BIOLOGY 121 EXAM 2 STUDY GUIDE 2026
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
⩥ Lamarck.
Answer: One of the first scientists to propose that species change over
time
⩥ Evolution.
Answer: The scientific theory that species came to be as they are by a
gradual process of change and development
⩥ Charles Lyell.
Answer: Scottish geologist who suggested that an old Earth had
gradually changed through slow, accumulating processes
⩥ How did Darwin arrive at the idea of Evolution?.
Answer: by natural selection through several important observations and
conclusions
⩥ What is the mechanism of evolution?.
Answer: natural selection
,⩥ What was Darwin's first observation?.
Answer: Darwin first observed that populations produce more
individuals that can survive (Observation: Overproduction)
⩥ Limited Resources.
Answer: Darwin's second observation that the number of resources (such
as food, water, shelter, and sunlight) stays relatively constant
⩥ Competition.
Answer: More offspring are born than can be supported by limited
resources; not all individuals survive and reproduce.
⩥ Variation.
Answer: Darwin also observed that no two individuals are alike.
⩥ Natural Selection.
Answer: Those individuals with variations that make them best suited to
their environment will, on average, be more likely to survive and
reproduce.
⩥ Heritability.
Answer: The traits of an organism are likely to be passed to the next
generation
,⩥ What did Darwin observe about evolution?.
Answer: Traits are passed from one generation to the next + certain
members are more likely to survive and reproduce -> a population will
change over time -> becoming better suited to its current environment
⩥ Why don't individuals evolve?.
Answer: Natural selection acts on individuals, but only populations
evolve
⩥ Why does Natural Selection only work with heritable traits?.
Answer: Only genetically coded traits are subject to natural selection
⩥ Why does evolution not have a goal?.
Answer: Evolution occurs in response to local environmental conditions,
not future ones
⩥ Adaption.
Answer: the accumulation of favorable traits in a population over time
⩥ artificial selection.
Answer: Humans have been substituting our desires for natural selection
for millennia, enforcing unequal reproductive success
, ⩥ What is MRSA?.
Answer: methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (staph)
⩥ Half-life.
Answer: how long it takes for half of the atoms of an isotope to decay
⩥ How does the fossil record provide evidence of evolution?.
Answer: - The fossil record reveals an ordered appearance of life on
Earth, from prokaryotes to today's life forms
-Transitional forms provide evidence of change within lineages
⩥ Biogeography.
Answer: The study of the geographic distribution of species
⩥ Comparative anatomy.
Answer: Comparisons of the body structures of modern organisms
⩥ What evidence does comparative anatomy provide of evolution?.
Answer: -Examination of animal forelimbs shows they are all
constructed from similar bones and share an evolutionary history
-Followed by an anatomical and functional divergence
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
⩥ Lamarck.
Answer: One of the first scientists to propose that species change over
time
⩥ Evolution.
Answer: The scientific theory that species came to be as they are by a
gradual process of change and development
⩥ Charles Lyell.
Answer: Scottish geologist who suggested that an old Earth had
gradually changed through slow, accumulating processes
⩥ How did Darwin arrive at the idea of Evolution?.
Answer: by natural selection through several important observations and
conclusions
⩥ What is the mechanism of evolution?.
Answer: natural selection
,⩥ What was Darwin's first observation?.
Answer: Darwin first observed that populations produce more
individuals that can survive (Observation: Overproduction)
⩥ Limited Resources.
Answer: Darwin's second observation that the number of resources (such
as food, water, shelter, and sunlight) stays relatively constant
⩥ Competition.
Answer: More offspring are born than can be supported by limited
resources; not all individuals survive and reproduce.
⩥ Variation.
Answer: Darwin also observed that no two individuals are alike.
⩥ Natural Selection.
Answer: Those individuals with variations that make them best suited to
their environment will, on average, be more likely to survive and
reproduce.
⩥ Heritability.
Answer: The traits of an organism are likely to be passed to the next
generation
,⩥ What did Darwin observe about evolution?.
Answer: Traits are passed from one generation to the next + certain
members are more likely to survive and reproduce -> a population will
change over time -> becoming better suited to its current environment
⩥ Why don't individuals evolve?.
Answer: Natural selection acts on individuals, but only populations
evolve
⩥ Why does Natural Selection only work with heritable traits?.
Answer: Only genetically coded traits are subject to natural selection
⩥ Why does evolution not have a goal?.
Answer: Evolution occurs in response to local environmental conditions,
not future ones
⩥ Adaption.
Answer: the accumulation of favorable traits in a population over time
⩥ artificial selection.
Answer: Humans have been substituting our desires for natural selection
for millennia, enforcing unequal reproductive success
, ⩥ What is MRSA?.
Answer: methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (staph)
⩥ Half-life.
Answer: how long it takes for half of the atoms of an isotope to decay
⩥ How does the fossil record provide evidence of evolution?.
Answer: - The fossil record reveals an ordered appearance of life on
Earth, from prokaryotes to today's life forms
-Transitional forms provide evidence of change within lineages
⩥ Biogeography.
Answer: The study of the geographic distribution of species
⩥ Comparative anatomy.
Answer: Comparisons of the body structures of modern organisms
⩥ What evidence does comparative anatomy provide of evolution?.
Answer: -Examination of animal forelimbs shows they are all
constructed from similar bones and share an evolutionary history
-Followed by an anatomical and functional divergence
