Evolution Study Guides

Early Ideas About Evolution

Vocabulary: Evolution, Fossil, Gradualism, Species, Catastrophism, Uniformitarianism

In a phrase, tell what each scientist did to help develop evolutionary theory.

Scientist / Contribution
1. Linnaeus
2. Buffon
3. E. Darwin
4. Lamarck

5. What two conditions must be true for a group of animals to be considered the same species?

6. Lamarck’s theories of evolution are known as the inheritance of acquired characteristics. What was incorrect about his theory of how organisms evolve?

7. In the 1700’s, many people believed that species were fixed and did not change. How did plant hybridization help change this view?

8. Write a description of each theory in the space provided.

Geologic Theory / Description
Catastrophism
Gradualism
Uniformitarianism

9. What word refers to traces of an organism that existed in the past?

10. What is the process of biological change by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors?

11. Events such as volcanoes, floods and earthquakes are the basis of what geologic theory?

Match the scientist to his theory.

12. Charles Darwin’s poetic grandfather.A. Linnaeus

13. Thought that a giraffe’s long neck evolved fromB. Lamarck

reaching high in trees.

14. Grouped living organisms into categories basedC. Buffon

on what they looked like.

15. Wrote Histoire Naurelle in 1749D. E. Darwin

Darwin’s Observations

Vocabulary: Variation, Adaptation

1. What is variation among members of different species called?

2. What is variation among members of the SAME species called?

3. What island chain in South America was the source of many of Darwin’s insights?

4. Darwin saw populations of various species that seems well-suited to their environment. What did this suggest?

5. Darwin observed fossils of huge animals such as Glyptodon, a giant armadillo. Why were these fossils of interest?

6. How did fossil organisms Darwin saw lead him to think the Earth was much older than 6000 years (as many though)?

For each statement choose if it describes: Variation or Adaptation

7. the difference in the physical traits of an individual from those of other individuals in the group to which it belongs.

8. a feature that allows an organism to better survive in its environment.

9. A tortoise population lives in an area with high grass. These tortoises have longer necks than tortoises that live in other areas.

10. One bird in a population has a slightly thicker beak than its relatives.

Theory of Natural Selection

Vocabulary: Artificial Selection, Natural Selection, Fitness, Heritability, Population

1. Why did artificial selection interest Darwin?

2. Why must selected traits be heritable?

3. In natural selection, what must be true of traits that are passed down through generations?

4. What important idea from Thomas Malthus inspired Darwin?

Matching

5. producing many offspring, some who may not survivea. variation

6. individual differences that may be heritable.b. overproduction

7. a structure well suited for the environmentc. adaptation

8. a heritable trait becoming common in a populationd. descent with modification

Use an organism of your choice to sketch the four principles of natural selection.

9. Overproduction / 10. Variation
11. Adaptation / 12. Descent with Modification

13. Humans are the selective agent in which type of process, artificial selection or natural selection?

14. The environment is the selective agent in which of type of process, artificial selection or natural selection?

15. What is the measure of the ability to survive and produce more offspring relative to other members of the population called?

16. What is the ability of a trait to be passed down from one generation to the next called?

17. What are all the individuals of a species that live in an area called?

Evidence of Evolution

Vocabulary: Biogeography, Homologous Structures, Analogous Structures, Vestigial Structures

Give examples of each type of evidence for evolution.

1. Fossils:

2: Geography:

3. Embryology:

4. Anatomy:

5. Vestigial structures seem to lack any useful function, or are at least no long used for their original purpose. Give 3 examples of vestigial structures.

6. Many modern whale species have vestigial pelvic and leg bones. What does this suggest about the ancestry of modern whales?

Read each statement. Decide if it represents a: homologous structure, analogous structure or vestigial structure.

7. Feature that is similar in structure in different organisms, but has different functions.

8. Feature that performs a similar function in different organisms but is NOT similar in origin.

9. Is NOT evidence of a common ancestor.

10. Remnant of an organ or structure that had a function in an early ancestor.

11. Ex: wing of a bat and human hand.

12. Ex: wing of a bird and wing of an insect.

13. Ex: wing of an ostrich and hip bones on whales.

Evolutionary Biology Today

Vocabulary: paleontology

1. What are two reasons that the fossil record is NOT complete?

2. What is one example of a transitional fossil that has been found?

3. Why are transitional fossils important?

In a phrase, explain how each of the following contributes to evolutionary theory.

