Unit04: Evolution and Biodiversity
Chapter 4: EVOLUTION AND BIODIVERSITY
1. Briefly describe the evolution of life from chemical evolution to the development of eukaryotic cells.
2. Briefly describe the theory of evolution, being sure to include the roles played by variation within the gene pool and natural selection,
extinction, speciation, adaptive radiation, and coevolution.
3. Define natural selection and the three conditions that are necessary for evolution of a population by natural selection.
4. Summarize and address two common misconceptions about evolution.
5. Distinguish between a specialist and a generalist. Evaluate the conditions that favor these two approaches.
6. Define ecological niche. Distinguish between condition and resource; fundamental niche and realized niche.
7. List the factors that determine the realized niche.
8. Define speciation and compare allopatric speciation with sympatric speciation.
9. Indicate which of these mechanisms is more common.
10. Define extinction and distinguish between background extinction and mass extinction. Discuss the role of humans on the rate of
extinction at present.
11. Discuss the pros and cons of artificial selection and genetic engineering. Indicate what it is that has allowed humans to have such a
profound influence on their environment.
Chapter 7: COMMUNITY ECOLOGY
12. Describe the three characteristics that describe a biological community.
13. Distinguish among the following roles played by species and give one example of each: native species, nonnative species, indicator
species, keystone species. Explain why these labels are important.
14. Distinguish among the following species interactions and give one example of each: interspecific competition, predation, and symbiosis.
Distinguish between interference competition and exploitation competition.
15. Summarize the competitive exclusion principle. List two strategies species use to reduce competition.
16. List the three main strategies and three subcategories of how predators capture their prey.
17. List at least five strategies that prey use to defend themselves against predators.
18. Distinguish among three forms of symbiotic relationships and give one example of each: parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism.
19. Define succession. Distinguish between primary and secondary succession.
20. Describe how humans affect communities.
UN QUESTIONS
Biodiversity and Evolution
1. Are there any hotspots of biodiversity?
2. Has any evidence (fossils) of evolution been found? Describe it.
3. What climate conditions have influenced the natural selection in the major biomes?
4. Were there any major extinctions? What were the causes?
5. Describe some unique indicator, keystone, foundation, nonnative, and specialist species.
Biodiversity, Species Interactions, and Population Control
1. Indicate specific examples from your country
a. Interspecific competition
b. Predator and prey
c. Parasite and host
d. Mutualism
e. Commensalism
2. For each of your examples in #1, indicate whether each population lives in populations or clumps.
3. Give two examples of r-selected and k-strategists.
4. Describe some of the succession. Is it primary or secondary? What would be the normal climax community?
5. For the stable ecosystems, is the stability due to inertia (persistence) or resilience? Describe your reasoning.