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Name:
Period:
(1) Define each of the following terms in your own words:
a. Punctuated Equilibrium =
b. Gradualism =
c. Coevolution =
d. Convergent Evolution =
e. Divergent Evolution =
f. Artificial Selection =
(2) Explain how species change according to Lamarck’s hypothesis of acquired traits.
(3) Describe in detail Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of natural selection.
(4) What is the importance of the fossil record when discussing evolution?
(5) Describe the two methods used for dating fossils.
(6) If a fossil had 8,000 parent atoms originally and after four half-lifes how many daughter atoms
would be present in the sample?
(7) How are new traits created? What does that say about the DNA of closely related species?
(8) Distinguish between homologous and analogous structures and give examples of each. Discuss the
evolutionary importance of each.
(9) What is the significance of vestigial structures in evolution? Give two examples.
Select the correct type of evolution that is occurring in the following scenarios:
A = coevolution
B = divergent evolution C = artificial selection
D = convergent evolution
Write an explanation that justifies your choice.
(1) In 1862, Charles Darwin visited Madagascar where he saw an orchid that had a tube that was 10
inches long before the nectar was reached. He suggested that a moth would be found with a
tongue that was also 10 inches long based on his understanding of evolution. Forty-one years
later, the moth was found exactly as Darwin predicted.
(2) Most early European roses did not bloom continuously as most roses today. But by the early
1800s, four Chinese rose cultivars, which did bloom repeatedly, became available to European
breeders (the China Rose and the Tea Rose). These were crossed with European roses to
produce new repeat-blooming varieties.
(3) The spiny anteater found in Australia is not related to the giant anteater found in Latin America.
Each organism has evolved the skills necessary to live on a diet of ants and termites: a long,
sticky tongue, few teeth, a rugged stomach, and large salivary glands.
(4) It has been speculated that a new species, humans, developed because there was no longer a
need for swinging from trees. Upright walking on the ground required alterations in the foot for
better speed and balance. Eventually, these traits became characteristics that evolved to allow
for movement on the ground. Although humans and monkeys are genetically similar, their
natural habitat required different physical characteristics to evolve for survival.
(5) Milkweed plants have a toxin in their leaves that prevents many animals from feeding on it.
However, the monarch butterfly’s larvae are immune to this toxin. The toxin builds up in the
larvae and is passed on to the adult Monarch butterfly, making it toxic to would-be predators.
Many birds avoid eating the Monarch butterfly.
(6) More than 100 million years ago Australia split from Africa and Asia. At that time the only
mammals around the globe consisted of very small mouse like creatures. Over time the animals
of Australia evolved developed completely cut off from the rest of the world. Australia is the
only continent in which marsupials have survived; with the exception of the opossum in North
America. Gradually over time the marsupials in Australia expanded their size and shape to
meet the needs of the environment. Along the way many adopted similar sizes and shapes of
the other placental mammals all over the rest of the world.
(7) Birds and bats both have wings. They share similar environmental conditions that lead to these
adaptations, but the wing structures are quite different.
(8) When you look at the bones in the forearm of a whale, a bat, a lizard, and a bird you will find all
the same bones are present. However each limb serves a completely different function for its
owner.