Using your own words and ideas, discuss each of the following. You can cite outside material if needed, but your response should be primarily your own thinking and writing. Refer to the course handout on citation, and be sure to provide a reference as needed for ideas and wording obtained from another source. Tests will be routinely screened for plagiarism. Exam responses will be graded for content, understanding, composition, spelling, and usage. Tests will be open book/open notes, but the emphasis should be on expressing your own understanding and ideas, rather than just looking up the correct answer. The instructor will be looking for your own thinking and knowledge of the topic. The depth of the response should be commensurate with the number of points assigned.
1. Describe and discuss biological populations, including what a population is, how it relates to other levels in the biological heirachy (e.g., molecular, cellular, organismal, species, community, ecosystem), how it is maintained over time, how and why populations change. Explain why population biology is important in the study of evolution. (10 points)
2. Discuss the evolutionary and non-evolutionary concepts that preceded Charles Darwin and explain the similarities and differences with Darwininan evolution. (10 points)
3. In about 1-3 sentences, explain each of the following and how they relate to evolutionary biology. (2 points each)
Darwins finches
Population thinking
Scientific theory
Natural selection
Scala naturae
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