestigial structures)
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Explain the importance of reproduction to the survival of a species.
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Explain two examples of evolution in response to environmental change. Include antibiotic resistance and behavioral change (migration, courtship rituals).
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Evaluate how the changes in the physical environment, whether naturally occurring or human induced, have contributed to a change in species over time.
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Describe the basic types of selection including disruptive, stabilizing, and directional.
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Distinguish between catastrophism, gradualism, and punctuated equilibrium.
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Explain the contributions the following scientists had on the formation of the theory of evolution: Darwin, Malthus, Wallace, Lamarck, Hutton, and Lyell
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