Evolution Study Guide

Question 1

different levels of success in reproduction based on the ability to survive in the environment (filters out the weak and the strong survive and are successful).

Answer 1

Natural selection

Question 2

Who came up with the theory of natural selection?

Answer 2

Darwin came up with this theory.

Question 3

first attempted organization of nature, 2 different worlds (Real and perfect - world of the gods) (Illusory and Imperfect - Earth (birth defects))

Answer 3

Plato

Question 4

Scala Naturae - each species has its own rung on the ladder of life, the position is perfect and permanent

Answer 4

Aristotle

Question 5

Father of Taxonomy, Binomial Nomenclature

Answer 5

Linnaeus

Question 6

Theory of Catastrophism (explains why organisms seem to disappear from existence on the Earth)

Answer 6

Cuvier

Question 7

explains why organisms seem to disappear from existence on the Earth

Answer 7

Theory of Catastrophism

Question 8

contributed that evolution takes a long time

Answer 8

Lamarck

Question 9

What are the levels of taxonomic classification? How do you scientifically name an organism?

Answer 9

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. An organism is named by “Genus species”

Question 10

wrote Principles of Populations and said more organisms are born than nature can allow to survive (survival is based on the traits an organism possesses)

Answer 10

Thomas Malthus

Question 11

What did Malthus say about the number of organisms in nature?

Answer 11

He said more organism are born than nature can allow to survive

Question 12

What is artificial selection? Give an example.

Answer 12

man selects what traits are desirable (Ex. domestic animals and plants)

Question 13

What defines a population? (4 things)

Answer 13

Same species, same place, same time, and showing signs of reproduction

Question 14

What are homologous structures? What do they help prove? Give various examples.

Answer 14

Homologous structures - similar structures among different species. They help prove common ancestors among species (Ex. skeletal structures, limb structure, cephalization)

Question 15

structures that have the same function but they don’t indicate common ancestry

Answer 15

analogous structures

Question 16

organisms that only appear to be closely related due to that they evolved in similar environments under similar environmental pressures.

Answer 16

convergent evolution

Question 17

What are the two equations for Hardy-Weinberg Theorem? What does each variable represent?

Answer 17

p + q = 1 p2 + 2 pq + q2 = 1
p is dominant alleles, q is recessive alleles, p2 is homozygous dominant, 2pq is heterozygous, and q2 is homozygous recessive

Question 18

What 5 conditions must be met for a population to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium? Why are these factors important for equilibrium?

Answer 18

Large population, no migration, no mutations, random mating, no natural selection (nature favors equally). These factors are important because they ensure nothing will happen to break the equilibrium.

Question 19

different traits exist within a given species or population

Answer 19

Variation

Question 20

Describe 3 sources of variation that come about because of sexual reproduction.

Answer 20

The process of crossover, the separation of chromosomes during anaphase I and II, and the random fertilization of an egg by a sperm

Question 21

the “bell curve” for a trait flows in one direction only

Answer 21

Directional

Question 22

the “bell curve” for a trait separates in opposites directions at the same time

Answer 22

Diversifying

Question 23

the “bell curve” moves to the “stable” center

Answer 23

Stabilizing

Question 24

What are the three types of evolutionary flow?

Answer 24

Directional, Diversifying, and Stabilizing

Question 25

competition within one sex (Ex. Males mainly fight for reproductive rights)

Answer 25

Intrasexual Selection

Question 26

competition between the sexes (Ex. Males strut to attract the females attention)

Answer 26

Intersexual Selection

Question 27

a geologist (someone who studies rocks and earth’s processes). He proposed the theory of gradualism.

Answer 27

James Hutton

Question 28

tries to explain that the earth must be very, very old because in order for some processes to occur, such as mountain formation or canyon formation, it would require enormous amounts of time.

Answer 28

Theory of Gradualism

Question 29

a geologist who wrote the Principles of Geology and proposed the Theory of Uniformitarianism

Answer 29

Charles Lyell

Question 30

the same geologic processes that are occurring now are the same that occurred in the past

Answer 30

Theory of Uniformitarianism

Question 31

uses the different strata of rock and index fossils to establish a time line

Answer 31

relative dating

Question 32

fossils that we know a specific time period for when they exist.

Answer 32

index fossils

Question 33

uses the half-life of radioactive elements that accumulate in an organism over time (C-14 used for thousands, U-238 used for millions and billions)

Answer 33

Absolute “Radiometric” Dating

Question 34

a famous Harvard professor who proposed the idea of punctuated equilibrium

Answer 34

Jay Gould

Question 35

long periods of stability(this is the equilibrium) are interrupted suddenly(this is the punctuated) by a major disruption(such as an asteroid hitting the earth) that causes a mass extinction of existing species to occur. Once all disruption has calmed down(usually after several years), a mass evolution of new species will occur to occupy all the new open niches that were created due to the mass extinction. (These punctuations usually mark/cause the end of an era.) (Ex. Snowball Earth, Pangaea, and the Asteroid)

Answer 35

punctuated equilibrium

Question 36

an evolutionary tree based on similar characteristics

Answer 36

Cladogram

Question 37

What does a “Y” shaped region in a cladogram indicate?

Answer 37

The “Y” indicates common ancestry

Question 38

On cladograms, scientists like to use measurable or observable characteristics. They don’t use words such as “cute” as a derived character. Why? Give some examples of characteristics scientists may use to create a cladogram.

Answer 38

They use measurable or observable characters so the cladograms are objective not subjective. They use characteristics such as backbones and hair.