Deck 4: The Forces of Evolution and the Formation of Species

Question 1

Which will result in a transformation of a population?

A) directional selection
B) stabilizing selection
C) both of these
D) neither of these

Answer 1

directional selection

Question 2

Which of the following is best defined as the differential reproductive success among members of the same species?

A) sexual selection
B) genetic bottleneck
C) founder effect
D) sexual dimorphism

Answer 2

sexual selection

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of genetic bottleneck?

A) a small population becomes isolated from its parent gene pool
B) a large diverse gene pool undergoes a rapid decrease in size and then increases again
C) a large diverse population is separated into two distinct gene pools
D) all of these

Answer 3

a large diverse gene pool undergoes a rapid decrease in size and then increases again

Question 4

The frequency of EVC among the American Amish populations is the result of __________.

A) sexual selection
B) genetic bottleneck
C) founder effect
D) sexual dimorphism

Question 5

The a population, the greater the potential effect of genetic drift on gene frequencies.

A) larger
B) more diverse
C) more migratory
D) smaller

Question 6

Evolution by natural selection works directly on , transforming __________.

A) alleles, phenotypes
B) individuals, populations
C) populations, genotypes
D) DNA, individuals

Question 7

Many mutations are __________.

A) positive
B) negative
C) neutral
D) fatal

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of genetic drift?

A) a random mutation introduces a new trait into a population
B) a population migrates
C) a certain gene travels through a population over many generations
D) all of these

Question 9

Founder effect occurs when __________.

A) a subset of a larger population becomes isolated
B) a negative mutation is allowed to reproduce
C) a large population comes into contact with a smaller population
D) several gene pools blend together forming a new, larger gene pool

Question 10

Gene flow cannot counter the deleterious effects of inbreeding.

Question 11

Natural selection works on the __________ of an individual organism.

A) phenotype
B) genotype
C) chromosomes
D) alleles

Question 12

When populations migrate, their genes are experiencing __________.

A) genetic drift
B) gene flow
C) founder effect
D) differential mortality

Question 13

When evolution works to effect a change in a population, it is engaged in __________.

A) stabilizing selection
B) the inheritance of acquired characteristics
C) gene flow
D) directional selection

Question 14

There are natural forces outside of natural selection that produce evolutionary changes in populations.

Question 15

A change in the frequency of a gene in a population over time due to entirely random factors is called __________.

A) gene flow
B) admixture
C) genetic drift
D) bottleneck effect

Question 16

Natural selection has played no role in historical human populations.

Question 17

Where do new variations come from?

A) changes in the genetic material
B) point mutations
C) chromosomal mutations
D) all of these

Question 18

Mutations of great significance usually occur within one generation.

Question 19

The process of stabilizing selection results in __________.

A) the slow transformation of a population
B) the rapid transformation of a population
C) keeping a population uniform
D) the production of new variations in a population

Question 20

The prime driver of sexual selection is competition between males for mates.

Question 21

Organisms are composed of both ancestral and derived characters.

Question 22

Which of the following is related to Mayr's Biological Species Concept?

A) natural populations
B) reproductive isolation
C) potentially interbreeding populations
D) all of these

Question 23

According to the Biological Species Concept, two groups of creatures are sometimes considered separate species even if they are capable of creating fertile offspring.

Question 24

Which of the following represents a pre-mating isolation mechanism?

A) zygote invariability
B) sperm-egg incompatibility
C) offspring sterility
D) mechanical incompatibility

Question 25

The difference in size, shape, or color between the sexes within a species is referred to as __________.

A) sexual selection
B) genetic bottleneck
C) reproductive variance
D) sexual dimorphism

Question 26

A scientist working mostly with fossils is likely to use which species concept?

A) biological
B) evolutionary
C) ecological
D) recognition

Question 27

Features that are analogous are similar due to __________.

A) convergent evolution
B) parallel evolution
C) similar patterns of use
D) all of these

Question 28

What is a difference between a cladogram and a phylogeny?

A) only phylogenies show the evolutionary relatedness of individuals
B) cladograms lack anatomical information
C) cladograms don't depict the distance in time between groups
D) there is no difference between cladograms and phylogenies

Question 29

Features that are homologous are similar due to __________.

