Download Evolution Objectives Natural Selection: 1. State the 2 major points

Evolution Objectives
Natural Selection:
1.
State the 2 major points Darwin made in Origin of Species concerning the earth's biota
2.
Describe G. Cuvier's contribution to paleontology
3.
Explain how Cuvier and his followers used the concept of catastrophism to oppose evolution
4.
Explain how the principle of gradualism and C. Lyell's theory of uniformitarianism influenced Darwin's ideas about evolution
5.
Describe J. B. Lamarck's model for how adaptations evolve
6.
Describe how Darwin used his observations from the voyage of the HMs Beagle to formulate and support his theory of
evolution
7.
Describe how Alfred Russell Wallace influenced Darwin
8.
Explain what Darwin meant by the principle of common descent and descent with modification
9.
Explain what evidence convinced Darwin that species change over time
10. State 3 inferences Darwin made from his observations which led him to propose natural selection as a mechanism for
evolutionary change
11.
Explain why variation is so important to Darwin's theory
12. Explain how Thomas Malthus' essay influenced Darwin
13. Distinguish between artificial selection and natural selection
14. Explain why the population is the smallest unit that can evolve
15. Using some contemporary examples, explain how natural selection results in evolutionary change
16. Explain why the emergence of population genetics was an important turning point fo evolutionary theory
17. Describe the lines of evidence Darwin used to support the principle of common descent
18. Describe how molecular biology can be used to study evolutionary relationships among organisms
Species and Populations:
1.
Explain how micro-evolutionary change can affect a gene pool
2.
state the Hardy-Weinberg theorem
3.
Write the general Hardy-Weinberg equation and use it to calculate allele and genotype frequencies
4.
Explain the consequences of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
5.
Demonstrate that a disequilibrium population requires only one generation of random mating to establish Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium
6.
Describe the usefulness of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium model to population genetics
7.
List the conditions a population must meet in order to maintain Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
8.
Explain how genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, nonrandom mating, and natural selection can cause microevolution.
9.
Explain the role of population size in genetic drift
10. Distinguish between the bottleneck effect and the founder effect
11. Explain why mutation has little quantitative effect on a large population
12. Describe how inbreeding and assortive mating affect a population's allele frequencies and genotype frequencies
13. List factors that produce geographic variation among closely related populations
14. Explain why even though mutation can be a source of genetic variability, it contributes a negligible amount to genetic variation
in a population
15. Explain how genetic variation may be preserved in a natural population
16. Describe the neutral theory of molecular evolution and explain how changes in gene frequency may be non-adaptive
17. Explain the concept of relative fitness and its role in adaptive evolution
18. Explain why the rate of decline for a deleterious allele depends upon whether the allele is dominant or recessive to the more
successful allele
19. Describe what selection acts on and what factors contribute to the overall fitness of a genotype
20. Give examples of how an organism's phenotype may be influenced by the environment
21. Distinguish among stabilizing selection, directional selection, and diversifying selection
22. Define sexual dimorphism and explain how it can influence evolutionary change
23. Give 4 reasons why natural selection cannot breed perfect organism
24. Define morphospecies and explain how this concept can be useful to biologists
25. Define biological species (E. Mayr)
26. Describe some limitations of the biological species concept
27. Explain how gene flow between closely related species can be prevented
28. Distinguish between prezygotic and postzygotic isolating mechanisms
29. Describe 5 prezygotic isolating mechanisms and give an example of each
30. Explain why many hybrids are sterile
31. Explain how hybrid breakdown maintains separate species even if gene flow occurs
32. Distinguish between allopatric and sympatric speciation
33. Explain the allopatric speciation model and describe the role of intraspecific variation and geographical isolation
34. Explain why peripheral isolates are susceptible if geographic barriers arise
35. Describe the adaptive radiation model and use it to describe how it might be possible to have many sympatric closely related species
even if geographic isolation is necessary for them to evolve
36. Define sympatric speciation and explain how polyploidy can cause reproductive isolation
37. Distinguish between autopolyploidy and allopolyploidy
38. List some points of agreement and disagreement between the 2 schools of thought about the tempo of speciation (gradualism vs.
punctuated equilibrium)
Phylogenetics:
1.
Explain the importance of the fossil record to the study of evolution
2.
Describe how fossils form
3.
Distinguish between relative dating and absolute dating
4.
Explain how isotopes can be used in absolute dating
5.
Explain how continental drift may have played a role in the history of life
6.
Describe how radiation into new adaptive zones could result in macroevolutionary change
7.
Explain how mass extinctions could occur and affect evolution of surviving forms
8.
List the major taxonomic categories from the most to least inclusive
9.
Distinguish between homologous and analogous structures
10. Describe 3 techniques used in molecular systematics and explain what information each provides
11. Distinguish between a monophyletic and a polyphyletic group and explain what is meant by a natural taxon
12. Describe the contributions of genetics and cladistics to phylogenetic systematics
Origins of Life:
1.
Describe the contributions of A. I. Oparin, J. B. S. Haldane, S. Miller, and H. Urey made toward developing a model for abiotic
synthesis of organic molecules
2.
Provide plausible evidence to support the hypothesis that chemical evolution resulting in life's origin occurred in 4 stages
3.
a.
Abiotic synthesis of organic monomers
b.
Abiotic synthesis of polymers
c.
Formation of protobionts
d.
Origin of genetic information
Describe the basis for the 3-domain and the 6-Kingdom systems