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Guilford College Bio 112, Brad Lamphere
Spring 2014—First exam (will update as we get closer to exam day)
Lecture Objectives
Lecture 1

Discuss the scientific method using the following terms: observation, question, hypothesis,
prediction, conclusion.

Describe the differences between the two main approaches to hypothesis-driven science:
observational and experimental studies. Given a research hypothesis, be able to design a
study to test it using each approach.

Compare and contrast: prediction, hypothesis, and scientific theory; observation and
experiment
Lecture 2

Distinguish Lamarck’s hypothesis of evolution via acquired characters from Darwinian
evolution via innate characters. Design an experiment that would test whether a trait
exhibited Lamarckian or Darwinian evolution.

Provide two examples of how Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was
influenced by his predecessors and peers (Fig. 22.2).

Compare and contrast: acquired and innate traits
Lecture 3

List Darwin’s three postulates for evolution through natural selection. Discuss how
evolution might occur in the absence of selection, and how selection might occur without
causing evolution.

Contrast the evolutionary meaning of “fitness” with the non-science meaning of the term.
Explain how evolutionary fitness is measured, and why it is important for predicting how
a population will change.

Discuss the importance of genetic variation in evolution. Explain why Mendelian
inheritance is crucial to the viability of Darwin’s idea of evolution through natural
selection.

Compare and contrast: artificial selection and natural selection; speciation and extinction;
gene, locus, allele, and chromosome
Lecture 4 and Shell Game Lab

Compare and contrast directional selection and stabilizing selection, and why stabilizing
selection is so common most of the time in most environments.

Describe the three main lines of evidence for evolution through natural selection (i.e.,
direct observations, homology, and fossils). Provide an example of each.

Mutation is rare. It also accounts for all the genetic variation we see in living organisms.
Form an argument to explain that apparent contradiction.

Discuss how mutation and natural selection interact as populations adapt to their
environment.

When a population varies in a trait, different samples from the same population can
produce different results. Describe how scientists can deal with that variability in their
sampling and in their analysis.

The distribution of a trait can be characterized by several properties (e.g., range,
maximum, mean, median, variance). Discuss how the property of interest might depend on
the question being considered.
Lecture 5

Briefly define microevolution and macroevolution. Explain how they differ, and how the
two ideas are related.

Describe the biological species concept and its limitations.

Understand the importance of reproductive isolation and reinforcement for speciation
under the Biological Species Concept

Distinguish allopatric and sympatric speciation, and understand the evolutionary
mechanisms that cause them.

Explain how selection, along with other evolutionary forces, can cause rapid divergence
and speciation