TheoryofEvolution
1. What is the problem that
the theory of evolution and its
rival theories try to solve?
2. What is the main theory
opposed to evolution?
3. What is fixism?
4. In the scientific competition
against fixism what are the
main arguments that favour
evolutionism?
5. What are fossils?
6. How does the study of
fossils strengthen the theory
of evolution?
7. Historically what were the
two main evolutionary
theories?
8. What is meant by the law of
use and disuse and by the law
of the transmission of
acquired characteristics?
9. What is lamarckism?
10. Who was Charles Darwin?
11. What is the mechanism
described by Darwin that
eliminates species less
adapted to environmental
conditions?
12. How did Darwin reach the
principle of natural selection
from the observation of
differences among individuals
of the same species?
13. How did the industrial
revolution in England offer an
example of natural selection?
14. What are the fundamental
similarities and differences
between lamarckism and
darwinism?
15. In the time of Darwin the
results of Mendel’s research
on biological inheritance had
not been published, Genetics
was not yet developed,
neither DNA nor the concept
of genetic mutation were
known. What is the modern
darwinist theory that
incorporates these bodies of
knowledge?
16. How does the synthetic
theory of evolution
incorporate knowledge from
Genetics and Molecular
Biology into the darwinism?
17. Using the concepts of
variability, environmental
pressure and natural selection
how does the synthetic theory
explain the darwinian natural
selection?
18. In hospitals where many
tuberculosis patients are
treated the population of the
tuberculos is mycobacteria
may be constituted of
multiresistant (to antibiotics)
strains. How does the
synthetic theory of evolution
explain this fact?
19. What is reproductive
isolation?
20. What is the relationship
between the concept of
reproductive isolation and the
concept of species?
21. What is speciation?
22. Why does geographical
isolation lead to speciation?
23. How can the fact that
fish and dolphins have
similar organs and similar
general shape be explained?
24 .What is adaptive
convergence?
25. What is adaptive
radiation?
26. What is the difference
between analogous and
homologous organs?