1. 15-1 part 2 Notes: Adaptations and Natural Selection Warm –up 2/5: Name two important things that Darwin noticed about the Finches during his travel on the HMS Beagle. What are the 4 parts of natural selection. Give a 1 sentence explanation for each. Warm –up 2/5: Name two important things that Darwin noticed about the Finches during his travel on the HMS Beagle. What are the 4 parts of natural selection. Give a 1 sentence explanation for each.

2.  Testable explanation to a problem or a question

3.  Summarizes a hypothesis or group of hypotheses that have been supported with repeated testing.  It is valid as long as there is no evidence to dispute it.  EX. Cell Theory and Theory of Continental Drift

4.  Generalizes a body of observations  Laws are the mechanism by which theories act, but they do not describe them  EX. Law of Gravity  EX. Newton’s Law of Motion

5.  A hereditary characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.  These are long term changes.

6.  Acclimation: A short term physiological change that help and individual survive due to a change in the environment.  A weight lifters muscles acclimate to heavy resistance.  When people live in a cold place their blood thickens to help deal with the cold.  Acclimations are not passed down between generations because they are not genetic.  The ability to acclimate may be genetic.

7.  Measure of ability to survive and produce more offspring relative to other members of a population.  The fittest individuals will have the most grandchildren.  The point of fitness is to pass on genetic information.