Molecular Evidence / Contribution
4. DNA sequence analysis
5. Protein comparisons

6. What two things combine to make up our modern evolutionary theory?

7. How has molecular evidence helped support fossil evidence in determining the early ancestor of modern-day whales?

8. What is meant by the phrase “Evolution unites all fields of Biology”?

9. How does paleontology contribute to evolutionary biology?

Principles of Evolution Vocabulary Practice

EvolutionSpeciesfossilcatastrophismgradualismuniformitarianism

Variationadaptationartificial selectionheritabilitynatural selectionpopulation

Fitnessbiogeographyhomologous structureanalogous structurevestigial structurepaleontology

Stepped-Out Vocabulary: Determine the vocabulary word that fits best, define each word, or write two additional facts that are related to the word in the spaces below.

Word / Definition / More Information
Ex: Fossil / Traces of an organism that existed in the past. / Different types of fossils.
Allow scientists to study evolution.
  1. Variation
/ Can occur among members of different species.
Can occur among members of the same species.
Features that are similar in structure but appear in different organisms and have different functions.
  1. Analogous Structures

Evidence for common descent.
Ex: pelvic bones on snakes and whales.

Compound Word Puzzle. Read the phrase and write the word that it most closely describes. Then write another phrase that describes the same word in a different way.

Phrase 1 / Word / Phrase 2
Ex: Process of biological change over time. / Evolution / Process by which descendents come to differ from their ancestors.
  1. Can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

  1. Beneficial Feature

  1. The environment is the selective agent.

  1. All the individuals of a species that live in an area.

Do-It Yourself Matching. In random order create a matching activity for the words below.

  1. Evolutiona.
  2. Fitnessb.
  3. Catastrophismc.
  4. Gradualismd.
  5. Uniformitarianisme.
  6. Artificial selectionf.
  7. Natural selectiong.
  8. Paleontologyh.
  9. Biogeographyi.
  10. Heritabilityj.

Find the Odd Word. Circle the word that does NOT belong and explain why.

  1. FossilFitnessPaleontologyExplanation:
  2. Artificial SelectionHeritabilityBiogeographyExplanation:
  3. CatastrophismGradualismUniformitarianismExplanation:
  4. HomologousAnalogousVestigialExplanation:
  5. VariationAdaptationVestigial structureExplanation:
  6. EvolutionNatural SelectionCatastrophismExplanation:

Genetic Variation with Populations Study Guide

Vocabulary: Gene Pool, Allele Frequency

1. What kind of variation must exist in a population that has a wide range of phenotypes?

2. How can a wide range of phenotypes increase the chance that some individuals will survive in a changing environment?

In a phrase, describe how each term provides a source of genetic variation.

Source / Variation
3. Mutation
4. Recombination
5. Hybridization

6. How is a gene pool like a “pool of genes”?

7. What does an allele frequency measure?

Natural Selection in Populations Study Guide

Vocabulary: Normal distribution, Microevolution, Directional Selection, Stabilizing selection, disruptive selection.

1. What is a phenotypic distribution?

2. What can you learn from looking at a phenotypic distribution?

3. In a population that is NOT undergoing natural selection for a certain trait, what does the phenotype distribution look like?

4. Draw a Normal distribution curve.

In the table, take notes on the three patterns of natural selection.

Type of Selection / How it Works / Graph
5. Directional selection
6. Stabilizing selection
7. Disruptive selection

8. The observable change in over time is called microevolution.

Other Mechanisms of Evolution Study Guide

Vocabulary: Gene Flow, Genetic Drift, Bottleneck Effect, Founder Effect, Sexual Selection

1. When an individual from its population, its alleles are no longer part of that population’s gene pool.

2. When an individual into a new population, the genetic diversity of the new population increases.

3. Gene flow among neighboring populations helps to keep the of these populations similar.

4. How is genetic drift different from natural selection?

5. Compare and contrast bottleneck effect and the founder effect.

6. Why is genetic drift more likely to occur in smaller populations?

7. What are some problems that can result from genetic drift?

8. Why is the cost of reproduction different for males and females?

9. What is sexual selection?

10. selection involves fighting among males for a female, whereas selection involves males displaying traits to impress females.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Study Guide

