Deck 5: Ecological Genetics: Adaptation and Natural Selection

Question 1

An organism's structure and ________ reflect adaptations to its particular environment.

Answer 1

function

Question 2

________ is the differential success of individuals in a population in response to environmental conditions.

Answer 2

Natural selection

Question 3

The basic informational units of DNA are called ________.

Answer 3

genes

Question 4

The proportionate contribution that an individual makes to future generations is called its ________.

Question 5

________ are inheritable changes in a gene or chromosome.

Question 6

Phenotypic characteristics that fall into a limited number of discrete categories are considered ________ traits.

Question 7

Phenotypic evolution is a change in ________ over time, within a population.

Question 8

________ mating occurs when individuals choose mates non-randomly.

Question 9

________ is the movement of individuals between local populations.

Question 10

An organism that derives its energy from sunlight is a(n)________.

Question 11

The acquisition of ________ is probably the most fundamental constraint to life.

Question 12

The position occupied by a gene on the chromosome is called the ________.

Question 13

A(n)________ is a measurable, gradual change over a geographic region in the average value of a trait.

Question 14

The total collection of alleles across all individuals in a population at any one time is called the ________.

Question 15

The type of natural selection in which the mean value of a trait is shifted toward one extreme is called ________ selection.

Question 16

A(n)________ is a population that has adapted to its unique local environmental conditions.

Question 17

If the physical expression of a heterozygous individual is intermediate between those of the homozygotes, the alleles are ________.

Question 18

A ________ individual has the same alleles at the same locus on homologous chromosomes.

Question 19

When genetic variation occurs among subpopulations of the same species it is known as genetic ________.

Question 20

The outward appearance of an organism for a given characteristic is called its ________.

Question 21

Evolution is a generational change in

A)phenotypes.
B)mutations.
C)gene frequencies.
D)heritability of characteristics.

Question 22

Bacteria may become resistant to an antibiotic via mutation, plasmid transfer, or ________.

Question 23

Does natural selection play any role in the fitness of hybrids? How is hybridization different than ecological speciation?

Question 24

The identity of the alleles at a given locus is the

A)genotype.
B)phenotype.
C)heterozygote.
D)chromosome

Question 25

Researcher Beren Robinson has studied sticklebacks inhabiting two habitat types: benthic and ________.

Question 26

The specific traits of a particular organism in a given environment are called

A)mutations.
B)genes.
C)adaptations.
D)phenotypes.

Question 27

An allele that completely masks the effect of another allele is considered

A)co-dominant.
B)dominant.
C)ineffective.
D)recessive.

Question 28

The sum of all alleles across all individuals in the population is called the

A)phenotype frequency.
B)gene pool.
C)allele assemblage.
D)genetic equilibration.

Question 29

What colour are the eyes of a bird heterozygous for eye colour (A = yellow, a = blue)?

A)blue
B)green
C)yellow
D)white

Question 30

Which of the following characteristics is an example of a qualitative trait?

A)flower colour
B)arm length
C)body weight
D)root length

Question 31

Organisms can respond to both temporal and ________ changes in the environment.

Question 32

The fitness of any phenotype is a function of the prevailing ________ conditions.

Question 33

The process by which one species gives rise to multiple species that exploit different features of the environment is called ________.

Question 34

The Hardy-Weinberg principle assumes ________ mating.

Question 35

The alternate forms of a gene are called

A)chromosomes.
B)loci.
C)alleles.
D)genomes.

Question 36

In relationship to natural selection and subsequent evolution, fitness

A)represents the physical stamina of an organism.
B)is inherited.
C)increases with body size.
D)is a measure of lifespan.

Question 37

The ability of a genotype to give rise to a variety of phenotypic expressions under different environmental conditions is called ________.

Question 38

Natural selection is a function of

A)reproduction.
B)survival.
C)survival and size.
D)reproduction and survival.

Question 39

The mechanism of evolution proposed by Darwin is

A)mutation.
B)natural selection.
C)inheritance.
D)adaptation.

Question 40

The mechanism of evolution that Darwin presents in The Origin of Species is

A)genetic drift.
B)natural selection.
C)plasticity.
D)acclimatization.

Question 41

The effect of positive assortative mating is to

A)increase the number of homozygotes in the population.
B)increase the number of heterozygotes in the population.
C)reduce the number of individuals with diseases in the population.
D)increase the fertility of individuals in the population.

Question 42

Individual beak size of individual finches of the Galapagos islands

A)may change during a bird's lifetime.
B)will always match the beak size useful for seed foraging.
C)has nothing to do with overall population characteristics.
D)will greatly influence individual survival.

Question 43

According to the Hardy-Weinberg principle, which of the following must be true for gene frequencies in a population to remain the same?

