STUDY GUIDE
EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY
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What is evolution?

What are the five forms of evidence for evolution? Be able to name and describe each and give
examples.

How are fossils formed? What are some different types?

What is the law of superposition?

What is biogeography?

How did Larmack explain evolution? Why was this not correct?

How did Darwin develop his explanation of evolution?

What is Natural Selection? Explain and provide an example.

What is the difference between a homologous and analogous structure? Which is the result of
convergent evolution?

There are three patterns of evolution. Be able to define and explain each.

Natural Selection is ONE mechanism of evolution. Be able to name, define, explain and give
examples of the other mechanisms (mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, and non random mating)
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
What are the three types of natural selection? Be able to recognize the patterns on a graph and
explains what happens in each.

What is a species?

What are two ways species are formed?

What is the difference between gradualism and punctuated equilibrium?

Who do we associate with taxonomy?

What is taxonomy?

What are the levels of taxonomic classification? Know in order from most to least inclusive and
least to most inclusive.

What is binomial nomenclature? What is our species name in binomial nomenclature?

What are the six kingdoms? Be able to provide cell type, number of cells and nutrition for each.

What is the three-domain system? What evidence do we have for this system? What does it say
about bacteria?
ECOLOGY

What is ecology? Why is it important to study ecology?

What are the levels of organization from organism to biosphere? Define and give examples of
each.

What are biotic and abiotic factors?

What is a niche and how does it differ from a habitat?

What is the difference between a fundamental and realized niche?
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
What is a population?

Be able to explain the three properties of populations (population size, population density and
dispersion)

Be able to explain and give examples for the three types of dispersion.

Understand how birth rates + immigration will increase a population and death rate and
emigration will decrease a population.

What is an age structure? Why is America’s different from some areas in Southeast Asia?

What is the difference between the three types of survivorship curves?

Compare and contrast the logistic and exponential model of growth in a population.

Compare and contrast density dependent and density independent factors.

What is a community?

Be able to name, describe and give examples for the five types of species interactions (predation,
competition, parasitism, mutualism and commensalism)

What is the difference between predation and parasitism?

What are some traits that predators and prey have developed through natural selection?

What is the significance of mimicry?

What is the difference between species richness and species diversity?
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
What is succession? What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?

What is an ecosystem?

Energy flows through an ecosystem. What does this mean?

What are producers? How are they related to productivity of an ecosystem?

Why is only some energy used as biomass and available for the next trophic level?

What are consumers? What are the different types of consumers?

What are the different trophic levels? Who is on each level? Why are there usually only 4 or so
levels?

What is the difference between a food chain and a food web? Be able to read and interpret.

How much energy is transferred between trophic levels? Why?

Be able to summarize the water cycle, carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle.

Be familiar with the seven terrestrial biomes.
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