Download Study Questions for Exam #1

Biology 240
Fall 2015
Study Questions and Learning Objectives for Exam #1
Name the three geological eras and know:
 when they began and ended;
 what types of vertebrate animals first appeared and diversified during each era;
 what major events marked the transitions between these eras.
Summarize major milestones of animal evolution and know approximately when they occurred, for
example:
 The Cambrian “explosion”
 Origin of jawed fishes
 Early diversification of the major fish clades
 Origin of tetrapod vertebrates (first amphibians)
 Evolution of amniotes including early reptiles, mammals, and birds
 Evolution and diversification of modern mammals, birds, and insects
 Recent extinction of mammalian megafauna of North America
Discuss the major elements of the Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection, including:
 population growth and competition for limited resources
 variation of characteristics within populations
 natural selection (differential reproductive success)
 heritability of characteristics
 evolutionary adaptation
Explain and provide examples of the following lines of evidence that support evolutionary theory:
 the fossil record;
 biogeography, including the connection between plate tectonics and macroevolutionary patterns
of animal distribution;
 anatomical and embryological homology;
 molecular homology;
 verification of natural selection in the laboratory and in nature, including studies on Darwin’s
finches and guppies.
Define and distinguish between the following terms:
 homology
 convergent evolution
 adaptive radiation
Species and Speciation
 Explain the mechanism of allopatric speciation, and mechanisms that maintain reproductive
isolation of populations, and provide specific examples.
 Distinguish between gradualism and punctuated equilibrium in the evolution of new species.
 Discuss studies on the “ring species” Ensatina eschoscholtzii and the different lines of evidence
that support the hypothesis of allopatric speciation in progress.
Genetics
 Define the Mendelian principles of segregation and independent assortment. Explain the
chromosomal bases for these principles specifically in terms of alleles, meiosis, and homologous
chromosomes.
 Be able to identify the possible allele combinations in the gametes and the expected offspring
genotypes for various genetic crosses, such as a dihybrid cross and test crosses.
 Use probability theory to solve basic genetic problems.
 Apply genetic principle to analyze inheritance patterns for ABO and Rh +/- blood groups.
 Explain inheritance patterns for sex-linked (specifically X-linked) genes.
 Understand the concept of linked genes and the results that indicate linkage between two genes.
 Apply the results of recombination frequency analysis to map the relative positions of genes on a
chromosome.
Biology 240
Fall 2015
Population Genetics
 Apply the mathematical model of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to calculate the expected
frequencies of alleles, genotypes, and phenotypes of a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
 List the conditions required for a population to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
 Explain three major processes that can cause the allele frequencies in a population to change.
Identify which of these processes is essentially random, and which process results in adaptive
evolutionary change.
 Understand how population genetics theory relates to evolutionary theory.