th
Campbell 7 - Chapter 23 - The Evolution of Populations
Note: This chapter is a very important one in understanding how evolution occurs. It
explains the genetic processes that explain how populations change. It is a high
terminology chapter with a number of short topics. The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium is
important for AP students as one of the labs is based on this theorem.
1. What is the modern synthesis of evolution?
2. State the difference between a population and a species.
3. State the difference between the terms gene pool and genetic structure.
4. Write the Hardy-Weinberg equation and explain how it can used. (The Hardy-Weinberg
worksheet will give you the information to understand this question)
5. What is Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
6. Explain each of the five conditions which must be met for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to be
maintained? (These are important)
7. Define microevolution.
8. Explain both the bottleneck effect and the founder effect and how they contribute to genetic
drift.
9. What is gene flow?
10. What is geographic variation?
11. Define Darwinian fitness and relative fitness.
12. Identify the fallacy in referring to natural selection as "survival of the fittest," and why we
should, instead, refer to Darwinian fitness or relative fitness.
13. Does selection act on an organism's genotype or phenotype?
14. Explain stabilizing, directional, and diversifying selection and give an example of
conditions under which each might occur. (Important to understand the types of
selection)
15. Explain how the following preserve genetic variation in a population: diploidy, balancing
selection, heterozygote advantage, frequency dependent selection and neutral variation.
16. What is sexual selection? What is its effect on microevolution? Do humans practice
sexual selection?
17. Explain the error in thinking of evolution as fashioning "perfect" organisms. What
determines whether a trait will increase or decrease in a population?
Adapted From: KVHS Biology - Kevin Gallant
Rothesay, N.B.
The Big Picture – Putting the Pieces Together and Making Connections
• One may be asked to explain natural selection with a concentration on adaptation.
This would draw DNA, meiosis, mutational change into the picture leading to
population change and speciation. Explaining the causes of mutation, adaptation
and how the mutations can spread through a population and create change is an
important concept to understand
• This could also be tied into ecology showing how migratory changes cause
disruption of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium leading to population change. This
couls all be brought on by a change in environmental conditions ie – greenhouse
effect on plant populations.
***Please note the above big picture points are not made to make you study more. You
just have to take what you have learned and make the connections!!
Adapted From: KVHS Biology - Kevin Gallant
Rothesay, N.B.