Vocabulary: Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

1. What variable remains constant, or in equilibrium, in the Hardy-Weinberg model?

2. Name the five conditions that MUST be met in order to reach Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium.

3. In what types of systems can the Hardy-Weinberg equation be used?

4. What can be concluded if the real genetic data do not match the frequencies predicted by the equation?

5. Take notes about these five factors on the table below.

Factor / How It Can Lead to Evolution
Genetic drift
Gene flow
Mutation
Sexual Selection
Natural Selection

Speciation through Isolation Study Guide

Vocabulary: Reproductive Isolation, Speciation, Behavioral Isolation, Geographic Isolation, Temporal Isolation

Fill in the term from below that best completes each statement.

Speciationgene flowspeciesgene poolsenvironments

Mutationmategenetic drift

1. Two populations are said to be isolated is there is no longer any between them

2. Over generations, the of isolated populations may become more and more different.

3. Isolated populations may become genetically different as the adapt to new , or through random processes such as mutation and .

4. When members of two isolated populations can no longer successfully, the populations are said to be reproductively isolated.

5. Reproductive isolation is the final step of which is the rise of new .

6. The experiment illustrated in Figure 11.12 show how just one can provide enough genetic difference to result in reproductive isolation.

7. Name the three types of barriers that can isolate populations.

8. In the chart below, take notes about the three ways in which populations can become isolated, leading to reproductive isolation.

Type of Isolation / How it works. / Ex:
Behavioral isolation
Geographic isolation
Temporal isolation

9. What is speciation?

10. Which type of isolation involves factors of time?

11. Which type of isolation can involve mating or courtship rituals?

12. Which type of isolation can involve physical barriers?

Patterns in Evolution Study Guide

Vocabulary: Convergent evolution, divergent evolution, coevolution, extinction, punctuated equilibrium, adaptive radiation.

Fill in the Main idea in the center of the web below. Then take notes based on the phrases in the surrounding boxes.

In the table below, take notes about two ways in which species can evolve.

Type of Coevolution / How it Works / Example
6. Beneficial relationship.
  1. Evolutionary Arms race

In the table below, take notes about background and mass extinctions.

Type of Extinction / Possible Causes / Outcome
  1. Background extinction.

  1. Mass Extinction

  1. The theory of punctuated equilibrium states that relatively brief episodes of are followed by long periods of relatively little evolutionary .
  2. Adaptive radiation is a process in which one ancestral species diversifies into many species.
  3. Adaptive radiation occurred after the extinction of the dinosaurs, because they left a wide range of into which mammals could diversify.
  4. Converge means “to come together” and diverge means “to branch out”. How do these meaning apply to the terms convergent and divergent evolution?
  5. The prefix co- means “together”. How does this meaning apply to the term coevolution?
  6. Punctuate means “to interrupt periodically”. How does this meaning apply to the term punctuated equilibrium?

Vocabulary Practice

Gene poolallele frequencynormal distributionmicroevolutiondirectional selection

Stabilizing selectiondisruptive selectiongene flowgenetic driftbottleneck effectfounder effect

Sexual selection Hardy-Weinberg Equilibriumreproductive isolationspeciationbehavioral isolation

Geographic isolationtemporal isolationconvergent evolutiondivergent evolutioncoevolution

Extinctionpunctuated equilibriumadaptive radiation

Who am I?

  1. I separate populations with factors of time, such as when one population reproduces in the spring and another reproduces in the summer.
  2. I look like a bell-shaped curve, having the highest frequency in the middle.
  3. I separate populations with physical barriers so that members of each population no longer have contact with each other.
  4. I occur when there are NO changes in allele frequencies for a certain trait from generation to generation; I rarely occur in real populations.
  5. I am a pattern of evolution that is seen in the fossil record. I consist of short periods with lots of evolutionary activity, followed by long periods with much less activity.
  6. I separate populations with different courtship or mating rituals.

Word Origins. Use the Greek and Latin meanings to construct a very basic definition of each vocabulary word.

