← Biology syllabus

North CarolinaBiology

Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why does biodiversity matter, and what causes species to go extinct?

Explain the importance of biodiversity and the factors, including environmental change, that lead to extinction (North Carolina Standard Course of Study, Biology, LS.Bio.10).
A standard-level answer on biodiversity for the North Carolina Biology EOC: what biodiversity is, why it supports ecosystem stability and human benefit, and the natural and human causes of extinction.
12 min answer →

How are organisms classified, and what does the system tell us about relatedness?

Explain how organisms are classified using a hierarchical system and binomial nomenclature, and how classification reflects evolutionary relationships (North Carolina Standard Course of Study, Biology, LS.Bio.10).
A standard-level answer on classification for the North Carolina Biology EOC: the taxonomic hierarchy from domain to species, the three domains, binomial nomenclature, and using a dichotomous key.
12 min answer →

What lines of evidence support common ancestry and evolution?

Explain how multiple lines of evidence (fossil, anatomical, and molecular) support common ancestry and biological evolution (North Carolina Standard Course of Study, Biology, LS.Bio.9).
A standard-level answer on the evidence for evolution for the North Carolina Biology EOC: the fossil record, homologous and vestigial structures, embryology, and molecular (DNA and protein) evidence for common ancestry.
13 min answer →

How does natural selection lead to adaptation and change in populations over time?

Explain natural selection as a mechanism of evolution and how it leads to adaptation in populations over time (North Carolina Standard Course of Study, Biology, LS.Bio.9).
A standard-level answer on natural selection for the North Carolina Biology EOC: the conditions Darwin identified, how variation and selection produce adaptation, and examples such as antibiotic resistance.
13 min answer →

How do cladograms and phylogenetic trees show evolutionary relationships?

Use models such as cladograms and phylogenetic trees to illustrate and interpret evolutionary relationships among organisms (North Carolina Standard Course of Study, Biology, LS.Bio.10).
A standard-level answer on phylogeny for the North Carolina Biology EOC: how to read a cladogram or phylogenetic tree, what branch points and shared traits mean, and how molecular data builds these trees.
12 min answer →

How do new species form, and how do populations change over time?

Explain how populations change over time and how reproductive isolation can lead to the formation of new species (North Carolina Standard Course of Study, Biology, LS.Bio.10).
A standard-level answer on speciation for the North Carolina Biology EOC: what a species is, how geographic isolation and reproductive isolation lead to new species, and how environmental change drives population change.
13 min answer →