Download Honors Biology Evolution Study Guide

Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________________ Period _________
STUDY GUIDE: EVOLUTION
GEOLOGICAL TIME: Match the major events of the geological time scale with the era in which the event occurred.
Answers may be used more than once: a. Precambrian b. Paleozoic c. Mesozoic d. Cenozoic
_____ 1. Dinosaur populations peaked and then went extinct
_____ 2. This era continues today and included all modern forms of life
_____ 3. Earliest land plants arose
_____ 4. Earliest vertebrates
_____ 5. The oldest know rocks and fossils
_____ 6. Primates evolved
_____ 7. Mammals and flying reptiles arose
_____ 8. Life forms included amphibians, winged insects, early conifers and small reptiles
9. The Geologic Time Scale begins at the formation of Earth approximately ___________________________ years ago.
FOSSILS: Match the description of the fossils with the fossil type. Use each answer only once
a. Natural Cast b. Trace c. Amber-Preserved d. Preserved remains e. Petrified
_____ 10. Record of the activity of an organism
_____ 11. When the entire organism becomes encased in a material such as ice or volcanic ash
_____ 12. Flowing water removes all of the original bone or tissue, leaving just an impression in sediment. Minerals fill in
the mold recreating the original shape of the organism
_____ 13. Organism becomes trapped in tree resin (sap) and hardens
_____ 14. Molecules of the organism are replace with molecules of mineral
15. Explain the incorrect theory of “acquired traits” as described by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck:
DARWIN: Match the following statements to the proper part of Darwin’s ideas on evolution
a. Overproduction of offspring
b. Natural selection
c. Struggle for existence
d. Variation
_____ 16. Female finches found on the Galapagos Islands lay enormous numbers of eggs
_____ 17. These finches compete for a particular species of insect that inhabits the small holes found in tree bark
_____ 18. Some finches’ beaks are long, some are short. The finches with long beaks are better adapted to remove the
insects from the bark
_____ 19. The finches with the long beaks survive and produce greater numbers of offspring with long beaks
20. Describe the term “punctuated equilibrium”. How does this term reveal a flaw in Darwin’s theory?
EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTON:
21. Describe how scientists use the factors below as evidence to support the theory of evolution:
a. Fossils:
b. Adaptations (structural, physiological and behavioral):
c. Comparative Anatomy:
d. Comparative Embryology:
e. Genetics:
POPULATION EVOLUTION:
22. Contrast “gene pool” and “allelic frequency”:
23. a. P + Q = 1 is one equation used to solve Hardy-Weinberg problems. Write out the other equation:
b. What does “p” stand for? _____________________
c. What does “q” stand for? ______________________
TRUE OR FALSE? (if the statement is false, change it to make it true!)
_____ 24. The movement of alleles from one population to another is referred to as “gene flow”.
_____ 25. When alleles in a small population decrease due to chance, this is called “genetic drift”
_____ 26. The “founder effect” is when a small number of individuals colonize a new area and the new population will
show an increase in diversity
_____ 27. Macroevolution is a change in a gene pool that can be observed over a short period of time, such as changes
within a species
_____ 28. Geographic isolation of populations involves physical barriers that divide a population into two or more groups
_____ 29. Different species must adapt to similar environments. Evolution towards similar characteristics in unrelated
species is called divergent evolution
30. Draw a graph to show how each of the following types of selection changes the population from normal distribution.
→ Show the normal distribution for each as a dashed line and the change as a solid line
→ Explain the meaning of each below your drawing
Directional Selection
Stabilizing Selection
Disruptive Selection
31. Use a specific example (plant or animal) to explain how adaptation is the driving force behind natural selection:
32. List at least 3 adaptations of humans which have helped improve our evolutionary fitness. Include whether these
adaptations are physiological, structural or behavioral.



33. Provide an example of sexual selection. Discuss how this example increases the fitness of offspring.
34. Describe an example of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection. Identify the struggle for existence, survival of the fittest
and descent with modification.