Download Unit 7 (Evolution) Study Guide SPRING 2014 (Student

Biology
Exam date ________
Unit 7 (Evolution) Study Guide
Name: _________________________
Date: _____________ Hour: ______
Topic #1 Charles Darwin and Natural Selection
1. What is evolution?
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2. Where did Darwin conduct much of his research, including his observations on several species of
Finch?
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3. Why is Charles Darwin considered a ‘revolutionary’? (Hint: What was he the first person to
propose?)
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4. Darwin provided the ‘how’ for evolution. According to Darwin, how does Evolution occur?
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5. What factor determines whether a trait is beneficial or harmful?
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6. Who proposed the hypothesis of ‘inheritance of acquired characteristics’ as an explanation for how
evolution occurs? Explain what this idea means.
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7.
Did Darwin have any knowledge of genetics when he published his book?
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8. What is the ‘raw material’ of natural selection? (HINT: Natural selection could not occur without
this)
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9. What is meant by the term ‘gene pool’?
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10. What is the name of the process by which a species becomes better suited to its environment?
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11. Give three examples of animal adaptations.
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12. What affect does natural selection have on allele frequency (how common certain traits are) in a
population?
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13. The four components of Natural Selection are Genetic Variation, Overproduction of Offspring,
Struggle for existence and Differential survival/ reproduction. What is meant by ‘differential
reproduction’?
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14. The four components of Natural Selection are Genetic Variation, Overproduction of Offspring,
Struggle for existence and Differential survival/ reproduction. Why do organisms face a constant
‘struggle for existence’?
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15. What is artificial selection?
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16. What observation did Kettlewell make about the appearance of peppered moths in the heavily
industrialized areas in Manchester, England?
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17. Let’s assume that a particular species of beetle comes in three varieties, light, medium and dark
brown.
 If the population is mostly dark in color, which type of selection has occurred? (disruptive,
directional, stabilizing) Circle the correct answer.

If the population is mostly medium brown in color, which type of selection has occurred?
(disruptive, directional, stabilizing) Circle the correct answer.

If the population is 50% light brown and 50% dark brown, which type of selection has occurred?
(disruptive, directional, stabilizing) Circle the correct answer.
Topic #2 Speciation
18. What is a species?
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19. What is speciation?
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20. What two things need to happen in order for speciation to occur?
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21. Give an example of speciation.
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22. Where did the ‘Founder’s’ come from that lead to the 12 species of Finch found on the Galapagos
Islands today?
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23. In what way did ‘Darwin’s Finches’ most notably differ from one another?
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24. What environmental factor drove the natural selection that occurred in Darwin’s Finches?
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25. What is the name of the type of evolution that causes related organisms to become less alike?
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26. Why does the geographic isolation of two populations of a species tend to increase differences
between their gene pools?
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27. What is the name of the type of evolution that causes distantly related organisms to become more
alike?
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28. What is the name of the hypothesis that states that evolution occurs at an irregular rate through
geologic time?
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29. What is the name of the hypothesis that states that evolution occurs at a slow, constant rate
through geologic time?
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30. List an environmental factor that could trigger a MASS EXTINCTION.
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31. What does there tend to be rapid evolution among the species that survive a mass extinction?
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Topic #3 Evidence of Evolution
32. What is a vestigial structure?
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33. Give two examples of vestigial structures.
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34. Do Homologous or Analogous structures in organisms suggest that organisms have a common
ancestor?
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35. Give an example of analogous structures.
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36. Give an example of homologous structures.
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37. How does embryology (the study of embryos) provide evidence of evolution?
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38. Describe how DNA sequences and proteins provide strong evidence of evolution.
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