Macroevolution
This AP® Biology content examines how speciation, extinction, and environmental change shape the evolution and diversity of life on Earth. Learners will explore the conditions and mechanisms that drive new species formation. They will analyze how genetic diversity, environmental change, and human activity influence extinction risk and overall ecosystem diversity. Finally, learners will analyze the scientific evidence supporting current models for the origin of life, connecting early Earth conditions to the processes that generate biodiversity today. AP® is a registered trademark of the College Board, which has not reviewed this resource.
Topics
- AP
- AP Biology
- AP Bio
- next generation science standards
- NGSS
- speciation
- allopatric speciation
- sympatric speciation
- reproductive isolation
- genetic variation
- allele frequencies
- mutation
- natural selection
- adaptive radiation
- convergent evolution
- divergence
- hybridization
- polyploidy
- chromosome variation
- hybrid zones
- geographic isolation
- environmental pressures
- fossil record
- phyletic gradualism
- punctuated equilibrium
- biodiversity
- extinction
- origin of life
- RNA world hypothesis
- endosymbiosis
- early earth
- photosynthesis evolution
- plant evolution
- ecological niches