-1Evolution Part 1 Study Guide
Darwin
1. Who is the naturalist credited for the evolution theory?
2. What is the definition for evolution?
3. What are the two animals that Darwin studied on the Galapagos Islands and what characteristics did he
study?
4. What is the idea that each living species has descended from older species called?
5. Darwin's theory of evolution was based on __________________ __________________ which states that
useful variations for their environment survive & reproduce successfully resulting in evolution of a species.
6. Phenotypes, physical traits, that are favorable and passed onto offspring is associated with what memorable
phrase?
7. How can lethal alleles be passed on through generations?
8. What does natural selection act upon?
9. What determines which variation is considered useful and passed on?
10. What are characteristics called that make individuals different within the same species?
11. Does larger or smaller variations in a species increase the chance of a species survival?
Why?
12. Are mutations good, bad, and/or neither?
13. What is a variation called that helps an organism survive in its environment?
14. How are adaptations chosen and who/what chooses them?
15. What can happen to a species without the right adaptations?
16. What is it called when an organism blends into the surrounding? Give an example.
17. What is it called a species resembles a harmful species in physical appearance or behavior? Give an example.
Causes of Evolution
18. What are the four main causes of evolution?
19. What is the most common cause of offspring variation from sexual reproduction and gamete formation?
20. What is a random change in DNA that can cause evolution? List the 2 main types and define them.
21. What is migration also known as?
22. Genetic drift is a ______________change in allele frequency.
23. Genetic drift affects _____________ and __________________type of populations most.
24. What is a change in allele frequency due to the migration of small subgroups starting new populations?
25. Does the founder effect result in identical populations to the ones they migrated from?
26. Nonrandom mating means that mates are chosen by how ______________they are, which leads to a
______________chance of survival for their offspring.
27. What cause acts on the phenotype?
28. What is it called when there is no change in a population over many generations? Does it occur often?
29. What is the principle that allele frequency will remain the same unless 1 or more factors change.
30. To achieve genetic equilibrium:
NoNoNoYesYes31. What is all of the alleles in a population called?
32. What does stabilizing selection favor? Draw a diagram.
33. What does stabilizing selection reduce?
34. What does directional selection favor? Draw a diagram.
35. Directional selection can lead to what?
36. What does disruptive selection favor? Draw a diagram.
-237. Disruptive selection can lead to what?
Evidence
38. What are the 5 main types of proof used for evolution?
39. What shows the accumulation of information that shows the pattern of change amongst past living things?
40. What are remains of earlier life called?
41. What type of rock are most fossils in?
42. What are the 5 main types of fossils?
43. What are the 3 main things that fossil records can prove? Briefly describe each
44. What are the 2 main types of fossil dating? Briefly describe each.
45. How do you figure the half life?
46. What type of evidence shows similar patterns of an organisms' parts (though may have different functions)
indicating that they have recent common ancestors. Give an example
47. What type of evidence is that an organism has a part that has no current function, but was functional to
their ancestors? Give an example.
