Biological Classification and Evolution
Directions: Please complete the assignment and upload into Canvas. You can also take a picture of your
assignment and upload into Canvas. Type out your responses in a different color. Be mindful that the
plagiarism check is activated so make sure to answer the questions in your own words.
Watch the Videos: Taxonomy – Classifying Living Things [Link]
v=_2OIPwDEWFQ
Review “Biological Classification” Slides in Canvas.
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the purpose of a phylogenetic tree?
A phylogenetic tree is used to show the evolutionary relationships between different organisms. It helps
scientists understand how species are related through common ancestors and how they evolved over time.
2. Who is Carl Linnaeus?
Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish scientist who developed the modern system for naming and classifying
organisms. He is often called the “Father of Taxonomy.”
3. What basic characteristic did Linnaeus base his naming system off of?
Linnaeus based his naming system mainly on shared physical characteristics and structural similarities
between organisms.
4. What is the difference between analogous traits and homologous traits?
Analogous traits are features that have similar functions but evolved independently in different species, such
as wings in birds and insects. Homologous traits are features inherited from a common ancestor, such as the
arm bones in humans and whales.
5. What are the seven Taxa that Linnaeus originally identified?
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
6. What is binomial nomenclature? What two taxa is it comprised of?
Binomial nomenclature is the two-part scientific naming system for organisms. It is made up of the genus name
and species name.
7. Using binomial nomenclature, how would define human beings?
Using binomial nomenclature, humans are classified as Homo sapiens.
8. What are the three domains of life?
Bacteria
Archaea
Eukarya
9. What are the four Kingdoms that fall under the Eukarya domain?
Protista
Fungi
Plantae
Animalia
10. What is unique about the Kingdom Protist?
Kingdom Protist is unique because its organisms can be plant-like, animal-like, or fungus-like. Most protists
are single-celled and live in moist or aquatic environments.
Read Chapter 11. 1 in OpenStax
Watch the Video – Darwin’s Finches
[Link]
Answer the following questions:
11. What are Darwin’s Finches and why are they so important to Biologist?
Darwin’s finches are a group of bird species studied by Charles Darwin. They are important because they
provided evidence for evolution and natural selection.
12. Where did Darwin retrieve the finches for his research?
Darwin collected the finches from the Galápagos Islands.
13. How were the Finches Darwin found different from the mainland species of Finches?
The finches on the islands had different beak shapes and sizes compared to mainland finches. These
differences matched the food sources available on each island.
14. Why was breeding between the Finches ruled out a reason for the differences observed?
Breeding between the finches was ruled out because the islands separated the populations geographically,
preventing regular interbreeding.
15. What was Darwin’s final conclusion as to why the Finches across the different islands were different?
Darwin concluded that the finches evolved differently because they adapted to different environments and food
sources on each island through natural selection.
16. Describe Decent with Modification?
Descent with modification means that species change over time and inherit traits from common ancestors, with
slight modifications occurring in each generation.
Watch the Video – Natural Selection vs. Artificial Selection
[Link]
17. What is natural selection? How does it work?
Natural selection is the process where all organisms with traits that help them to survive and reproduce get to
live and grow.
18. What is the difference between natural selection and artificial selection? Give an example of artificial
selection.
Natural selection takes place due to environmental factors, whereas art selection involves the intervention of
man to take only the desirable traits. Artificial selection is selecting out characteristics and breeding dogs for
them.
19. Natural selection picked traits that allowed aquatic plants to move into the environment. What are the
traits needed by dry land plants and how are they different from the traits mosses and ferns have?
Refer to what you learned in Lab to answer this question.
On dry land plants have developed features like waxy cuticles to inhibit water loss, a vascular system for
moving water, roots, as well as seeds or pollen to reproduce without water. Mosses and ferns require moist
habitats, and reproduce by spore formation.
Watch the Video - Population Genetics [Link]
Review “Evolution of a Population” Slides in Canvas. These slides review the four factors that can affect allele
frequencies in a population, which include natural selection, mutation, genetic drift, and migration (gene flow).
20. What is a gene pool? Why would a gene pool change over time?
A gene pool is the total collection of genes and alleles in a population. The genetic variation within the gene
pool evolves due to mutation, natural selection, migration and the slimming down of the gene pool.
21. What is genetic drift?
Genetic drift, changes in allele frequency that occur at random in a population especially one that is small.
22. Define bottleneck effect.
The bottleneck effect can happen when a disaster or other factor takes a large toll on a population, resulting in
a decrease in genetic diversity.
23. Define the founder effect and gene flow.
The founder effect occurs when a small population with small gene pool begins a new population with this lack
of genetic diversity. Migration and reproduction of genes in between populations; the flow of genes between
populations.
24. Why would a new bacterial pathogen pose a greater threat to the cheetah population than other
mammalian populations that have more genetic variation?
A new bacterial pathogen would threaten cheetahs more because cheetahs have very low genetic variation,
making them less likely to have individuals resistant to the disease.
25. What is a species? What are the reproductive barriers that exist between species?
A species is a group of organisms that can reproduce together and produce fertile offspring. Reproductive
barriers include geographic isolation, behavioral differences, different mating seasons, and genetic
incompatibility.
26. Define phylogenetic and cladistics.
Phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relationships among organisms. Cladistics is a method of classifying
organisms based on shared derived characteristics.
27. What is the most important information that you can retrieve from phylogenetic tree and a cladogram?
The most important information from a phylogenetic tree or cladogram is how organisms are evolutionarily
related and which species share common ancestors.
Watch the Videos – Seven Million Years of Human Evolution [Link]
v=DZv8VyIQ7YU
Did Human Evolve from Apes
[Link]
28. What evidence do we have to suggest that humans evolved from Apes?
Evidence that humans evolved from apes includes fossil records, DNA similarities, anatomical similarities, and
similarities in behavior and development.
29. What ape species is the closet relative to humans?
The ape species most closely related to humans is the chimpanzee.
30. Over 7 million years ago, what was the FIRST human-like trait that evolved in apes?
The first human-like trait to evolve in apes was bipedalism, or walking on two legs.
31. Why did our ape ancestors develop this trait? What was happening that likely caused them to evolve?
Ape ancestors likely developed bipedalism because climate changes reduced forests and created open
grasslands, making upright walking helpful for survival and travel.
32. Homo habilis is the first known species in the Homo genus. Describe Homo Habilis.
Homo habilis was an early human species with a larger brain than earlier ancestors. They used simple stone
tools and walked upright.
33. Homo habilis name means “handyman.” Why is that important to recognize when describing this Homo
species?
The name “handyman” is important because Homo habilis was one of the first hominids known to make and
use tools.
34. What are the major differences between Homo habilis and Homo Erectus? How did they survive in their
new environments?
Homo erectus had a larger brain, stronger body, and more advanced tools than Homo habilis. They survived
by using fire, hunting, and adapting to different climates as they migrated.
35. Why did the Homo sapiens out live the Neanderthals and other Hominid species?
Homo sapiens outlived Neanderthals and other hominids because they had better communication, more
advanced tools, stronger social cooperation, and greater adaptability to changing environments.