A) convergent evolution
B) parallel evolution
C) similar patterns of use
D) shared evolutionary history

Question 30

Which of the following best defines the concept of ancestral characters?

A) traits shared between species due to a shared evolutionary history
B) analogous traits shared by unrelated species
C) traits shared due to convergent evolution
D) features that a species possesses that distinguish them from all related species

Question 31

It is thought that males often compete for access to females because females have __________.

A) greater strength
B) limited reproductive potential
C) larger size
D) more parental investment

Question 32

A scientist focusing on the evolutionary history of specific significant traits is engaged in __________.

A) Lysenkoism
B) phylogeny
C) homology
D) cladistics

Question 33

From an evolutionary perspective, which approach to taxonomy is least useful?

A) phenetics
B) cladistics
C) phylogeny
D) systematics

Question 34

Linnaeus classified species based on evolutionary relationships.

Question 35

Today, the study of taxonomy is usually called __________.

A) systematics
B) homology
C) analogy
D) cladistics

Question 36

A species' derived characters are __________.

A) shared with related species
B) what distinguishes it from other related species
C) the result of convergent evolution
D) none of these

Question 37

Which of the following best defines the concept of analogous traits?

A) traits shared between species due to a shared evolutionary history
B) traits shared between members of the same species
C) traits shared due to convergent evolution
D) features that a species possesses that distinguish them from all related species.

Question 38

A clade contains species __________.

A) linked by a set of unique traits
B) that display no apparent evolutionary relationship
C) separated by distinct analogous traits
D) that have gone extinct

Question 39

Parallel evolution results in __________.

A) analogous traits
B) derived characters
C) homologies
D) sexual dimorphism

Question 40

Occam's Razor states that one should start with more complex hypotheses and work towards simpler ones.

Question 41

A trait that evolved for a purpose other than what it does today would not be considered an adaptation.

Question 42

The most common examples of sympatric speciation seen in nature occur in plants.

Question 43

The idea of __________ asserts that some evolutionary changes may not even involve intermediate forms.

A) saltation
B) punctuated equilibrium
C) gradualism
D) anagenesis

Question 44

Adaptations are __________.

A) traits that evolved for a purpose other than their present purpose
B) genotypic traits that decrease an organism's reproductive success
C) traits that evolve according to an organism's will
D) phenotypic traits that increase an organism's reproductive success

Question 45

G.H. Hardy was a __________.

A) mathematician
B) biologist
C) chemist
D) physicist

Question 46

Macroevolution and punctuated equilibrium help explain __________.

A) the abundance of intermediate forms in the fossil record
B) gradualism
C) gaps in the fossil record
D) the interrelationships among an organism's characteristics.

Question 47

Recent genetic studies of gorillas have revealed

A) a surprising amount of genetic diversity
B) that gorillas and chimps are almost genetically identical
C) that gorilla phenotypes vary more widely than previously known
D) all of these

Question 48

Which of the following is a characteristic of the "ideal population" for the null hypothesis?

A) an infinitely large population
B) non-random mating
C) a small, fragmented population
D) a strong evolutionary force

Question 49

Geographic separation is an important factor in speciation.

A) allopatric
B) parapatric
C) anagenesis
D) sympatric

Question 50

Gaps in the fossil record can be explained as episodes of __________.

A) saltation
B) macroevolution
C) punctuated equilibrium
D) all of these

Question 51

The most influential current alternative to the biological species concept is the ecological species concept.

Question 52

What is the null hypothesis?

A) genetic drift does not occur but gene flow does
B) every biological trait is an adaptation
C) natural selection has no effect on a population
D) social animals should behave less competitively toward close kin due to their shared genes

Question 53

With cladogenesis __________.

A) species A become species B
B) species A and species B cannot coexist
C) species A might branch into two or more species
D) species A goes extinct before it can produce species B

Question 54

__________ consider every aspect of an organism to be the product of natural or sexual selection.

A) Holists
B) Gradualists
C) Creationists
D) Adaptationists

Question 55

Anagenesis is said to have occurred when __________.

