Question 1

Who is responsible for the first concept regarding the passing on traits or characteristics that were acquired during the lifetime of an organism to its offspring?

Accepted Answer

Jean Baptiste de Lamarck is credited with the first concept regarding the inheritance of acquired characteristics, a theory known as Lamarckism, which proposed that traits developed during an organism's lifetime could be passed on to its offspring.

Question 2

What did Charles Darwin investigate while visiting the Galapagos Islands?

Accepted Answer

Darwin observed that the species on the Galapagos Islands resembled those from continental South America, suggesting a common ancestry and adaptation to different environments.

Question 3

Evolution is genetic change in ____ that occurs over time.

Accepted Answer

Evolution refers to genetic changes that occur in a population over time, not in individuals, communities, ecosystems, or the biosphere.

Question 4

What process has been used to produce many of today's vegetables, such as broccoli, kohlrabi, and cauliflower, which are all derived from wild cabbage?

Accepted Answer

Artificial selection is the process through which humans have developed a wide variety of vegetables from wild cabbage by selectively breeding plants for specific traits, such as larger flowers or different textures.

Question 5

Which are evolutionary modifications that improve the survival and reproductive success of an organism?

Accepted Answer

Adaptations are evolutionary modifications that enhance an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Question 6

The rapid evolution of bacteria and fungi in certain environments is used in the field of:

Accepted Answer

Bioremediation utilizes the natural processes of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, to break down or neutralize pollutants and contaminants in the environment, capitalizing on their rapid evolution and adaptability to various conditions.

Question 7

The differential distribution of wing length in Drosophila , with larger wings in northern areas and smaller wings in southern climates, provides evidence that:

Accepted Answer

The variation in wing length among Drosophila populations in different climates suggests adaptation to environmental conditions, which is a result of natural selection. Larger wings in colder climates may help with heat retention or more efficient flight in less dense air, while smaller wings in warmer climates could reduce overheating or require less energy to maintain. This is evidence that natural selection, rather than chance or non-heritable factors, plays a key role in evolutionary changes.

Question 8

Overproduction, variation, limits on population growth, and differential reproductive success are all components of:

Accepted Answer

These components are all part of the theory of evolution by natural selection, as proposed by Charles Darwin. Overproduction leads to competition, variation allows for some individuals to have advantageous traits, limits on population growth ensure that not all individuals can survive, and differential reproductive success means that those with advantageous traits are more likely to reproduce and pass on those traits.

Question 9

Darwin might have made greater advances in his theory of evolution by natural selection if he had:

Accepted Answer

Darwin was unaware of Gregor Mendel's work on genetics, which was conducted around the same time. Mendel's findings on inheritance and genetic variation could have provided Darwin with a mechanism for how traits are passed down and vary within populations, which is a key component of natural selection.

Question 10

During the 1920s to 1940s, biologists combined Mendelian genetics with Darwin's theory to form a unified explanation of evolution that is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

The modern synthesis is the term used to describe the fusion of Mendelian genetics with Darwinian evolution, leading to a comprehensive framework for understanding evolution. This synthesis occurred during the 1920s to 1940s, integrating insights from genetics, systematics, paleontology, and other disciplines to form a coherent theory of evolution by natural selection, emphasizing the role of genetic variation and changes in gene frequency within populations over time.

Question 11

Which process provides the genetic variability that natural selection acts on during evolution?

Accepted Answer

Mutation is the process that introduces genetic variability into the gene pool of a population. These variations are what natural selection acts upon during the process of evolution.

Question 12

Who arranged organisms into a scale of nature and first stated that organisms changed toward the more complex and perfect?

Accepted Answer

Aristotle is credited with arranging organisms into a scale of nature, also known as the Great Chain of Being, and was one of the earliest to propose a linear scale of life from simple to complex forms.

Question 13

What is an example of a limit on population growth, and proposed by Darwin to be a mechanism of evolution by natural selection?

Accepted Answer

Predation is an example of a limit on population growth and is proposed by Darwin to be a mechanism of evolution by natural selection, as it can influence which individuals survive and reproduce.

Question 14

Fossil evidence shows that giraffes living 1000 years ago had much shorter necks than the giraffes seen today. Which statement best explains this observation?

Accepted Answer

The most plausible explanation for the observed difference in neck length over time is that giraffes with longer necks had a selective advantage, perhaps in reaching food sources like leaves in taller trees. Over generations, this trait became more common in the population through the process of natural selection, leading to the modern giraffes with significantly longer necks than their ancestors.

Question 15

In which group of islands Charles Darwin observed variation among organisms and compared these organisms to those found on the mainland?

Accepted Answer

Charles Darwin observed variation among organisms in the Galapagos Islands, which played a crucial role in the development of his theory of natural selection. These observations compared the island species with those from the mainland.

Question 16

Who originally published the idea that food supplies, which sustain animal populations, have the capacity to increase arithmetically?

Accepted Answer

Thomas Malthus published the idea that food supplies increase arithmetically in his essay on the principle of population.

Question 17

Individual species will continually evolve as a result of which evolutionary mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection is the evolutionary mechanism by which individual species continually evolve, as it involves the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype.

Question 18

What does the modern synthesis theory of evolution emphasize?

Accepted Answer

The modern synthesis theory of evolution emphasizes population genetics, integrating Darwin's theory of natural selection with Mendelian genetics.

Question 19

Four of the following ideas are consistent with Darwinian evolution . Which one is the exception?

Accepted Answer

Traits acquired during an individual's life are not passed on to its offspring according to Darwinian evolution. This concept, known as Lamarckism, is not supported by Darwin's theory of natural selection.

Question 20

Whose findings of evolution by natural selection were presented with those of Darwin?

Accepted Answer

Alfred Wallace independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection, and his work was presented jointly with Charles Darwin's in 1858, leading to the theory being associated with both of their names.

Quiz 18: Introduction to Darwinian Evolution