Great job!!!!!!!!!!!

Wonderful job all of you on your comments and your enthusiasm. I definitely enjoyed reading all of them :)
Please prepare yourself for an assessment on both chapter 24 and 25 coming up in the near future.

Chapter 23 objectives Seniors- Due Wednesday Juniors- Due Thursday. There will be a reading assessment on chapter 23 next class session. STUDY!!!!!! Enjoy your weekend! Your answers are to be turned in as a hardcopy not comments through the blog.

Population Genetics
	1.	Explain why it is incorrect to say that individual organisms evolve.
	2.	Explain what is meant by "the modern synthesis."
	3.	Define a population; define a species.
	4.	Explain how microevolutionary change can affect a gene pool.
	5.	State the Hardy-Weinberg theorem.
	6.	Write the general Hardy-Weinberg equation and use it to calculate allele and genotype frequencies.
	7.	Explain why the Hardy-Weinberg theorem is important conceptually and historically.
	8.	List the conditions a population must meet to maintain Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
Causes of Microevolution
	9.	Define microevolution.
	10.	Define evolution at the population level.
	11.	Explain how genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, nonrandom mating, and natural selection can cause microevolution.
	12.	Explain the role of population size in genetic drift.
	13.	Distinguish between the bottleneck effect and the founder effect.
	14.	Explain why mutation has little quantitative effect on a large population.
Genetic Variation, the Substrate for Natural Selection
	15.	Explain how quantitative and discrete characters contribute to variation within a population.
	16.	Define polymorphism and morphs. Describe an example of polymorphism within the human population.
	17.	Distinguish between gene diversity and nucleotide diversity. Describe examples of each in humans.
	18.	List some factors that can produce geographic variation among closely related populations. Define a cline.
	19.	Explain why even though mutation can be a source of genetic variability, it contributes a negligible amount to genetic variation in a population.
	20.	Describe the cause of nearly all genetic variation in a population.
	21.	Explain how genetic variation may be preserved in a natural population.
	22.	Briefly describe the neutral theory of molecular evolution and explain how changes in gene frequency may be nonadaptive.
A Closer Look at Natural Selection as the Mechanism of Adaptive Evolution
	23.	Distinguish between Darwinian fitness and relative fitness.
	24.	Describe what selection acts on and what factors contribute to the overall fitness of a genotype.
	25.	Describe examples of how an organism's phenotype may be influenced by the environment.
	26.	Distinguish among stabilizing selection, directional selection, and diversifying selection.
	27.	Describe the advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction.
	28.	Define sexual dimorphism and explain how it can influence evolutionary change.
	29.	Distinguish between intrasexual selection and intersexual selection.
	30.	Describe at least four reasons why natural selection cannot breed perfect organisms.

Evolution Vs Creation Video

Hello All,
Please watch the following video and discuss the ideas/theories presented in the video based upon your view of the content. You are all required to state your comments by Sunday 01/15/2012.
You are also required to reply to 2 of your classmates comments. All blog assignments are graded :)



Evolution Vs Creation Video

The Evolution vs. Creation debate is often referred to as the "Great Debate." It's the emotion-packed question of "Origins" -- why, how, and where did everything come from? 20th century science has made the compelling discovery that, at some point, the universe began. Both sides of the Great Debate now agree that the universe has not existed eternally. However, this is where the agreement ends. As far as the "why" and "how" of the "origin event," this is where the division and contention begin. There are two basic theories in this Great Debate. The first is the historical default - the Creation Model of Origins. This theory maintains that the intricate design permeating all things implies a Designer. The second theory is the more recent, atheistic explanation - the Evolution Model of Origins. This theory postulates that the intricate design permeating all things is a product of random chance and excessive time.

The Squirrel Wars

The Squirrel Wars

Read “The Squirrel Wars” at The New York Times. Once you have completed the reading assignment, respond to the following questions as comments on this page — due Thursday night 01/12/2012.

1. Are red squirrels and grey squirrels the same species? How do you know?
2. Describe the adaptive advantages that grey squirrels have over the red squirrels.
3. Why are the red squirrels surviving better in the northern forests of England?
4. What ecological principles does this story illustrate?
5. What do you think of the Red Squirrel Protection Partnership’s strategy for saving the red squirrel? Do you think it will work?