Daily Questions Unit 5
Ch 16 Darwin's Theory of Evolution
16.1
1. You have learned that both biotic and abiotic factors affect ecosystems. Give some examples of
each and explain how biotic and abiotic factors could have affected the tortoises that Darwin
observed on the Galapagos Islands
16.2
1 Apply Concepts How would Hutton and Lyell explain the formation of the Grand Canyon
2 Review What is an acquired characteristic and what role did Lamarck think they played in evolution
3 Review What is artificial selection
Infer Could artificial selection occur without inherited variation- explain
4 Draw conclusions How did Malthus influence Darwin
Writing Imagine you are Malthus in the year 1798. Write a newspaper article that explains your ideas
about the impact of a growing population on society and the environment
16.3
1 Review What happens in the process of natural selection
Explain Why do organisms with greater fitness generally leave more offspring than organisms that are
less fit
Compare and Contrast How are natural selection and artificial selection similar and how are they
different
2 Review Why were Hutton’s and Lyell’s ideas important to Darwin
Visual Thinking Think about the teeth in a lions mouth. How is the structure of the lion’s teeth an
adaptation
16.4
1 Review Why are fossils important evidence for evolution
Interpret Visuals use the figure on pg 394-395 to describe how a modern mystcete whale is different
from Ambulocetus
2 Explain what is the relationship between Hox genes and embryological development
Draw Conclusions Organisms A and B have very similar Hox genes, and their embryos, in early
development, are also very similar. What do these similarities indicate about the ancestry of organisms
A and B
3 Explanation In your own words, write a paragraph that explains how evidence since Darwin’s time has
strengthened his theories.
Ch 17 Evolution of Populations
17.1
1 Review Define the terms genes pool and relative frequency
Predict Suppose a dominant allele causes a plant disease that usually kills the plant before it can
reproduce. Over time what would probably happen to the frequency of that allele in the population
2 Explain How does genetic recombination result in genetic variation
Relate Cause and Effect Why does sexual reproduction provide more opportunities for genetic
variation than asexual variation
3 Explanation Explain how mutations are important in the process of biological evolution
17.2
1 Review Define genetic drift
Relate Cause and Effect How can the founder effect lead to changes in the allele pool
2 Infer Genetic equilibrium is uncommon in actual populations. Why do you think this is the case
3 Evolution Do you think populations stay in genetic equilibrium after the environment Has changed
significantly- explain.
17.3
1 Review What is geographic isolation
Predict A newly formed lake divides a population of beetle species into two groups. What other factors
besides isolation might lead to the two groups becoming separate species
2 Review What types of reproductive isolation may have been important in Galapagos finch speciationexplain
Apply Concepts Explain how the vegetarian tree finch. Which feeds on fruit might have evolved
17.4
1 Review What is a molecular clock
Explain Why do molecular clocks use mutations that have no effect on phenotype
2 Relate Cause and Effect Why is gene duplication important in evolution
3 Infer In evolution, why have small changes in Hox genes had a great impact
Ch 18 Classification
18.1
1 Review Identify two goals of systematics
Explain Why do the common names of organisms like daisy or mountain lion often cause problems for
scientists
Infer What characteristics could systematists use to put organisms in a group
2 Review What is bionomial nomenclature
Explain What is a genus
3 Unity and Diversity Which category has more biological meaning: all brown birds or all birds
descended from a hawklike ancestor- why
18.2
1 Apply Concepts To an evolutionary taxonomist, what determines whether two species are in the same
genius
2 Explain What is a derived character
3 Review How do taxonomist use the DNA sequences of species to determine how closely two species
are related
Relate Cause and Effect Explain why the classification of American vultures has changed
18.3
1. Interpret Tables Which domains have unbranched lipids in their cell membranes
2. Interpret Tables Which domain has just one type of RNA polymerase
3. Analyze Data On the basis of this table, how are archaea different from bacteria
Ch 19 History of Life
19.1
1. Relate Cause and Effect Why have so few organisms become fossilized
2. Draw Conclusions Many more fossils have been found since Darwin’s day, closing many fossil
gaps. How would this information make relative dating more accurate
3. Review Describe three processes that have affected life on Earth
19.2
1. Compare and Contrast How is mass extinction different from background extinction
2. Relate Cause and Effect Why would evolution speed up when a small group of organisms
migrates to a new environment
3. Relate Cause and Effect Why does adaptive radiation sometimes result in convergent evolution
4. Infer What role does the environment play in convergent evolution
19.3
1 Explain What does Miller and Urey’s experiment tell us about the organic compounds needed for life
Predict You just read that life arose from nonlife billions of years ago. Could life arise from nonlife
today- why
2 Review What does the endosymbiontic theory propose
Explain According to this theory how did mitochondria evolve