A) one species evolves into another over time
B) a species coexists with its mother species
C) geographic separation is responsible for speciation
D) populations share genetic material

Question 56

Holists are likely to consider __________.

A) some apparent adaptations to be the result of sudden episodes of macroevolution
B) most adaptations to be the work of a divine creator
C) some apparent adaptations to be the by-product of other evolutionary changes
D) all of a creature's traits to be adaptive

Question 57

Adjacent populations, continuous gene flow, and hybrid zones are all factors of ___________ speciation.

A) allopatric
B) parapatric
C) anagenesis
D) sympatric

Question 58

The most important and prevalent type of biological evolution is __________.

A) macroevolution
B) punctuated equilibrium
C) saltation
D) gradualism

Question 59

Gradualism asserts that __________.

A) species sometimes undergo rapid macroevolutionary change
B) species slowly transform into other species
C) gaps in the fossil record cannot be explained
D) saltation is the best interpretation of the fossil record

Question 60

The Hardy-Weinberg formula can be used to __________.

A) model gene distribution
B) calculate approximate allele frequencies
C) reveal the presence of an evolutionary force at work in a population
D) all of these

Question 61

Which of the following predicts that social animals should behave less competitively toward close kin due to their shared genes?

A) the null hypothesis
B) punctuated equilibrium
C) kin selection
D) Lamarckianism

Question 62

Explain why gradualism is considered such a prevalent form of evolution. Given its popularity, why do alternative models like punctuated equilibrium exist?

Question 63

Explain the relationship between phenotype, genotype, and natural selection. Be sure to include the terms gene frequency, directional selection, and stabilizing selection.

Question 64

Explain the mechanics of punctuated equilibrium. What are some problems associated with this type of speciation? Who favors this view and why?

Question 65

According to the ideas of inclusive fitness, an animal __________.

A) is only concerned with its own survival and reproduction.
B) the reproductive success of one's kin also matters
C) only individual selection matters in evolution
D) animals compete equally with all creatures of the same species

Question 66

Citing the example of the HMS Bounty and EVC syndrome among the Amish, explain the mechanisms of gene flow and genetic drift, and the founder effect.

Question 67

Which of the following best defines the idea of group selection?

A) organisms never act altruistically
B) natural selection can sometimes occur for the good of a whole group of animals
C) animals never act selfishly
D) all of these

Question 68

What is sexual selection? Employing the concepts of reproductive variance and sexual dimorphism, explain how sexual selection results in peculiar morphology of male peacock feathers.

Question 69

Describe the seemingly altruistic squirrel behavior provided in you text. How can this behavior be explained in terms of kin selection and inclusive fitness? How does the squirrel's behavior differ from that described in Wynne-Edwards' idea of group selection?

Question 70

Ideal populations are common in nature.

Question 71

Describe the difference between adaptationist and holist views of evolution. What is a possible reconciliation of these different views?

Question 72

Discuss three different species concepts. What do they hold in common? How do they differ?

Question 73

Which of the following is a difference between kin selection and group selection?

A) kin selection does not involve altruism
B) group selection does not involve altruism
C) group selection explains selfish behavior
D) none of these

Question 74

Outline the biological species concept and contrast it with one other species concept. What are the difficulties raised by applying multiple species concepts?

Question 75

Which of the following summarizes Hamilton's rule?

A) animals never act altruistically
B) speciation may occur as the result of macroevolution
C) the closer the degree of kinship, the more likely altruistic behavior becomes
D) all of an animal's traits are adaptive

Question 76

By its very nature, a gene for altruism would be selected out of a population.

Question 77

Hamilton's rule presents the main difference between group selection and inclusive fitness.

Question 78

Sociobiologists seek to explain an animal's social behavior in terms of __________.

A) the null hypothesis
B) inclusive fitness
C) macroevolution
D) Hardy's formula

Question 79

Explain the difference between and cladistics and phenetics. What are some problems associated with each? How might the Law of Parsimony apply?

Question 80

Hardy's paper absolutely put to rest notions of "blending inheritance."