What Is a Species? |
1. |
Distinguish between anagenesis and cladogenesis. |
2. |
Define Ernst Mayr’s biological species concept. |
3. |
Distinguish between prezygotic and postzygotic isolating mechanisms. |
4. |
Describe five prezygotic isolating mechanisms and give an example of each. |
5. |
Explain a possible cause for reduced hybrid viability. |
6. |
Explain how hybrid breakdown maintains separate species even if fertilization occurs. |
7. |
Describe some limitations of the biological species concept. |
8. |
Define and distinguish among the following: ecological species concept, paleontological species concept, phylogenetic species concept, and morphological species concept. |
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Modes of Speciation |
9. |
Distinguish between allopatric and sympatric speciation. |
10. |
Explain the allopatric speciation model and describe the mechanisms that may lead to divergence of isolated gene pools. |
11. |
Describe examples of adaptive radiation in the Galápagos and Hawaiian archipelagoes. |
12. |
Explain how reproductive barriers evolve. Describe an example of the evolution of a prezygotic barrier and the evolution of a postzygotic barrier. |
13. |
Define sympatric speciation and explain how polyploidy can cause reproductive isolation. |
14. |
Distinguish between an autopolyploid and an allopolyploid species and describe examples of each. |
15. |
Describe how cichlid fishes may have speciated in sympatry in Lake Victoria. |
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Adaptive Radiation |
16. |
Define adaptive radiation and describe the circumstances under which adaptive radiation may occur. |
17. |
Describe the two gene loci implicated in speciation in Mimulus. |
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From Speciation to Macroevolution |
18. |
Explain in general terms how a complex structure can evolve by natural selection. |
19. |
Define exaptation and illustrate this concept with an example. |
20. |
Explain how slight genetic divergences may lead to major morphological differences between species. |
21. |
Explain how the evolution of changes in temporal and spatial developmental dynamics can result in evolutionary novelties. |
22. |
Define evo-devo, heterochrony, allometric growth, and paedomorphosis. |
23. |
Explain why extracting a single evolutionary progression from a fossil record can be misleading. |
24. |
Define and illustrate the concept of species selection. |
25. |
Explain why evolutionary change is not goal-directed. |