48. What type of evidence shows similarities of the earliest stages of life? Give an example.
49. What type of evidence shows a close relationship in the cells codes? Give an example.
50. What type of evolution starts as 2 unrelated species that become similar usually because of environment?
Give an example
51. What type of evolution starts as 2 species that evolve in response to each other? Give an example.
52. What type of evolution starts with 1 species that becomes different and creates 2 species, usually due to
differing habitats? Give an example
53 What type of evolution starts with 1 species and evolve into many species? Give an example
Part 2 Evolution Study Guide
Speciation
1. Speciation is when a group of organisms _______________ alike and can _________________ to produce
_____________ offspring.
2. What is needed from a gene pool to form a new species?
3. What is a group that can but rarely interbreeds within a species and varies in characteristics?
4. What are the 3 things that are needed for a new species to be formed?
5. What are the 3 main mechanisms of isolation that lead to new species?
6. What type of isolation is caused by a physical barrier? Give an example.
7. What type of isolation is caused by differing mating signals? Give an example.
8. What type of isolation is caused mating in different seasons? Give an example.
9. What is it called when speciation occurs slowly?
10. What is it called when speciation occurs in bursts with long periods between?
Early Life
11. The theory that the living comes from nonliving is …..
12. The theory that all living things come from other living things?
13. Which theory is the one that modern scientists believe to be true?
14. When was Earth formed?
15. What types of cells were formed first? They were followed by what type of cells .5 billion years later?
16. Using the information above, scientists developed the Endosymbiotic Theory which states……
17. What was missing from primitive Earth’s atmosphere that modern life requires?
18. What is it called that we divide history into significant time periods?
19. What are subdivisions of eras?
20. What is it called when an event cause many things is disappear at the same time? Give 2 examples that could
cause it.
21. What is the change in hereditary features in a species over time?
Hominids Evolution
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What are primates that can walk upright on 2 legs? Give 2 examples.
What are the 4 characteristics of hominids?
What is the ability to walk on 2 legs called?
What are the 2 main benefits of this type of movement?
What is free rotating digit on hand (easily touch other fingers)?
What is the benefit in this type of thumb?
What is it when the dental pattern is in a similar arrangement?
Why are the teeth different?
What was the “Southern Ape” and how long ago did they exist?
Describe them:
Who was the “handy man” and how long ago did they exist?
What were they the 1st to do?
Describe them.
Who was the “upright man” and how long ago did they exist?
What were they the 1st to do?
Describe their lifestyles.
Describe them.
Which hominid lived 200,000-300,000 y.a.?
Were they direct ancestors of the modern human?
What were they the 1st to do?
Describe them.
Which hominids were the 1st to be direct ancestors to modern humans and when did they live?
Describe their lifestyles.
What characteristics are similar to modern humans?
What is the scientific name for modern humans and what does it mean?
Geographic Timeline
47. What are the 4 “ages” and list the corresponding period.
48. List the 5 eras and match them to all their periods.
49. What period and era are we living in?
50. What is the largest era?
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Intro to Ecology (part 1)
What is the study of interactions between organisms and the environment?
Define biotic factor and give 2 examples.
Define abiotic factor and give 2 examples.
What is the area an organism live in called?
What is another word for “role” of an organism? Give 2 examples.
Put the 6 levels of organization in order from smallest to largest and define each.
7. What
8. What
9. What
10.
11.
12.
4 factors can affect an ecosystem?
is the total sum of the variety of organisms in a biosphere called?
4 things can affect the previous answer?
What is the # of various habitats, communities and ecological process in the world?
What is the definition of species diversity?
Define genetic diversity?
Relationships
13.
What are the 2 types of relationships between organisms?
14.
Which one is + for one organism but – because it results in death?
15.
Define symbiosis and list the 3 types.
-416.
What type of symbiosis is a win-win (++) relationship? Give 2 examples.
17.
What type of symbiosis is beneficial for one organism, but doesn’t bother the other (+0)?
Give 2 examples.
18.
What type of symbiosis is harmful (not directly deadly) for one organism and beneficial for
the other (+-)? Give 2 examples.
19.
What does an autotroph make?
20.
What is another word for autotroph and basically who are autotrophs?
21.
What is another word for consumer and where do they get their food?
22.
Heterotrophs that eat:
Only plantsOnly animals
Both animals and plants23.
Animals that feed on dead animal bodies are known as __________________ or
__________________ and two examples are __________________ and
____________________.
24.
What are organisms that break down and absorb nutrients from dead organisms? Give 2
and examples.
Food Chain Food Webs and Energy Pyramids
25.
What shows only one path of energy flow?
26.
What shows ALL possible energy relationships?
27.
Why are food webs more informational than food chains?
28.
What is ALWAYS at the beginning of both food chains and food webs?
29.
What are the most vital parts of the food web?
