Question 1

While at the gorilla exhibit at the zoo you notice that the sign reads Gorilla gorilla gorilla.You recall that this is a scientific name and is part of a naming system known as

Accepted Answer

The naming system "Gorilla gorilla gorilla" is an example of binomial nomenclature, which was developed by Carolus Linnaeus as a classification system for plants and animals. This system uses two part Latinized names to represent the genus and species of an organism.

Question 2

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Accepted Answer

DNA contains the genetic information for all biological characteristics and functions. It was not studied during Darwin's lifetime, discovered by Mendel, or stored in cells as ribosomes.

Question 3

The evolutionary synthesis

Accepted Answer

The evolutionary synthesis occurred in the 1930s and 1940s and accepted both Darwin's theory of evolution and Mendel's theory of heredity as explaining most evolutionary change. It reconciled the previously disparate fields of genetics, paleontology, and natural selection into a unified theory of evolution. However, it did not emphasize the role of macromutation in evolutionary change, nor did it emphasize theoretical differences between scientific fields.

Question 4

Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

Species within the same genus share a common ancestor and have similar characteristics. Therefore, it is possible for different species to be included in the same genus. However, organisms classified in different orders, families, or kingdoms are less likely to belong to the same genus because they are farther apart on the taxonomic hierarchy and have more differences in their genetic makeup and physical features.

Question 5

Darwin's theory of evolution by means of natural selection was supported by which leading scientist of the time?

Accepted Answer

Huxley was a leading biologist and one of Darwin's most vocal supporters. He defended Darwin's theory of evolution and helped to popularize it through his extensive writing and public lectures. Mendel's work on genetics was not known or recognized until many years after Darwin's theory was published, and while Darwin was influenced by Malthus' ideas on population growth, Malthus himself did not specifically support or endorse Darwin's theory. Lyell was a geologist who also had a significant influence on Darwin, but he did not explicitly support the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Question 6

Why is the work of Alfred Russel Wallace considered when discussing the theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

Alfred Russel Wallace was a contemporary of Charles Darwin and independently arrived at many of the same conclusions about evolution through natural selection. His work and correspondence with Darwin were instrumental in the development of their joint paper on evolution that was presented to the Linnean Society. Therefore, Wallace's work is considered significant in the history of the theory of evolution.

Question 7

________ is most powerful as an evolutionary cause when operating on small populations.

Accepted Answer

Genetic drift is a random factor that can have a significant impact on small populations due to chance events that can lead to certain gene variants becoming more or less prevalent in the population. In contrast, genetic flow (the movement of genes between populations) and natural selection may be more effective at shaping larger populations over time. Mutation can introduce new genetic variability, but its effects are generally slow and gradual, rather than sudden and dramatic like those of genetic drift.

Question 8

James Hutton's research in the mid-18th century demonstrated that the earth was

Accepted Answer

James Hutton's research suggested that the earth was millions of years old, which contradicted the previously accepted belief that the earth was only a few thousand years old. However, he did not provide a specific numerical age for the earth. The estimated age of 4.6 billion years is based on more recent scientific discoveries and methods. The option D) of 100 billion years is also not accurate as the estimated age of the universe is around 13.8 billion years.

Question 9

Darwin's theory of evolution drew from all of the following scientific disciplines except

Accepted Answer

Darwin's theory of evolution was developed before the field of genetics was established. Genetics became a key component of evolutionary biology after the rediscovery of Mendel's work in the early 20th century.

Question 10

What is the only source of new genetic material?

Accepted Answer

Mutations are the only source of new genetic material as they are random changes that occur in DNA sequences. Genetic drift and gene flow can alter the frequency of existing alleles within a population, but they do not introduce new ones. Evolution encompasses all the processes involved in the change of a population over time, but mutation is the only process that creates new genetic material.

Question 11

How is the concept of catastrophism different from the concept of uniformitarianism?

Accepted Answer

Catastrophism is the idea that geologic changes are caused by sudden, violent events such as floods, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions, rather than gradual processes. In contrast, uniformitarianism proposes that the same physical processes that operate today have been shaping the Earth's surface over a long period of time. This theory suggests that the geological processes that we observe in the present have been operating in the same way throughout the history of the Earth.

Question 12

Mendel's discrete units responsible for the characteristics in his pea plants are now known as

Accepted Answer

Mendel's discrete units responsible for characteristics in pea plants are now known as genes.

Question 13

Like most of his contemporaries, Charles Darwin believed

Accepted Answer

Charles Darwin believed in the theory of blending inheritance, which states that physical traits were passed down from each parent and then blended together in the offspring. He eventually realized that this theory could not explain the observed variation in populations and developed his theory of evolution by natural selection. However, at the time Darwin was working, the prevailing belief among scientists was in blending inheritance.

Question 14

What decreases the number of genetic differences between populations?

Accepted Answer

Gene flow refers to the movement of genetic material (e.g. genes, alleles) from one population to another. This can result in a decrease in the number of genetic differences between populations as the genetic material is shared between them. In contrast, genetic drift and mutation can increase the number of genetic differences between populations, while DNA is a macromolecule that carries genetic information but does not directly impact the number of genetic differences between populations.

Question 15

Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species (1859) was considered an important contribution to modern science because

Accepted Answer

On the Origin of Species was not the first work to propose the concept of evolution, as it built upon the ideas of earlier scientists such as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. However, it did synthesize a wide range of scientific evidence from various fields (such as paleontology, geology, and biogeography) to support the theory of evolution through natural selection. While the book faced initial skepticism and controversy, it eventually became widely accepted over time as more evidence accumulated in support of evolutionary theory.

Question 16

James Hutton is associated with

Accepted Answer

James Hutton is primarily associated with the concept of uniformitarianism, which suggests that geological processes occur gradually and consistently over time, rather than being the result of sudden catastrophic events or divine intervention.

Question 17

Whose efforts helped explain how chromosomes are replicated?

Accepted Answer

Rosalind Franklin's X-ray crystallography work provided evidence for the structure of DNA, which James Watson and Francis Crick used to propose the double helix model. Additionally, all three scientists contributed to understanding how chromosomes are replicated.

Question 18

According to Darwin, natural selection operates at the level of

Accepted Answer

Darwin's theory of natural selection operates at the level of individuals, not populations or species. It is the individuals with advantageous traits that survive and reproduce, passing on these traits to their offspring. While genes play a role in determining an individual's traits, natural selection acts on the phenotype of the individual, not the genotype.

Question 19

Natural selection

Accepted Answer

Natural selection works on preexisting variation in a population. This means that individuals within a population have variation in their traits, and those that have traits that best suit their environment are more likely to survive and pass on those traits to their offspring. It does not work on traits acquired through an organism's lifetime or solely on deleterious or advantageous traits.

Question 20

Among the first scientists to conceive of evolutionary change was

Accepted Answer

Erasmus Darwin, a physician and biologist, was one of the first scientists to propose the idea of evolutionary change in the late 18th century. He was Charles Darwin's grandfather and had written about the concept of common ancestry and how all living things descended from a common ancestor. While Erasmus Darwin's work was not as comprehensive or influential as Charles Darwin's later work, he did contribute to the development of evolutionary theory.

Quiz 2: Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory