Which of the following observations helped Darwin shape his concept of descent with modification?
A) Species diversity declines farther from the equator.
B) Fewer species live on islands than on the nearest continents.
C) Birds can be found on islands located farther from the mainland than the birds' maximum nonstop flight distance.
D) South American temperate plants are more similar to the tropical plants of South America than to the temperate plants of Europe.
E) Earthquakes reshape life by causing mass extinctions.
Difficulties in applying the morphological species concept
Skull of an Oriental giant squirrel (genus Ratufa) - note the classic sciuromorphous shape of the an
The effect of a double bond on the shape of fatty acids
Concept map
Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882).
Posterior views of H. erectus, Neandertal, and modern H. sapiens show differences in vault shape.