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Evolutionary processes leading to speciation · Part 4 of 4
9 exam-style questions with model answers, plus 12 quick multi-choice questions — every question on this part of the standard, grouped by the 3 pages of notes they come from.
Write a full answer before you reveal the model one. That comparison is where the learning happens.
Describe how fossils form, and describe two things the fossil record shows about evolution.
Explain why gaps in the fossil record are expected rather than being a problem for evolutionary theory, and explain why this matters when interpreting evidence about speciation.
Fossil evidence is often described as the most direct evidence for evolution. Discuss what fossils can and cannot establish, and evaluate why evidence from several independent sources is more convincing than any single line.
Describe how molecular biology provides evidence for evolution, and describe what vestigial structures show.
Two species look very similar but molecular analysis shows they are only distantly related. Explain how this situation arises and why the molecular evidence should be preferred.
Molecular evidence has revised many relationships previously established from anatomy. Discuss why this has happened so often, and evaluate whether molecular evidence should now be regarded as authoritative over other lines.
Describe what biogeography is, and describe two biogeographic patterns that provide evidence for evolution.
New Zealand has no native land mammals other than bats, yet has many flightless birds. Explain how biogeography accounts for this, and why it made those birds so vulnerable to human arrival.
Many southern-hemisphere distributions once attributed to Gondwanan vicariance have been reinterpreted as long-distance dispersal. Discuss how this reinterpretation was possible, and evaluate what it shows about scientific reasoning from patterns.