30.
What are the levels starting with primary?
31.
What are the steps called?
32.
What do arrows show? What don’t they show?
33.
What shows the amount of energy passed on in the food chain?
34.
Comparatively, is more energy stored in the organism or lost as heat?
35.
____% of energy is passed to the next level and ______% is lost to heat and the
environment.
36.
If there is 100 grams of energy at the primary level, approximately, how much is going to
be available at the secondary level?
37.
Where on the pyramid is the energy the MOST plentiful?
Ecology Biomes (part 2)
POPULATIONS
1. What four areas does population size depend on?
2. What shape is exponential growth and what causes it?
3. Draw and describe exponential growth.
4. What is the shape and causes of logistic growth?
5. Draw and describe logistic growth.
6. What is the largest number of organisms of a species the environment can support?
7. What types of factors are considered limiting factors that restrict population growth?
8. What is density?
9. What are the two types of limiting factors?
10. What are the three types of density dependent factors?
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12. What are the three types of density-independent factors?
GLOBAL WARMING
13. In the water cycle, what two methods take water into the atmosphere and briefly describe each.
14. What is it called when water forms clouds?
15What is it called when water falls back to Earth and give 2 examples.
16. What four methods release carbon dioxide/CO2 to the air?
17. What process uses carbon dioxide to make glucose?
18. Organisms use and release carbon dioxide by which process?
19. What 2 important uses is carbon dioxide needed for to help humans?
20. What converts N2 in the soil for plants?
21. When organisms consume plants, what macromolecule does nitrogen help produce?
22. What three factors help return nitrogen to the soil?
23. What breaks N2 down in the soil and returns it to the atmosphere?
24. Amino acids are monomer of which macromolecule that is vital to humans?
25. How much of the atmosphere is nitrogen?
26. What saves/protects natural resources and organisms?
27. How many species are in danger of extinction in the U.S.?
28. An organism that is likely to become endangered in the near future is considered? Give an example
29. An organism that is subject to immediate extinction is considered? Give an example.
30. What is a study over a long period considered?
31. What is an increase in the average temperature on Earth?
32. What is the trapping of heat in the atmosphere? What are 2 implications?
33. Label the water cycle:
condensation
precipitation
runoff
Transpiration
evaporation
seepage
Root uptake
34. Label the carbon cycle:
CO2 in atmosphere
CO2 in Ocean
Respiration
decomposition
Volcanic activity (add the volcano)
***Not all arrows will be labeled.****
photosynthesis
human activity
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BIOME (use textbook pages 99-104 & 106-112)
35. What is a moderate temperature areas called?
36. What is called when a tree sheds its leaves every year during a particular season?
37. List the biomes and their temperatures and seasons.
 -Tropical Rainforest
 -Savanna
 -Desert
 -Temperate Grassland
 -Temperate Forest
 -Taiga/Boreal Forest
 -Tundra
 -Oceans (focus on California coast)
 -Lakes/Freshwater (focus on the Great Lakes)
38. List the general locations of each biome.
 -Tropical Rainforest
 -Savanna
 -Desert
 -Temperate Grassland
 -Temperate Forest
 -Taiga/Boreal Forest
 -Tundra
 -Oceans (focus on California coast)
 -Lakes/Freshwater (focus on the Great Lakes)
39. List the wildlife for each biome.
 -Tropical Rainforest
 -Savanna
 -Desert
 -Temperate Grassland
 -Temperate Forest
 -Taiga/Boreal Forest
 -Tundra
 -Oceans (focus on California coast)
 -Lakes/Freshwater (focus on the Great Lakes)
40. List the plant life for each biome (if listed)
 -Tropical Rainforest
 -Savanna
 -Desert
 -Temperate Grassland
 -Temperate Forest
 -Taiga/Boreal Forest
 -Tundra
 -Oceans (focus on California coast)
 -Lakes/Freshwater (focus on the Great Lakes)