Evolution Unit
California Standards 7a-d, 8a-e
Review Guide
History of the Earth (8e)
1. What is a fossil?
2. What is the fossil record?
3.
What is macroevolution? Give an example.
4.
What is microevolution?
5.
What are the four Geologic Eras (in order oldest – recent)?
6.
Which era was the longest?
7.
Which era are we currently in?
8.
Label the eras to the right.
9.
What is a mass extinction?
10. Why did life continue to exist on Earth after each mass extinction?
11. Is there more or less diversity before a mass extinction?
Natural Selection (8a)
12. Define natural selection:
13. What happens to organisms that are NOT well suited to their environments?
14. What are the 3 parts of Natural Selection.
15. What does “survival of the fittest” mean?
16. Give one example of how natural selection occurs?
Diversity of Species (7c, 7d, 8b)
17. Define Species:
18. Define Diversity:
19. Populations with (more or less)
diversity are more likely to survive.
20. Does asexual reproduction increase or decrease diversity?
21. What is a mutation?
22. How often do mutations occur?
23. Are mutations always harmful? Do they always have some effect?
24. Do mutations increase or decrease diversity/variation in a population?
25. Which group in the diagram to the right has the most biodiversity
Cretaceous period? What about the Quaternary Period?
26. Which of the ponds below has more diversity?
higher chance of survival?
Pond A contains 100 organisms - 30 algae, 15
frogs, 10 cattails, 5 ducks, 5 geese, 20 guppies,
13 bass, and 2 alligators.
Pond B
Pond A
Pond B contains 100 organisms – 50 algae, 25
geese, 20 bass, and 5 alligators.
during the
Which has a
Genetics and Natural Selection (7a, 7b)
27. Does natural selection work directly on phenotypes or genotypes of an individual?
28. The combined genetic information of all members of a population is called the
.
29. Explain why lethal alleles such as sickle-shaped blood cells continue to show up in the gene pool?
30. Why don’t carriers of these alleles get eliminated through natural selection?
31. In England after the industrial revolution, dark moths had an advantage over light moths. If dark color in moths is
dominant (D) why did light moths (dd) continue to reappear?
Genetic Drift (8c)
32. In genetic drift, changes in allele (gene) frequencies change due to
33. Genetic drift occurs in population that are
.
in size.
34. What is the bottleneck effect?
35. Give an example of a situation that could cause the bottleneck effect?
36. The type of genetic drift that follows colonization of a new habitat by a small group of individuals is called
.
37. The Amish people having an unusually high occurrence of six fingers are an example of
.
38. Label and explain the 3 graphs below.
Speciation (8d)
39. Define speciation:
40. Why are horses and donkeys considered to be two different species? (think about the definition of species)
41. Define Reproductive Isolation:
42. What happens when animals are unable to reproduce for long periods of time with another population of the same animal?
43. Define Temporal Isolation:
44. Define Geographic Isolation:
45. What happens two populations of animals are geographically isolated for long periods of time and as a result can no
longer reproduce with each other?