A)Mating is random.
B)Mutations occur consistently.
C)The population is small.
D)Natural selection occurs.

Question 44

A population that is adapted to its unique local environmental conditions is called a(n)

A)clinal population.
B)subspecies.
C)geographic isolate.
D)ecotype.

Question 45

Speciation resulting from the geographic isolation of a species is known as

A)hybridization.
B)allopatry.
C)sympatry.
D)ecological speciation.

Question 46

Reversible phenotypic changes of an individual organism in response to changing environmental conditions are referred to as

A)acclimation.
B)evolution.
C)selection.
D)norm of reaction.

Question 47

Researcher Beren Robinson has documented divergent natural selection in several populations of

A)stickleback.
B)salamander.
C)finch.
D)white-tailed deer.

Question 48

Multiplication of chromosomes, allowing for fertile hybrid offspring, is known as

A)polyploidy.
B)pleitropy.
C)apomixis.
D)allopatry.

Question 49

Bacteria may acquire genes that confer antibiotic resistance in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A)mutation.
B)transformation.
C)plasmid transfer.
D)recombination following sexual reproduction.

Question 50

A change in allele frequency due to random chance is known as

A)inbreeding.
B)mutation.
C)migration.
D)genetic drift.

Question 51

The geographic isolates of a particular species (e.g., Plethodon of the Appalachian highlands)are considered

A)genetically stable.
B)subspecies.
C)an evolutionary "dead end."
D)an ecotype.

Question 52

Adaptive radiation

A)is the mechanism of evolution.
B)results in new specialized species.
C)reduces diversity.
D)is the result of fixed environmental conditions.

Question 53

The simplest response an individual organism can make to a change in environmental conditions is to

A)remain still.
B)move to a more suitable location.
C)produce offspring that are better suited to the new conditions.
D)reduce foraging activity.

Question 54

What is the primary original source of genetic variation in a population?

A)mutation
B)genetic drift
C)blending inheritance
D)cloning

Question 55

Evolution is a process of perpetual change against a backdrop of

A)natural selection and fitness.
B)stability and permanency.
C)environmental variation and random events.
D)adaptive radiation and phenotypic plasticity.

Question 56

If birds with larger beaks are favoured by the environment, it is likely that ________ selection will occur.

A)directional
B)disruptive
C)stabilizing
D)standardizing

Question 57

A bimodal distribution of a trait in a population is the result of

A)stabilizing selection.
B)natural selection.
C)directional selection.
D)disruptive selection.

Question 58

Under which of the following conditions would genetic drift exert the greatest influence?

A)a population with a large range
B)a small population
C)a very large population
D)a population that has access to sufficient resources

Question 59

Researchers Rosemary and Peter Grant have discovered that beak size frequency of Galapagos Island medium ground finch populations varies with all the following, EXCEPT

A)rainfall.
B)seed hardness.
C)seed size.
D)seed colour.

Question 60

The area above and below the optimum range of tolerance is known as the zone of

A)intolerance.
B)unhappiness.
C)psychological stress.
D)physiological stress.

Question 61

Evolution is defined as a change in phenotypic frequencies over time in a population.

Question 62

An individual evolves during its lifetime.

Question 63

Variation within and among species would increase dramatically if the environment were homogeneous.

Question 64

Changes due to developmental plasticity are reversible.

Question 65

All living things assimilate energy, reproduce, and respond to stimuli.

Question 66

Species are generally limited to a single isolated population.

Question 67

In the Hardy-Weinberg equation P + H + Q = 1, what does "Q" represent?

A)the total number of individuals in the population
B)the frequency of heterozygotes
C)the frequency of dominant homozygotes
D)the frequency of recessive homozygotes

Question 68

Genes are discrete subunits of chromosomes that form the informational units of the DNA molecule.

Question 69

Genetic variation is essential for natural selection.

Question 70

Most traits are influenced by only one locus.

Question 71

Gene flow is restricted for geographic isolates because of some extrinsic barrier.

Question 72

Disruptive selection favours individuals possessing traits near the mean value of a population.

Question 73

Ecotypes are variants within a species that are adapted to local environmental conditions.

Question 74

Charles Darwin advocated a theory of evolution by individuals acquiring useful characteristics during their lifetimes.

Question 75

Often, characteristics that give an individual an advantage in one environment will be a disadvantage in other environments.

Question 76

Peter and Rosemary Grant documented natural selection and evolution in a population of finches in the Galapagos Islands.

Question 77

Genes are arranged in threadlike bodies called chromosomes.

Question 78

Some of the best examples of phenotypic plasticity occur among plants.

Question 79

Inbreeding is usually beneficial to a population because it increases genetic diversity.

Question 80

Heritability is not an essential feature of natural selection.