LSUE Biology 1001
Biology 1001 LSUE CORDES Final Exam
Study Questions and Answers 2026
inherited traits that increase an organism's chance of survival and the ability to
reproduce in a particular environment
Adaptation
by Charles Darwin, explains how Earth's many species are related through descent
from common ancestors and how these species have diverged over time.
Evolution
an ancestral species could diversify into many descendant species by the
accumulation of adaptations to various environments
descent with modification
Earth's many species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from
those living today
Darwin's theory of Evolution
(Greek philosopher) generally viewed species as perfect and permanent
Aristotle
species were individually designed by a divine creator, man added the interpretive
view that the Earth was <6,000 yrs. old;
Genesis
LSUE Biology 1001
,LSUE Biology 1001
imprints or remains of organisms that lived in the past revealed a succession of
forms in layers of sedimentary rock that differed from current life-forms
(mid-1700's when people began to notice these weren't just rocks)
fossils
suggested that the best explanation for the relationship of fossils to current
organisms is that life evolves
Jean Baptiste Lamarck
Lamarckian belief that characteristics acquired during the lifetime of an organism
can be passed on to offspring for example, he suggested that giraffes have long
necks today because their ancestors had lengthened their necks by stretching ever
higher into the trees to reach leaves
inheritance of acquired characteristics
In 1831, Darwin traveled to the Galapagos Islands aboard the__________ on a 5
year cruise
HMS Beagle
The hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke
up, and drifted to their present locations
Continental Drift
wrote Principles of Geology, influenced Darwin
Charles Lyell
1859 Darwin published
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
LSUE Biology 1001
,LSUE Biology 1001
1858 Lyell presented ________ paper and excerpts from an essay by Darwin to the
scientific community.
Alfred Wallace's
as descendants of a remote ancestor spread into various habitats over millions and
millions of years, they accumulated diverse modifications or _________that fit
them to specific ways of life in their environment
adaptations
A natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the
environment. "descent with modification"
Natural Selection
study of the distribution of organisms around the world
biogeography
Similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry.
homology
features that often have different functions but are
structurally similar because of common ancestry
homologous structures
a diagram that reflects evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms
evolutionary tree
Are crocodiles more closely related to lizards or birds?
a group of organisms of the same species populating a given area
LSUE Biology 1001
, LSUE Biology 1001
population
All the genes, including all the different alleles for each gene, that are present in a
population at any one time
gene pool
A change the genetic information encoded in the nucleotide sequence of DNA
mutation
loss of individuals leading to reduced genetic variation caused by genetic drift
genetic bottle neck
chance events that change allele frequencies to fluctuate unpredictably from one
generation to the next
genetic drift
genetic drift that occurs after a small number of individuals colonize a new area
founder effect
Movement of alleles into or out of a population due to the migration of individuals
to or from the population
gene flow
form of natural selection in which individuals near the center of a distribution
curve have higher fitness than individuals at either end of the curve
stabilizing selection
Form of natural selection in which the entire curve moves; occurs when individuals
at one end of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals in the middle
or at the other end of the curve
LSUE Biology 1001
Biology 1001 LSUE CORDES Final Exam
Study Questions and Answers 2026
inherited traits that increase an organism's chance of survival and the ability to
reproduce in a particular environment
Adaptation
by Charles Darwin, explains how Earth's many species are related through descent
from common ancestors and how these species have diverged over time.
Evolution
an ancestral species could diversify into many descendant species by the
accumulation of adaptations to various environments
descent with modification
Earth's many species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from
those living today
Darwin's theory of Evolution
(Greek philosopher) generally viewed species as perfect and permanent
Aristotle
species were individually designed by a divine creator, man added the interpretive
view that the Earth was <6,000 yrs. old;
Genesis
LSUE Biology 1001
,LSUE Biology 1001
imprints or remains of organisms that lived in the past revealed a succession of
forms in layers of sedimentary rock that differed from current life-forms
(mid-1700's when people began to notice these weren't just rocks)
fossils
suggested that the best explanation for the relationship of fossils to current
organisms is that life evolves
Jean Baptiste Lamarck
Lamarckian belief that characteristics acquired during the lifetime of an organism
can be passed on to offspring for example, he suggested that giraffes have long
necks today because their ancestors had lengthened their necks by stretching ever
higher into the trees to reach leaves
inheritance of acquired characteristics
In 1831, Darwin traveled to the Galapagos Islands aboard the__________ on a 5
year cruise
HMS Beagle
The hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke
up, and drifted to their present locations
Continental Drift
wrote Principles of Geology, influenced Darwin
Charles Lyell
1859 Darwin published
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
LSUE Biology 1001
,LSUE Biology 1001
1858 Lyell presented ________ paper and excerpts from an essay by Darwin to the
scientific community.
Alfred Wallace's
as descendants of a remote ancestor spread into various habitats over millions and
millions of years, they accumulated diverse modifications or _________that fit
them to specific ways of life in their environment
adaptations
A natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the
environment. "descent with modification"
Natural Selection
study of the distribution of organisms around the world
biogeography
Similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry.
homology
features that often have different functions but are
structurally similar because of common ancestry
homologous structures
a diagram that reflects evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms
evolutionary tree
Are crocodiles more closely related to lizards or birds?
a group of organisms of the same species populating a given area
LSUE Biology 1001
, LSUE Biology 1001
population
All the genes, including all the different alleles for each gene, that are present in a
population at any one time
gene pool
A change the genetic information encoded in the nucleotide sequence of DNA
mutation
loss of individuals leading to reduced genetic variation caused by genetic drift
genetic bottle neck
chance events that change allele frequencies to fluctuate unpredictably from one
generation to the next
genetic drift
genetic drift that occurs after a small number of individuals colonize a new area
founder effect
Movement of alleles into or out of a population due to the migration of individuals
to or from the population
gene flow
form of natural selection in which individuals near the center of a distribution
curve have higher fitness than individuals at either end of the curve
stabilizing selection
Form of natural selection in which the entire curve moves; occurs when individuals
at one end of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals in the middle
or at the other end of the curve
LSUE Biology 1001
