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SAN DIEGO MESA COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107); Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Brief Study Guide
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In preparation for the scheduled exam (see website) make yourself very familiar with
following terms, key topics and concepts
the listed units and chapters refer to the lecture course-required textbook “Biology:
Concept & Connections”; Campbell, Reece, Taylor & Simon; 9th edition
Final Exam
Chapter 13: Evolutionary Theory: How species and populations evolve
 Be sure you remember the names of the major contributors to the development of the
modern evolutionary theory (classical and synthetic), including Ch. Darwin, R. Wallace, T.
Dobzansky, E. Mayr, S.J. Gould
 Know the four basic statements and core ideas of the evolutionary theory as introduced by
Darwin in 1859.
 Know the difference between artificial selection and natural selection. Know examples.
 Know the fields which contribute strong evidence for evolution, incl. fossils, biogeography,
comparative anatomy, comparative embryology and molecular biology. Be able to give
examples for each.
 What is a vestiges? What is atavism?
 Fossil evidence supporting the evolution of whales from a four-legged land mammal.
 Know which further ideas and statements have been added to the theory in the 1940s by E.
Mayr and T. Dobzhansky in the so-called “synthetic evolutionary theory”
 Know the definition of “species”.
 What is the core contribution of population genetics to the modern evolutionary theory?
 What are allele frequencies? What is the definition for “gene pool”?
 What is microevolution?
 Be familiar with the Hardy-Weinberg equation and know how to apply the equation to
calculate allele frequencies for members of an ideal population.
 What is the bottle neck effect? What can lead to it and what are the consequences for a
population of life forms?
 Rehearse the two contributors of variation, i.e. mutations and recombination events. What
causes mutations?
 Understand how diploidy preserves variation despite natural selection favoring certain
allele combinations.
 What is the heterozygote advantage? E.g. sickle cell anemia & malaria.
 Rehearse the 3 different types of natural selection. What is the difference in outcome
between stabilizing, directional and disruptive natural selection?
 Understand why natural selection does not lead to “perfect biological life forms”.
 Understand and be able to interpret the phrase “survival of the fittest” in the context of the
evolutionary theory; what does “fit” mean in a Darwinian sense?
Chapter 14: The origin of species
 What is meant in the evolutionary theory by the term “speciation”?
 How is a species defined according to the modern evolutionary theory?
 Know examples of factors and events which can lead to speciation
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SAN DIEGO MESA COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107); Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
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Know the difference between allopatric and sympatric speciation. Know one or two
(textbook) examples for each of these two.
Rehearse the meaning and examples of prezygotic as well as postzygotic reproductive
barriers. How do and can they contribute to speciation?
Rehearse examples of important geological, cosmic and tectonic events on planet Earth
which are considered to may have contributed to species separation, speciation or
extinction
o (Key words: Pangaea super continent, Galapagos island, Hawaiian islands, Alvarez
hypothesis, Madagascar, rift valley)
Understand the impact of continental drift and plate tectonics to the evolution of life on
planet earth
Understand the term “selective pressure” in the context of adaptation as part of the
evolutionary theory
Understand the term “artificial selection” and how this relates to the rise of the new
phenotypes and species
Understand why and how reproductive isolation can trigger speciation
Know the difference between microevolution and macroevolution
Rehearse the outcomes of different selective pressures put upon a population and know the
names of the different forms of selection. What is the difference between diversifying and
directional selection?
Know examples of human activities which can lead to reproductive isolation of species
Chapter 19: Human evolution
 Rehearse the evolution of primates as adaptation to life in trees. Key word: tree dwellers,
arboreal.
 Know the primate characteristics.
 Know the difference between anthropoid, hominoid and hominid.
 Oldest anthropoid fossils.
 Characteristics of modern apes.
 Traits distinguishing hominids from other primates. Which one first?
 Rehearse the timeline of the Homo species.
 Who was H. habilis? Who was H. erectus?
 Adaptive features of the early human ancestors. To which natural factors?
 What is meant by reduced sexual dimorphism?
 Know the name of the first hominid species to migrate out of Africa.
 Rehearse the two alternative hypotheses proposed for the origin of anatomically modern
humans populating planet Earth today.
 Rehearse the molecular genetic analysis tools used by paleoanthropologists to trace human
evolution.
 Know the gene which has been linked to the evolution of language in humans.
 Rehearse and understand the impact of human culture, e.g. technology, on natural
environments.
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