Co- Togethermicro- small

Diverge- to go in different directions from a common pointconverge- to come together from different directions

  1. Coevolution:
  2. Convergent Evolution:
  3. Divergent Evolution:
  4. Microevolution:

Choose the Correct Word.

Distribution Curves

  1. Occurs when natural selection selects for individuals with the intermediate phenotype.
  2. Occurs when natural selection is NOT acting on a population for a certain trait.
  3. Occurs when natural selection selects for individual with ONE extreme phenotype.
  4. Occurs when natural selection selects for individuals with BOTH extreme phenotypes.

Isolation

  1. Species from two populations are separated by physical barriers.
  2. Species from two populations can no longer mate successfully for any reason.
  3. Species from two populations are separated due to differences in courtship or mating rituals.
  4. Species from two populations are separated due to differences in the timing of their reproduction.

Evolution

  1. Process in which two species evolve in response to changes in each other, over many generations.
  2. Process in which unrelated species evolve similar traits while adapting to similar environments.
  3. Process in which closely related species become more and more different as they adapt to different environments.
  4. Process which can occur over a few generations, in which a population’s allele frequencies change in any way.

Analogies. Read each analogy. Decide which term it is most like.

  1. Long, flat surfaces, interrupted by steep steps.
  2. Including only two people in a survey of a large community, and not getting representative results.
  3. Medium clothing sizes being the most common in a department store.
  4. A radio station that goes off air.
  5. Many colleges sharing and exchanging research ideas with each other.
  6. How often a certain letter-number combination is called during bingo.
  7. A phone book that contains all of the phone numbers of everyone in the city.
  8. Sound-proof glass that prevents people from hearing each other.

The Fossil Record Study Guide

Vocabulary: Relative dating, Radiometric Dating, Isotope, Half-life

In the spaces provided, write a brief description of how each type of fossil forms.

Type of Fossil / Fossil Formation
  1. Amber preserved fossil

  1. Natural Cast

  1. Trace Fossil

  1. Permineralized Fossil

  1. Preserved Remains

  1. What is the main purpose of both relative dating and radiometric dating?
  2. What is the main difference between relative dating and radiometric dating?
  3. How is the radioactive decay of an element used to determine the age of a rock layer?
  4. Measures the actual age of a fossil:
  5. Most elements have several of these:
  6. Measure of the release of radiation:
  7. Infers order in which groups of organisms existed:

The Geologic Time Scale Study Guide

Vocabulary: index fossil, geologic time scale, era, period, epoch

  1. How are index fossils used to determine the age of fossils or rock layers?
  2. What four characteristics are best for an index fossil to have?

Fill in the following classification tree:

Fill in the blanks using Era, Period, or Epoch. Terms can be used more than once.

12. The smallest unit of geologic time.

13. Associated with rock systems.

14. Consists of two or more periods.

15. Lasts tens to hundreds of millions of years.

16. Lasts several million years.

17. Lasts tens of millions of years.

18. Most commonly used units of geologic time.

19. Examples include the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.

20. Examples include the Cambrian, Jurassic, and Quaternary.

21. The longest unit of geologic time.

22. How is the geologic time scale a representation of the history of Earth?

Origin of Life Study Guide

Vocabulary: nebula, ribozyme

  1. Most scientists agree on two points about Earth’s origins. What are they?

In the columns on the left labeled “hypothesis”, write the hypothesis from the readings about how life began on Earth. In the column labeled “Proof,” list the evidence that supports the hypothesis.

Hypothesis / Proof
  1. Organic Molecule
/ Hypothesis
Demonstrated organic compounds could be made by passing electrical current (to simulate lightning) through a closed system that held a mixture of gases (to simulate the early atmosphere)
  1. Meteorite Hypothesis

  1. Early cell structure
/ Hypothesis
Simulated in the lab, making a chimney structure with compartments that could have acted as the first cell membranes.
  1. Lipid Membrane Hypothesis

  1. RNA as Early
/ Genetic Material
  1. RNA world Hypothesis

  1. A cloud of gas and dust in space:
  2. An RNA molecule that can catalyze specific chemical reactions:

Early Single-celled organisms Study Guide