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New YorkBiology

Module 5: Evolution and biodiversity

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

What is biodiversity, why does it matter, and how is it linked to the stability of ecosystems?

Explain what biodiversity is, why genetic and species diversity matter for the resilience of populations and ecosystems, and how human activity threatens it (NYSSLS LS4, stability and change; cause and effect).
A NYSSLS-level answer on biodiversity for the New York Life Science: Biology Regents: what biodiversity is, why genetic and species diversity make populations and ecosystems more resilient, and how human activity threatens it.
10 min answer →

How do we represent the evolutionary relationships between species, and what does common ancestry mean?

Explain how species are related through common ancestry and how an evolutionary tree (phylogenetic diagram) represents these relationships, interpreting branching to infer relatedness (NYSSLS LS4, patterns; systems and system models).
A NYSSLS-level answer on common ancestry for the New York Life Science: Biology Regents: what common ancestry means, how an evolutionary tree represents relationships, and how to read branching points to judge how closely species are related.
10 min answer →

What lines of evidence show that species have evolved from common ancestors?

Describe the lines of evidence for evolution (fossils, comparative anatomy, embryology and molecular/DNA evidence) and explain how each supports common ancestry (NYSSLS LS4, patterns; structure and function).
A NYSSLS-level answer on the evidence for evolution for the New York Life Science: Biology Regents: the fossil record, comparative anatomy and homologous structures, embryology, and molecular evidence such as DNA, and how each supports common ancestry.
11 min answer →

How does natural selection cause populations to change over time?

Explain how variation, overproduction, competition and differential survival lead to natural selection, and how this changes the proportion of traits in a population over time (NYSSLS LS4, cause and effect; patterns).
A NYSSLS-level answer on natural selection for the New York Life Science: Biology Regents: how variation, overproduction, competition and differential survival drive evolution, with the Beaks of Finches investigation and worked examples.
11 min answer →

How do new species arise, and why do species become extinct?

Explain how new species form when populations become reproductively isolated and diverge, and how environmental change can lead to extinction (NYSSLS LS4, cause and effect; stability and change).
A NYSSLS-level answer on speciation and extinction for the New York Life Science: Biology Regents: how reproductive isolation and divergence form new species, and how environmental change and a poor match of traits lead to extinction.
11 min answer →