BIO 182 EXAM 1 WITH QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS| WELL-STRUCTURED FOR
REVISION| APPROVED BY EXPERT|
NEWLY UPDATED 2025.
Macroevolution
Q: What is macroevolution?
A: Evolutionary change above the species level. ✔✔
Ecological species concept
Q: What does the ecological species concept identify?
A: It identifies species in terms of their ecological niches, focusing on unique adaptations to
particular roles in a biological community. ✔✔
Postzygotic
Q: What are postzygotic barriers?
A: Barriers that prevent the hybrid zygote from becoming a fertile adult. ✔✔
The theory of gradualism
Q: What does the theory of gradualism state?
A: Profound geological changes took place through the cumulative effect of slow but continuous
processes identical to those currently operating. ✔✔
Prezygotic
Q: What is the meaning of prezygotic barriers?
A: Reproductive isolation. ✔✔
Artificial selection
Q: What is artificial selection?
A: Breeding organisms with specific traits in order to produce offspring with identical traits. ✔✔
,Microevolution
Q: What is microevolution?
A: Change in allele frequencies in a population over generations. ✔✔
Biological species concept
Q: How does the biological species concept define a species?
A: As a population or group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed in
nature and produce viable, fertile offspring, but are not able to produce viable, fertile offspring
with members of other populations. ✔✔
Population
Q: What is a population?
A: A local group of organisms belonging to the same species and capable of interbreeding. ✔✔
According to evolutionary theory, what is the smallest entity that can evolve?
A: evolve over time (Note: The document does not provide the direct answer here.)
Quantitative
Q: What are quantitative characters?
A: Characters (such as height) that vary along a continuum within a population. ✔✔
Homologous
Q: What are homologous structures?
A: Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry. ✔✔
Gene flow
Q: What is gene flow?
A: Movement of alleles into or out of a population due to the migration of individuals to or from
the population. ✔✔
, Stabilizing
Q: What is stabilizing selection?
A: Natural selection that favors intermediate variants by acting against extreme phenotypes. ✔✔
Disruptive Selection
Q: What is disruptive selection?
A: A form of natural selection in which a single curve splits into two; occurs when individuals at
the upper and lower ends of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals near the
middle. ✔✔
Prokaryotic
Q: What are prokaryotic organisms?
A: Single-celled organisms. ✔✔
Gradualism
Q: What is gradualism?
A: Occurrence over a period of time. ✔✔
Eukaryotic
Q: What are eukaryotic organisms?
A: Multicellular organisms. ✔✔
Speciation
Q: What is speciation?
A: Genetic changes over time. ✔✔
Phylogeny
Q: What is phylogeny?
A: Classification of organisms. ✔✔
ANSWERS| WELL-STRUCTURED FOR
REVISION| APPROVED BY EXPERT|
NEWLY UPDATED 2025.
Macroevolution
Q: What is macroevolution?
A: Evolutionary change above the species level. ✔✔
Ecological species concept
Q: What does the ecological species concept identify?
A: It identifies species in terms of their ecological niches, focusing on unique adaptations to
particular roles in a biological community. ✔✔
Postzygotic
Q: What are postzygotic barriers?
A: Barriers that prevent the hybrid zygote from becoming a fertile adult. ✔✔
The theory of gradualism
Q: What does the theory of gradualism state?
A: Profound geological changes took place through the cumulative effect of slow but continuous
processes identical to those currently operating. ✔✔
Prezygotic
Q: What is the meaning of prezygotic barriers?
A: Reproductive isolation. ✔✔
Artificial selection
Q: What is artificial selection?
A: Breeding organisms with specific traits in order to produce offspring with identical traits. ✔✔
,Microevolution
Q: What is microevolution?
A: Change in allele frequencies in a population over generations. ✔✔
Biological species concept
Q: How does the biological species concept define a species?
A: As a population or group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed in
nature and produce viable, fertile offspring, but are not able to produce viable, fertile offspring
with members of other populations. ✔✔
Population
Q: What is a population?
A: A local group of organisms belonging to the same species and capable of interbreeding. ✔✔
According to evolutionary theory, what is the smallest entity that can evolve?
A: evolve over time (Note: The document does not provide the direct answer here.)
Quantitative
Q: What are quantitative characters?
A: Characters (such as height) that vary along a continuum within a population. ✔✔
Homologous
Q: What are homologous structures?
A: Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry. ✔✔
Gene flow
Q: What is gene flow?
A: Movement of alleles into or out of a population due to the migration of individuals to or from
the population. ✔✔
, Stabilizing
Q: What is stabilizing selection?
A: Natural selection that favors intermediate variants by acting against extreme phenotypes. ✔✔
Disruptive Selection
Q: What is disruptive selection?
A: A form of natural selection in which a single curve splits into two; occurs when individuals at
the upper and lower ends of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals near the
middle. ✔✔
Prokaryotic
Q: What are prokaryotic organisms?
A: Single-celled organisms. ✔✔
Gradualism
Q: What is gradualism?
A: Occurrence over a period of time. ✔✔
Eukaryotic
Q: What are eukaryotic organisms?
A: Multicellular organisms. ✔✔
Speciation
Q: What is speciation?
A: Genetic changes over time. ✔✔
Phylogeny
Q: What is phylogeny?
A: Classification of organisms. ✔✔
