Mechanisms of Biological Evolution

Question 1

Lamarckian Inheritance

Answer 1

The idea that characteristics an organism acquires during its lifetime can be passed on to its offspring.

Question 2

Darwinian Evolution

Answer 2

Populations (rather than individuals) change over time due to natural selection.

Question 3

How does paleontology support the theory of evolution?

Answer 3

New layers of ground and fossil form on top of old layers, forming a sort of biological timeline.

Question 4

How does biogeography support the theory of evolution?

Answer 4

The way that species are distributed across Earth suggests a common ancestor.

Question 5

How does comparative anatomy support the theory of evolution?

Answer 5

Many organisms share similar structures at some point during embryonic development. Also, many organisms have homologous anatomical structures.

Question 6

How does molecular biology support the theory of evolution?

Answer 6

Organisms with similar DNA will have a common ancestor from long ago.

Question 7

Punctuated equilibrium

Answer 7

Long periods of stability with abrupt episodes of speciation.

Question 8

Molecular clocks

Answer 8

Compare the number of nucleotide differences against dates of evolutionary events.

Question 9

Hardy-Weinberg Equation (5 parts)

Answer 9

1.) Random mating
2.) Large population size
3.) No migration between populations
4.) No mutations
5.) No natural selection

Question 10

Evolutionary agent

Answer 10

Any force that alters the genetic structure of a population

Question 11

Genetic drift

Answer 11

Random loss of individuals and the alleles they possess

Question 12

Population bottleneck

Answer 12

An event that drastically reduces the size of a population

Question 13

Founder effect

Answer 13

When a small group leaves the main population to form a new population

Question 14

Behavioral adaptation

Answer 14

Organism changes how it interacts with its environmental surroundings

Question 15

Physiological adaptation

Answer 15

Organism changes how its body functions internally

Question 16

Structural adaptation

Answer 16

Organism changes at least one of its physical features

Question 17

Analogous structures

Answer 17

Traits that are similar among different organisms who did not share a common ancestor, but needed to solve a shared environmental problem.

Question 18

Convergent evolution

Answer 18

When species occupy similar ecological niches and adapt in similar ways in response to selective pressures.

Question 19

Homologous structures

Answer 19

Similar structures, but different functions among animals that share the same common ancestor.

Question 20

Directional selection

Answer 20

When one extreme variation of a trait is selected for

Question 21

Disruptive selection

Answer 21

When both extreme variations of a trait are selected for

Question 22

Stabilizing selection

Answer 22

The middle variation of a trait is selected for

Question 23

Speciation

Answer 23

A species splits into 2 or more new species

Question 24

Allopatric speciation

Answer 24

The division of an original population by a physical barrier

Question 25

Sympatric speciation

Answer 25

The division of an original population by experiencing different ecological niches or genetic changes

Question 26

Prezygotic isolation

Answer 26

Different species cannot create offspring by preventing their gametes to form a zygote

Question 27

Postzygotic isolation

Answer 27

Occurs after fertilization and results in reduced zygote viability or offspring with lower fitness

Question 28

Divergent evolution

Answer 28

Species gradually becomes different from its ancestors over time

Question 29

Parallel evolution

Answer 29

Two unrelated species in the same environment evolve together, forming similar characteristics