SBI3UIName: ______

Evolution Review Questions

Answer the following questions in full sentences in your notes

to help youprepare for your Evolution Unit Test on Wed. Mar. 4.

  1. Explain how the fossil record is evidence that not all life forms came into existence at the same time.
  2. How did Lyell’s observations about changes in Earth’s geological features inspire naturalists’ ideas about changes in life forms on Earth?
  3. How might Lamarck have explained an elephant’s long trunk?
  4. An athlete breaks her leg. Years later she has a child who walks with a limp. Is this evolution? Explain.
  5. How is the work of Malthus related to the concept of survival of the fittest?
  6. A scientist finds a rare fossil – a whale with hind legs. Explain how this finding is evidence for evolution.
  7. The island of Madagascar is thought to have split from East Africa about 150 million years ago. Discuss the types of organisms you would expect to find on this island. Explain your reasoning.
  8. Describe how comparing the anatomy of animals is used to support the theory of evolution by natural selection.
  9. What kinds of structures are the arm of a human and the forelimb of a horse?
  10. Explain the difference between analogous and homologous structures.
  11. Are bird wings and bat wings analogous or homologous structures? Explain your answer.
  12. Define vestigial structure and give an example.
  13. Create a concept map to show how different types of scientific evidence support the theory of evolution.
  14. A person tells you that evolution, like the big bang theory, is “just a theory”. Explain to the person what a theory means in a scientific sense and provide four facts that support the theory of evolution.
  15. Baleen whales, such as grey and humpback whales, have teeth and bod hair while they are embryos, but they lack these features as adults. What does this tell you about the evolutionary history of these animals?
  16. Use a diagram such as a flowchart to illustrate the process of evolution by natural selection in a giraffe population competing for leaves in the high canopy of trees.
  17. Define the terms genetic drift and gene flow.
  18. How do mutations affect genetic variation?
  19. Describe stabilizing, directional and disruptive selection. Give an example of each.
  20. Compare and contrast the founder effect and the bottleneck effect.
  21. Use the following table to compare the different reproductive isolating mechanisms. Give your table a descriptive title.

Type of Isolating Mechanism / Description / Example
  1. Describe the difference between sympatric and allopatric speciation.
  2. Describe the two models of evolution:
  3. Gradualism
  4. Punctuated Equilibrium