Study Questions for Bio 101
Evolution , Natural Selection, and Evolutionar Genetics
1. Define the term “evolution” from the standpoint of biology.
2. Describe the difference between the evidence of evolution and the theory of evolution
(natural selection).
3. Explain how fossils and biogeography (locations of living things in certain places)
support the idea of evolution.
4. Describe the Theory of Uniformity, and it was critical to Darwin’s Theory of Natural
Selection.
5. Define the term “artificial selection”.
6. Describe Larmarck’s Theory of Acquired Characteristics and why his Theory doesn’t
work.
7. Name the four basic tenets of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection.
8. Describe what “differential reproductive success” means.
9. Explain how variation is important to the process of natural selection.
10. Describe the evolution of the black and peppered moths in England and how this
story supports the notion of natural selection.
11. Define the terms “gene pool” and “allelic frequency”
12. Name all the requirements for a population to remain in “genetic equilibrium”.
13. Explain why the peppered/black moth population was not in genetic equilibrium, and
what type of selection was operating.
14. Explain the difference between directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection using
graphs showing numbers of individuals Vs phenotypes.
15. Define “sexual dimorphism” and give an example of a species with such
characteristics.
16. Define the terms “gene flow”, “non-random mating”, and “genetic drift”.