Species and population
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Write the definition of a species in your own words.
A set of populations with similar traits, living in their own range, that interbreed freely and give fertile offspring.
2
Show the weakness of the morphological criterion with two examples.
Sexual dimorphism (male–female differences within a species) and sibling species (outwardly the same but separate species).
3
p = 0.6 and q = 0.4. Find the frequencies of AA, Aa and aa (in percent). What percent is Aa? (Number only.)
48
4
What is a population wave and why can it change the gene pool?
A periodic change in numbers; when the number drops some alleles are lost by chance and the frequency of the others changes.
5
What is reproductive isolation and how does it affect the origin of a new species?
The end of interbreeding between populations; gene exchange stops, differences accumulate, and they may become separate species.