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100 points (4 questions, 25 points each)

Directions: Answer ALL of the following questions/prompts in complete sentences and paragraphs. Type your answers directly in the text entry box below. You will be graded on the level of detail you include in your essays and the accuracy of the information you present. This exam is open-book so I expect you to include specific details from the textbook. Do not use direct quotes from the textbook, paraphrase the information you learned from your readings while answering the questions.

Question 1

How does protein synthesis occur in a eukaryotic cell? Describe the step-by-step process including using specific terminology and how it relates to a cell producing more proteins. Why is understanding this process important for understanding evolution by natural selection?

Question 2

What is the Modern Synthesis and how did it contribute to our understanding of the process of evolution? Please describe this concept in detail and be sure discuss the various contributions from scientific figures you learned about from reading the textbook.

Question 3

Describe the differences between gene flow and genetic drift and discuss how either process relates to genetic variation within and between populations. Use specific terminology from the text to support your answer.

Question 4

Evolutionary systematics and cladistics are two ways of interpreting evolutionary relationships between species. What are the differences between these two strategies of interpretation? How do terms like homologies, derived characteristics, phylogenetic trees, and cladograms fit with either evolutionary systematics and cladistics?