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LS4: Biological Evolution (Unity and Diversity)

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why does biodiversity matter, and how does it arise from evolution?

Construct an argument, based on evidence, for the importance of biodiversity and how evolution produces the diversity of life (Louisiana Student Standards for Science, High School Biology, HS-LS4).
A standard-level answer on biodiversity for Louisiana LEAP 2025 Biology: what biodiversity is, how evolution and natural selection produce it, why it supports ecosystem stability, and the threats to it.
12 min answer →

How do scientists classify organisms and show their evolutionary relationships?

Develop and use models (classification hierarchy and cladograms) to show how organisms are grouped and how they are related by common ancestry (Louisiana Student Standards for Science, High School Biology, HS-LS4).
A standard-level answer on classification for Louisiana LEAP 2025 Biology: the levels of the classification hierarchy, binomial naming, the use of shared characteristics and DNA, and reading a cladogram for evolutionary relationships.
12 min answer →

What lines of evidence support common ancestry and evolution?

Analyze and interpret data for the multiple lines of empirical evidence (anatomical, molecular, and fossil) that support common ancestry and biological evolution (Louisiana Student Standards for Science, High School Biology, HS-LS4-1).
A standard-level answer on the evidence for evolution for Louisiana LEAP 2025 Biology: the fossil record, homologous structures, embryology, and molecular (DNA and protein) evidence for common ancestry.
13 min answer →

How does natural selection lead to adaptation in a population?

Construct an explanation, and apply concepts of probability, for how natural selection leads to the adaptation of populations (Louisiana Student Standards for Science, High School Biology, HS-LS4-2 and HS-LS4-4).
A standard-level answer on natural selection for Louisiana LEAP 2025 Biology: variation, overproduction, competition, differential survival and reproduction, and how natural selection produces adaptation over generations.
13 min answer →

How can changes in environmental conditions lead to new species or extinction?

Evaluate evidence that changes in environmental conditions may result in changes to populations, the rise of new species, or extinction (Louisiana Student Standards for Science, High School Biology, HS-LS4-5).
A standard-level answer on speciation for Louisiana LEAP 2025 Biology: how environmental change drives population change, the role of isolation in forming new species, and the conditions that lead to extinction.
12 min answer →