FINAL EXAM DOCX VERSION A BIOLOGY
ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY STUDY GUIDE
2026 QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
⩥ Vestigial structure. Answer: Remnant of a structure that may have had
an important function in a species' ancestors, but has no clear function in
the modern species.
⩥ Embryology Comparison. Answer: Similarities of embryos as they
develop suggest common ancestry
⩥ Amino acid Comparison. Answer: compare DNA to show relatedness
or common ancestor
⩥ Theory of Natural Selection. Answer: Darwin's explanation for how
evolution occurs: Overproduction, Inherited Variation, Struggle to
Survive, Successful Reproduction leads to changes in a population
⩥ Theory of Acquired Characteristics. Answer: Lamark's explanation on
evolution: concept that modifications that occur during an organism's
lifetime are passed on to its offspring. Ex. Giraffes grow longer necks as
needed.
,⩥ Population. Answer: The smallest unit that evolution occurs
⩥ Gene pool. Answer: Collection of genes in a population
⩥ 5 Mechanisms of Evolution. Answer: Small Population (Genetic
drift), Sexual selection, Mutations, Gene flow (immigration/emigration,
& Natural Selection
⩥ Mutation. Answer: A change in a gene or chromosome.
⩥ Gene Flow. Answer: Movement of alleles into or out of a population
due to the migration of individuals to or from the population
⩥ Genetic drift. Answer: A change in the gene pool of a population due
to chance; affects small populations
⩥ Sexual selection. Answer: A form of selection in which individuals
with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other
individuals to obtain mates.
⩥ Adaptations. Answer: Changes in physical structure, function, or
behavior that allow an organism or species to survive and reproduce in a
given environment.
, ⩥ Artificial selection. Answer: Selection by humans for breeding of
useful traits from the natural variation among different organisms
⩥ Adaptive radiation. Answer: An evolutionary pattern in which many
species evolve from a single ancestral species
⩥ Environmental fitness. Answer: The ability of an organism to survive
and reproduce and it's specific environment
⩥ Speciation. Answer: Formation of new species
⩥ Geographic Isolation. Answer: form of reproductive isolation in which
two populations are separated by geographic barriers such as rivers,
mountains, or bodies of water, leading to the formation of two separate
subspecies
⩥ Behavioral Isolation. Answer: Form of reproductive isolation in which
two populations have differences in courtship rituals or other types of
behavior that prevent them from interbreeding
⩥ Gradualism. Answer: A proposed explanation in evolutionary biology
stating that new species arise from the result of slight modifications
(mutations and resulting phenotypic changes) over many generations.
ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY STUDY GUIDE
2026 QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
⩥ Vestigial structure. Answer: Remnant of a structure that may have had
an important function in a species' ancestors, but has no clear function in
the modern species.
⩥ Embryology Comparison. Answer: Similarities of embryos as they
develop suggest common ancestry
⩥ Amino acid Comparison. Answer: compare DNA to show relatedness
or common ancestor
⩥ Theory of Natural Selection. Answer: Darwin's explanation for how
evolution occurs: Overproduction, Inherited Variation, Struggle to
Survive, Successful Reproduction leads to changes in a population
⩥ Theory of Acquired Characteristics. Answer: Lamark's explanation on
evolution: concept that modifications that occur during an organism's
lifetime are passed on to its offspring. Ex. Giraffes grow longer necks as
needed.
,⩥ Population. Answer: The smallest unit that evolution occurs
⩥ Gene pool. Answer: Collection of genes in a population
⩥ 5 Mechanisms of Evolution. Answer: Small Population (Genetic
drift), Sexual selection, Mutations, Gene flow (immigration/emigration,
& Natural Selection
⩥ Mutation. Answer: A change in a gene or chromosome.
⩥ Gene Flow. Answer: Movement of alleles into or out of a population
due to the migration of individuals to or from the population
⩥ Genetic drift. Answer: A change in the gene pool of a population due
to chance; affects small populations
⩥ Sexual selection. Answer: A form of selection in which individuals
with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other
individuals to obtain mates.
⩥ Adaptations. Answer: Changes in physical structure, function, or
behavior that allow an organism or species to survive and reproduce in a
given environment.
, ⩥ Artificial selection. Answer: Selection by humans for breeding of
useful traits from the natural variation among different organisms
⩥ Adaptive radiation. Answer: An evolutionary pattern in which many
species evolve from a single ancestral species
⩥ Environmental fitness. Answer: The ability of an organism to survive
and reproduce and it's specific environment
⩥ Speciation. Answer: Formation of new species
⩥ Geographic Isolation. Answer: form of reproductive isolation in which
two populations are separated by geographic barriers such as rivers,
mountains, or bodies of water, leading to the formation of two separate
subspecies
⩥ Behavioral Isolation. Answer: Form of reproductive isolation in which
two populations have differences in courtship rituals or other types of
behavior that prevent them from interbreeding
⩥ Gradualism. Answer: A proposed explanation in evolutionary biology
stating that new species arise from the result of slight modifications
(mutations and resulting phenotypic changes) over many generations.
