AP Biology Evolution Review Questions

Chapter 22

  1. What is taxonomy?
  2. Describe the contributions of the following the field of evolution: Linnaeus, Lamarck, Malthus, Cuvier, Lyell, Darwin, and Wallace.
  3. What are fossils? What type of rock are they typically found in?
  4. Differentiate between catastrophism, gradualism, and uniformitarianism.
  5. Briefly describe how Darwn came to the conclusions that he did about descent with modification and natural selection.
  6. What is natural selection?
  7. Define artificial selection.
  8. What is homology?
  9. Give an example of a vestigial structure.
  10. Describe how biogeography contributes to the theories of evolution.

Chapter 23

  1. What is the difference between microevolution and macroevolution?
  2. What is a population?
  3. Know how to do Hardy-Weinberg problems! Memorize the equations…
  4. What are the 5 conditions necessary for a population to be at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
  5. What is genetic drift? How can it be caused?
  6. Describe the effects that the following can have on a population: mutations, genetic drift, natural selection.
  7. What is the bottleneck effect?
  8. Describe what the founder effect is.
  9. What is polymorphism?
  10. Differentiate between directional, disruptive, and stabilizing selection.
  11. What is a heterozygote advantage? Give an example.
  12. Describe what occurs in sexual selection.
  13. Give an example of sexual dimorphism.
  14. What is speciation?

Chapter 24

  1. Explain the biological species concept.
  2. Describe the 8 things that serve as reproductive barriers.
  3. Differentiate between allopatric and sympatric speciation.
  4. Describe how autopolyploidy can cause sympatric speciation in plants.
  5. What are the indicators of adaptive radiation?
  6. Describe what heterochrony is and how it is related to allometric growth.
  7. What is phaedomorphosis? How does this provide evidence of speciation?

Chapter 25

  1. Describe the contributions of the following scientists pertaining to the origin of life on Earth: Pasteur, Oparin and Haldane, Miller and Urey
  2. Describe 3 different hypotheses that attempt to explain how organic compounds first appeared on Earth.
  3. What is a protobiont?
  4. Explain the role of RNA in abiotic coacervates.
  5. Describe how RNA is related to the first cases of natural selection.
  6. Describe how scientists use radiometric dating to determine the age of fossils.
  7. How is magnetism related to the dating of rock layers?
  8. Know the eras and periods of the geologic record and a major occurrence that occurred in each period.
  9. What are stromatolites?
  10. Describe the processes that occurred in the first prokaryotes that are vital to the function of all cell types that exist today.
  11. Explain the process of endosymbiosis and the significance of it.
  12. How did colonial prokaryotes contribute to the evolution of multicellular organisms?
  13. Describe what Pangaea is and the evidence that supports its existence.
  14. Explain the differences between the 5-kingdom system, the 6-kingdom system, and the 3-domain system.