Anthro2B Final EXAM (2025) QUESTIONS AND
(elaborated) WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
What are the 2 evolutionary scales? - (answers)Microevolution & Macroevolution
Define: microevolution - (answers)below species level
changes in gene frequencies in populations over time, Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium
Define: macroevolution - (answers)above species level
new species, higher level of orders
Taxonomy are... and has... - (answers)categories (taxa)
hierarchical organization (more inclusive -"x is a kind of y")
What are the 7 levels of taxonomy? - (answers)Kingdom (highest), Phylum, Class,
Order, Family, Genus, Species (most specific)
for biology today, taxonomies reflect... - (answers)evolutionary relationships
(branching tree of life)
,What are the criteria for determining biological species? - (answers)animals that
can effectively mate in nature and produce healthy fertile offspring
What is speciation? What does it involve? - (answers)population of 1 species
splitting into 2 species
reproductive isolating mechanisms
what are the 2 kinds of reproductive isolating mechanisms? - (answers)Extrinsic -
factors producing geographic isolation of populations
Intrinsic - prezygotic (prevents zygote from being formed, sperm never reaches
egg) & postzygotic (sperm and egg have met but have developmental issues)
What is the fundamental principle of natural selection? - (answers)rate of change
is directly proportional to degree of variability in a population
Define: collary - (answers)fate of all evolutionary lineages is extinction
what are the 2 types of evolutionary change? - (answers)anagenesis: slow change
from every generation
cladogenesis: population from 1 species splitting into 2 (like speciation)
,Compare and contrast the 2 paces of evolutionary change - (answers)Phyletic
Gradualism: slow gradual change over long period of time, emphasize anagenesis
Punctuated Equilibrium: period of stasis until massive change, emphasize
cladogenesis, most change during speciation events
Define: adaptive radiation - (answers)rapid expansion and diversification of a
group of organism as they adapt to new available ecological space
rapid speciation, series of cladogenic events
How does adaptive radiation occur? - (answers)species with high adaptive
potential invades a new locale (ex: finches -> galapagos islands)
mutations producing major adaptive shift which allows them to use environment
in a new way (ex: aminotic egg)
What can generalized creature/species do? - (answers)better adaptive potential,
exploit wide range of ecological space (live in broadly defined eco-niche), can live
in wide # of environments, eat many foods; "jack of all trades"
What can specialized creatures do? - (answers)live in narrowly defined eco-chive,
eat certain foods "ace of 1 trade"
, what is the typical evolutionary trend? - (answers)generalized organisms begin
adaptive radiation --> competition fuels speciation as creatures specialize -->
overspecialization leads to extinction
Anatomical similarity - (answers)2 creatures that are more similar to each other
may share a more common recent ancestor
Define: homology - (answers)similarities between organisms due to common
ancestor (ex: human arm & bat wing)
T/F: homologous structures have different function but have similar
embryological development - (answers)true
Define: analogy (homoplasy) - (answers)anatomical similarity due to similar
function, not common ancestry (due to independent evolution of species, not
present in common ancestor)
what are the 2 types of analogy? - (answers)Convergence- analogy in unrelated
organisms (above level of the order)
parallelism- analogy in closely related organisms (within taxonomic level of an
order)
what are ancestral traits? - (answers)traits that have been around for long time,
retained in ancestral form
(elaborated) WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
What are the 2 evolutionary scales? - (answers)Microevolution & Macroevolution
Define: microevolution - (answers)below species level
changes in gene frequencies in populations over time, Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium
Define: macroevolution - (answers)above species level
new species, higher level of orders
Taxonomy are... and has... - (answers)categories (taxa)
hierarchical organization (more inclusive -"x is a kind of y")
What are the 7 levels of taxonomy? - (answers)Kingdom (highest), Phylum, Class,
Order, Family, Genus, Species (most specific)
for biology today, taxonomies reflect... - (answers)evolutionary relationships
(branching tree of life)
,What are the criteria for determining biological species? - (answers)animals that
can effectively mate in nature and produce healthy fertile offspring
What is speciation? What does it involve? - (answers)population of 1 species
splitting into 2 species
reproductive isolating mechanisms
what are the 2 kinds of reproductive isolating mechanisms? - (answers)Extrinsic -
factors producing geographic isolation of populations
Intrinsic - prezygotic (prevents zygote from being formed, sperm never reaches
egg) & postzygotic (sperm and egg have met but have developmental issues)
What is the fundamental principle of natural selection? - (answers)rate of change
is directly proportional to degree of variability in a population
Define: collary - (answers)fate of all evolutionary lineages is extinction
what are the 2 types of evolutionary change? - (answers)anagenesis: slow change
from every generation
cladogenesis: population from 1 species splitting into 2 (like speciation)
,Compare and contrast the 2 paces of evolutionary change - (answers)Phyletic
Gradualism: slow gradual change over long period of time, emphasize anagenesis
Punctuated Equilibrium: period of stasis until massive change, emphasize
cladogenesis, most change during speciation events
Define: adaptive radiation - (answers)rapid expansion and diversification of a
group of organism as they adapt to new available ecological space
rapid speciation, series of cladogenic events
How does adaptive radiation occur? - (answers)species with high adaptive
potential invades a new locale (ex: finches -> galapagos islands)
mutations producing major adaptive shift which allows them to use environment
in a new way (ex: aminotic egg)
What can generalized creature/species do? - (answers)better adaptive potential,
exploit wide range of ecological space (live in broadly defined eco-niche), can live
in wide # of environments, eat many foods; "jack of all trades"
What can specialized creatures do? - (answers)live in narrowly defined eco-chive,
eat certain foods "ace of 1 trade"
, what is the typical evolutionary trend? - (answers)generalized organisms begin
adaptive radiation --> competition fuels speciation as creatures specialize -->
overspecialization leads to extinction
Anatomical similarity - (answers)2 creatures that are more similar to each other
may share a more common recent ancestor
Define: homology - (answers)similarities between organisms due to common
ancestor (ex: human arm & bat wing)
T/F: homologous structures have different function but have similar
embryological development - (answers)true
Define: analogy (homoplasy) - (answers)anatomical similarity due to similar
function, not common ancestry (due to independent evolution of species, not
present in common ancestor)
what are the 2 types of analogy? - (answers)Convergence- analogy in unrelated
organisms (above level of the order)
parallelism- analogy in closely related organisms (within taxonomic level of an
order)
what are ancestral traits? - (answers)traits that have been around for long time,
retained in ancestral form
