1.

What is natural selection: the main mechanisms

of evolution, the environment selects which traits
are fit to survive, traits that are best adapted for
the environment survive and the others are selected
against
2.
What are the four points of natural selection:
there is variation, species overreproduce,
competition for resources, natural selection is
always working
3.
Woodlice: longer the animal, faster sprint speed
because more likely to be seen by a predator so
have to be faster
Small woodlice: smaller size hard to catch, tended
to roll because they werent fast enough to get
away.
4.
Hardy-Weinberg equation: p2 +2pq + q2 =1
p= dominant allele
q= recessive allele
p2 = homozygous dominant trait
2pq= heterozygous (dominant) trait
Q2 = homozygous recessive trait
5.
Conditions for hardy-weinberg to be true:
Large population size, random mating, no mutations,
no gene flow, no natural selection
6.
Evolution: gradual change in heritable
characteristics in an entire species over time
7.
Speciation: the process by which new species
develop

8.
Allopatric vs. sympatric speciation: allopatric
speciation involves a population being separated by
a geographic (physical) barrier, the two populations
adapt to the new environment over time, eventually
are separated long enough to be distinct species;
sympatric a small population becomes a new
species without geographic isolation
9.
Evidence for evolution: direct observation,
fossils, homologous structures, analogous
structures, biochemistry (DNA, enzymes), vestigial
structures, comparative embryology
10. Fossils: remains/traces of once living organisms;
found in sedimentary rock in the strata (layers); the
deeper the layer the older the fossil unless
something occurs to disrupt the layers
11. Homologous structure: common ancestry but
could have different function (bat wings, bird wings,
flippers, arms)
12. Analogous structure: not a common ancestor
but derived function (similar function) because the
environment selects for this (bird wings and insect
wings)
13. Vestigial structures: structures that remain with
no obvious function (appendix, whale hip bones,
snake hip bones, the pink thing in the corner of our
eyes -nictitating membrane)
14. Biochemistry: Dna, enzymes
15. Convergent evolution: similar features in
independent evolutionary lineages

16. Adaptive radiation: one branches off and gives

rise to many different species, to fill different
ecological roles in the community
17. Behavioral isolation: behavior separates the
species
18. Divergent evolution: similar species split apart
19. Genetic drift: causes change in allele
frequencies, chance events can cause allele
frequencies to fluctuate unpredictably
20. Gene flow: individuals entering/leaving a
population and can result in changes in allele
frequency, helps to reduce the genetic differences
between populations
21. Founder effect: a type of genetic drift; when a
few members of the population are taken to an
isolated area and the new groups genetic
composition is not reflective of the original
population (severely limits the gene pool) ; the
amish with extra digits
22. Bottleneck: size of the population is drastically
reduced by a natural disaster or human action; the
population is not genetically representative of the
original (cheetahs, bison)
23. Sexual selection: mate chooses its mate;
intrasexual selection is when same sex individuals
compete for the opposite sex; intersexual selection
is when the female chooses
24. Directional Selection: phenotype on end of the
phenotypic range survive (are selected for)

25. Disruptive selection: individuals on both

extremes survive and reproduce more successfully
than those with intermediate phenotypes
26. Stabilizing selection: intermediate phenotypes
survive and reproduce more successfully than the
extreme phenotypes
27. What does it mean to be in hardy weinberg
equilibrium?
Population is not evolving
28. What could it mean if a population is not in hardy
Weinberg equilibrium? We are evolving possibly due
to mutations, natural selection, smaller population,
nonrandom mating, gene flow
29. What is it called when similar features develop
from unrelated groups because of the environment?
(analogous structures would be an example)
convergent evolution
30. What 2 things does a chi square compare?
Compare expected and observed ratios of two
qualitative traits
31. Why would we use a chi square? to determine
correlations between phenotypic characteristics
32. In a species of mice the B allele for brown fur is
dominant to the b allele for white fur. In a cross of a

brown parent with a white parent there were 176

total births. 106 were brown, 70 were white.
The null hypothesis is that the brown parent was
heterozygous.
(Bb for the dominant)
(e-o)2/e (for each individual group)
What is the chi square statistic? What is the p value
and what does it mean? Bb x bb

b
b

Bb

bb

Bb

bb

We expect 50% brown/50%white (expecting 88 to be

brown/88 to be white
Our observed: 106 brown/70 white
Brown (o-e)2 /e
(88-106)2 / 88 = 3.68
White
(70-88)2 /88 = 3.68
X2 statistic is 3.68 + 3.68 = 7.36
Degrees of freedom (n-1) we have 2-1= 1 degree of
freedom
P value < .01 showing there IS a significant
difference to what we expected
33. If a population is in hardy Weinberg equilibrium:
The frequency of an allele that causes red eyes in

drosophilia is .45. While the frequency of the

alternate allele for sepia eyes is .55. Red eyes are
dominant to sepia eyes.
What is the frequency of individuals with red eyes?
P2 + 2pq + q2 = 1
P= .45
Q = .55
P2= .2025 (homozygous dominant trait)
2pq= .495 (heterozygous)
Q2 = .3025 (homozygous recessive trait)
If there were 1100 individuals in the population, how
many would be sepia? 1100 x .3025= 332.75 people
34. What is sexual dimorphism and why does it
matter?
Marked differences between the secondary sex
characteristics between males and females; sexual
selection: different traits are more appealing; sign
of fitness based on flash for males; more
masculine features imply strength; females are
usually more drab to allow for safety which would
aid in survival to care for
34. What kinds of characteristics of a population
help increase the potential for evolutionary change?
Variation in the population, large population size,
gene flow, random mating, natural selection

35. What is catastrophism? What does this have to

do with evolution? Catastrophes occur suddenly
caused by different mechanisms; could make
species go extinct or certain alleles to be taken out
(Cuvier theorized this but he was against evolution)
36. What is punctuated equilibrium? How does this
relate?
In the fossil record long periods of stasis in which a
species undergoes little or no morphological change
and then is interrupted by brief periods of sudden
change.
37. What are derived traits? Ancestral traits?
Derived trait has no ancestral link it is a new trait;
ancestral traits are inherited
38. What is reproductive isolation? The existence of
biological barriers that keep members of two species
from producing viable, fertile offspring.
Prezygotic/postzygotic
39. What is geographic isolation? Isolated because
of a geographic barrier
40. What is a mutation?
Change in the genetics of an individual (can possibly
make new species
41. What is thought to be the initial cause of so
many types of darwins finches? Originally came
from South America (flew or rafted over), then
sympatric speciation occurred.