Name _____________________
BIOLOGY
Ch 13 – How Populations Evolve
Study Guide
Charles Darwin was not the first person to ponder the origin of species. Match each of the following with his
place in unraveling the history of life. Don’t focus on dates, but rather on how ideas about the origin and
history of life have changed over the centuries.
A. Darwin
_____ 1. Believed in gradual geological change, the earth was constantly
changing
B. Lyell
_____ 2. Conceived a theory of evolution almost identical to Darwin’s
C. Wallace
_____ 3. Believed that all organisms produce more offspring than the
environment can support
D. Malthus
_____ 4. Wrote The Origin of Species, explaining “descent with
modification
In addition to fossils, there are other kinds of evidence for evolution besides fossils. Name the category of
evidence to which each of the following examples belongs: fossils, comparative anatomy (homologous &
vestigial structures), comparative embryology (embryos), biogeography, & molecular biology (DNA &
proteins).
_________________________ 5. Fertilized eggs of earthworms, insects, and snails all go through the same
pattern of cell division.
_________________________ 6. The genes of humans and chimpanzees are about 99% identical.
_________________________ 7. Remains of upright-walking but small-brained apes have been found in
Africa.
_________________________ 8. All animals with backbones have 12 pairs of nerves extending from the
brain.
_________________________ 9. A protein called albumin is very similar in dogs and wolves, less similar in
dogs and cats.
_________________________ 10. The farther an island is from the mainland, the more different its plants and
animals are.
_________________________ 11. Animals called trilobites were common in the oceans 300 million years
ago, but they have been extinct for millions of years.
Multiple Choice
12. During his voyage around the world, Charles Darwin was inspired to think about evolution by
A. Books that he read
B. fossils he collected
C. studying adaptations of organisms to their environment
D. unique organisms he saw in the Galapagos Islands
E. all of the above
13. Breeding of plants and animals by humans is called
A. Natural selection
B. sexual recombination
D. artificial selection
E. neutral variation
14. The smallest unit that can evolve is a
A. Species
B. genotype
C. gene
D. population
C. founder effect
E. morph
15. In evolutionary terms, an organism’s fitness is measured by its
A. Health
B. Contribution to the gene pool of the next generation
C. Mutation rate
D. Genetic variability
E. Stability in the face of environmental change
16. Organisms that possess homologous structures probably
A. are headed for extinction
B. evolved from the same ancestor
C. have increased genetic diversity
D. by chance had similar mutations in the past
E. are not related
17. Darwin
A. was the first person to conceive that organisms could change over time
B. believed that organisms could pass on acquired changes to offspring
C. was eager to publish his theory so that he could get all the credit
D. worked out the mechanism of evolution – natural selection
E. was the first to realize that fossils are remains of ancient organisms
18. In a population of bears, which would be considered the fittest?
a. The biggest bear
b. The bear having the largest number of mutations
c. the bear that blends in with its environment the best
d. the strongest, fiercest bear
e. the bear that leaves the most descendants
19. Which of the following would result in evolutionary adaptation of a mouse population to its
environment?
a. Half the mice are killed by an avalanche
b. A mutation for spotted fur occurs
c. Several mice leave the area and mate with individuals elsewhere
d. Mice with thicker fur best survive a cold winter
e. Mice are most likely to mate with close neighbors
20. We know a lot about fossil crabs, snails, and corals, but not much about ancient seaweeds. Why do you
suppose this is the case?
a. There were no seaweeds in ancient oceans
b. Seaweeds were too soft to fossilize well
c. Animal life was much more abundant than seaweeds in ancient times
d. Plants moved onto land, leaving only animals in the sea
e. A mass extinction wiped out the seaweeds, but animals survived
21. A zoologist found that in the population of frogs in MacGregor’s pond, half the genes for skin color in the
gene pool were alleles for green spots, and half the genes were alleles for brown spots. Which of the
following could cause these proportions to change?
a. A drought shrinks the pond so that only five frogs remain
b. Females prefer to mate with brown-spotted males
c. Green-spotted frogs can hide more easily among the pond weeds
d. Filling in a nearby pond causes those frogs to move to MacGregor’s pond.
e. Any of the above changes could cause the proportions to change.
22. On the Galapagos Islands, Darwin saw that the plants & animals closely resembled those of
a. islands off the coast of N. America
b. coast of S. America
c. islands off the coast of Africa
d. coast of S. Africa
23. Which of the following is a factor in natural selection?
a. individuals of a species compete with one another to survive
b. all species are genetically diverse
c. individuals better able to adapt to changes leave more offspring
d. all of the above
24. When the individuals of two populations can no longer interbreed, the two populations are considered to be
a. different families
b. different species
c. the same species
d. unrelated
25. The fossil record provides evidence that
a. older species gave rise to more-recent species
b. all species were formed during Earth’s formation and have changed little since then
c. the fossilized species have no connection to today’s species
d. fossils cannot be dated
26. Individuals that are better able to cope with the challenges of their environment tend to
a. decrease in population over time
b. leave more offspring than those more suited to the environment
c. leave fewer offspring that those less suited to the environment
d. leave more offspring than those less suited to the environment
27. A vestigial structure is one that is
a. similar to structure in other species
b. reduced in size and useless
c. an embryological structure
d. a characteristic of vertebrates
True or False
28. Some individuals of a population or species are better suited to survive and to have more offspring.
29. Darwin proposed a mechanism explaining how evolution occurs.
30. The change in species over time is referred to as evolution.
31. Darwin learned that the plants and animals of Galápagos Islands and nearby South America resembled each
other.
32. Modern whales evolved from four-legged land animals.
33. Scientists have discovered fossils for all species that have ever lived.
34. Fossils form when organisms are rapidly buried in fine sediment.
Complete each statement by circling the correct term or phrase in the brackets.
35 . Traits of individuals best suited to survive will become [more / less] common in each
new generation.
36.[Genes / Natural selection] is (are) responsible for inherited traits.
37. [Natural selection / Genes] cause(s) the frequency of certain alleles in a population to
vary over time.
38. [Isolation / Extinction] is the condition in which two populations of the same species
cannot breed with one another.
39. Generally, when the individuals of two related populations can no longer breed with one
another, the two populations are considered to be different [organisms / species].
In the space provided, explain how the terms in each pair differ
in meaning.
40.population, species
41.adaptation, natural selection
TER
Short Answer
42. An agricultural plot of land is sprayed with a very powerful insecticide to destroy harmful insects.
Nevertheless, many of the same species of insects are present on the land the following year. How might the
theory of evolution account for this phenomenon?