Evolution and Inheritance Answers
For these challenge cards, children are encouraged to find the
answers through independent research. The following pages
show some possible suggested answers but these are not
definite answers. Children’s answers will vary depending on
sources used and any correct answers should be accepted.
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Evolution and Inheritance Answers 2 Evolution and Inheritance Answers
Behaviour traits describe the characteristics that consistently
describe human or animal behaviour. They are different from
inherited traits (traits passed down from parent to offspring)
and adaptive traits (traits influenced by the environment)
because they usually affect the way humans and animals
interact with their environment and with each other.
Behaviour traits may include a person smiling or laughing or
a dog grooming itself.
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Evolution and Inheritance Answers 1
Inherited traits are characteristics passed down from
parent to offspring, such as eye colour. Adaptive traits are
characteristics that are influenced by the environment
that enable a living thing to survive better in its habitat or
environment.
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3
Many scientists believe that humans are the most evolved
species due to their great advancements physically,
biologically, emotionally and mentally. However, some
scientists argue that bacteria is the most evolved organism. It
is not possible to give a definite answer as it depends on the
criteria that is being measured against.
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Evolution and Inheritance Answers
Living fossils are plants and animals that are alive now but
have a resemblance to prehistoric species that are dead. An
example is the Okapi that is related to prehistoric giraffes.
Living fossils can support the study of evolution because they
show how living things that are alive today have changed
from their prehistoric ancestors, even if only in small ways.
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Evolution and Inheritance Answers
Erasmus wrote a book called ‘Zoonomia’ in which it said that, ‘one
and the same kind of living filament is and has been the cause of
all organic life’. That is to say that all living things have a common
ancestor. He also believed that the strongest and most active animals
would reproduce and as a result, the species would be improved.
Erasmus’ ideas were not that different to Charles’. The main
distinction is that Charles Darwin brought together the ideas of
natural selection, adaptation and a single origin of life. He went
on to state that humans were not separate from all living things
but had developed through the same evolutionary process. He
emphasised survival of the fittest and the competition that allowed
certain varieties to survive due to inherited traits.
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4 Evolution and Inheritance Answers 5
Darwin investigated many plants and animals while in the
Galapagos Islands, including the various finches that lived
in different parts of the islands. He realised that even though
they were different, they all had the same ancestors. Some
had evolved to have larger beaks than others, allowing them
to eat the food available in the part of the islands where they
lived. Darwin also studied other animals, including tortoises
and lizards and discovered 78 new species of plants.
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6 Evolution and Inheritance Answers 7
Tusi, who was born in 1201, developed a basic theory of
evolution more than 600 years before Darwin. One idea that
Tusi had regarding evolution that is believed to be correct was
that organisms that could gain new features which would
give them an advantage over those that did not, allowing
them to survive. This idea was a simplistic version of Darwin’s
theory of evolution. Tusi wrote ‘Nasirean Ethics’, which was
translated from Arabic into English and published in 1964.
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Evolution and Inheritance Answers 8 Evolution and Inheritance Answers
Variation across species is what makes each individual
unqiue. Variation is divided into genetic variation (what is
passed on from the parents) and environmental variation
(differences in the surroundings or what the individual does).
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Evolution and Inheritance Answers 10
Yes! Plants undergo adaptive evolution just like animals. Like
animals, plants have evolved over time to gain and keep new
features that provide an advantage for survival.
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9
Despite the many differences in all living things, we also
have many things in common. This is because all living
things share DNA that is made up of just four bases – A, T, G
and C. Most living things need to breathe, see, move around
in some form and this ability comes from the sharing of
common genes.
Since all living things came from a common ancestor,
everything started out with the same DNA. The different
animals we see today are due to lots of small changes that
have evolved in living things since then. Our genes are 99%
identical to a chimpanzee’s and 50% identical to a banana’s!
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Evolution and Inheritance Answers 11
Darwin’s scientific theory of natural selection explained how
every living thing is connected in a family tree that stretches
back billions of years to the beginning of life on Earth. Birds,
reptiles and even humans have all developed from fish - but
this has happened over millions of years. In addition, Homo
Sapiens and Homo Neanderthalensis also share a common
ancestor, Homo Heidelbergensis, which is an extinct subspecies
of early humans.
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Evolution and Inheritance Answers 12
One benefit of selective breeding is that new varieties of
animals and plants could be created that may become more
economically beneficial. They may produce more of a product
or better-quality food. For example, cows could be bred to
produce more milk or sheep could be bred to grow more wool.

One problem associated with selective breeding is that it can

reduce genetic variation, as plants and animals produced
will all share very similar genes. This can lead to attacks by
specific insects or diseases. Also, rare disease genes can be
unknowingly selected as part of a positive trait, leading to
problems with specific organisms. An example of this is the
high percentage of Dalmatian dogs that are born deaf.
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