Question 1

The few ancestors of the Galápagos finches who colonized the islands is an example of
A) the bottleneck effect.
B) natural selection.
C) increased mutation rate.
D) artificial selection.
E) the founder effect.

Accepted Answer

The finches that managed to reach the Galápagos Island were few because of the great distance from South America to the Galápagos as well as the usually short distance travelled by finches.

Question 2

Darwin obtained which of the following in the Essay on the Principle of Population by Malthus? A) Organisms are varied and some variations are inherited. B) Populations grow constantly. C) An individual's chance of survival is random. D) Species do not change over time. E) More individuals of a population are born than survive to reproduce.

Accepted Answer

Malthus painted a picture of a grim world, which holds true for animals but which has not held true in human populations, especially since the Green revolution.

Question 3

Use the Hardy-Weinberg equations: p + q = 1 and p² + 2pq + q² = 1.If the dominant allele frequency is 0.8,what percent of the population will be homozygous dominant?
A) 0.32
B) 0.16
C) 0.04
D) 0.64
E) 0.40

Accepted Answer

p² is the proportion of the population which is homozygous dominant.

Question 4

The North American bison was hunted to near-extinction in the 1800s.It has since recovered,but with decreased genetic diversity.This is an example of
A) the founder effect.
B) the bottleneck effect.
C) natural selection.
D) increased mutation rate.
E) artificial selection.

Accepted Answer

Bison populations crashed, leading to refounding of current populations by a small group of survivors.

Question 5

Evolution answers the question of how life began.

Accepted Answer

Evolution is a theory which explains how new species originate.

Question 6

Ancestors of giraffes with shorter necks could not reach branches high up in trees for food.This led to ________ for giraffes with longer necks.
A) stabilizing selection
B) disruptive selection
C) artificial selection
D) sexual selection
E) directional selection

Accepted Answer

Directional selection pushes a population towards one phenotype.

Question 7

Natural selection is a random process.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection is not random.

Question 8

Darwin believed that because of "differential reproductive success" a population would change over time.

Accepted Answer

Darwin's theory of natural selection is based on the idea of "differential reproductive success," where individuals with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, leading to changes in the population over time.

Question 9

A male peacock has enormous tail feathers that it uses in mating displays to attract females.While the tail feathers are an advantage in mating,what is the potential disadvantage of these feathers to the male?
A) The feathers require a lot of energy to produce.
B) Bright feathers make males less susceptible to predation.
C) The feathers make the male more attractive to other males.
D) There are no disadvantages to having large tail feathers.
E) The large tail feathers would make it easier to fly.

Accepted Answer

The basic idea behind any examples of sexual selection is that the trait which is sexually selected is a disadvantage, so a superior genotype can show itself by surviving in spite of such a handicap.

Question 10

Sexually dimorphic features do not include
A) colored plumage.
B) intelligence.
C) antlers.
D) body size.
E) horns.

Accepted Answer

Sexual dimorphism is generally restricted to phenotypes involving physical features.

Question 11

The hundreds of dog breeds are a product of natural selection.

Accepted Answer

The hundreds of dog breeds are primarily a result of artificial selection through selective breeding by humans, not natural selection.

Question 12

Ancestors of the Galápagos finches had two different types of seeds to eat on some islands.Some seeds were very small and required small beaks to handle.Other seeds were very large and required large strong beaks to crack.This led to ________ among the Galápagos finches.
A) directional selection
B) stabilizing selection
C) disruptive selection
D) artificial selection
E) sexual selection

Accepted Answer

Disruptive selection favors either extreme phenotype over the intermediate.

Question 13

Ancestors of giraffes with shorter necks could not reach branches high up in trees for food.This led to ________ for giraffes with longer necks.
A) stabilizing selection
B) disruptive selection
C) artificial selection
D) sexual selection
E) directional selection

Accepted Answer

Directional selection pushes a population towards one phenotype.

Question 14

If an environment changes rapidly,organisms with ________ will be more likely to survive and reproduce.
A) existing beneficial mutations
B) existing neutral mutations
C) the ability to produce beneficial mutations
D) the ability to adapt their genotype
E) All the answer choices are correct.

Accepted Answer

Rapid change does not leave time for new mutations to arise, so existing advantageous phenotypes win out evolutionarily.

Question 15

The founder effect occurs when
A) large groups of individuals leave their home population and establish new settlements, mating only among themselves.
B) small groups of individuals leave their home population and establish new settlements, mating only among themselves.
C) many members of a population die, resulting in a great loss of genetic diversity.
D) many members of a population reproduce causing too much genetic diversity within the population.
E) small groups of individuals leave their home population and join established settlements, and mating with natives.

Accepted Answer

Founder effects involve small founding populations, such as those which manage to reach small islands distant from existing populations.

Question 16

Use the Hardy-Weinberg equations: p + q = 1 and p² + 2pq + q² = 1.If the dominant allele frequency is 0.8,what percentage of the population will be heterozygous?
A) 32%
B) 16%
C) 64%
D) 4%
E) 20%

Accepted Answer

Calculating 2pq gives the percentage of heterozygotes.

Question 17

Artificial selection is responsible for many vegetable varieties.

Accepted Answer

Artificial selection, a process where humans select for desirable traits in plants, has led to the development of many vegetable varieties by selectively breeding plants with specific characteristics.

Question 18

Babies that are at a low birth weight are more likely to have health problems,while women will have difficulty delivering babies with high birth weight.Together this leads to ________ for babies of average birth weight.
A) stabilizing selection
B) disruptive selection
C) directional selection
D) artificial selection
E) sexual selection

Accepted Answer

The safest birth weight for a baby, for both successful birth and survival afterwards, is an intermediate weight.

Question 19

Farmers and horticulturalists bred broccoli,cauliflower,kale,and cabbage from the wild mustard plant through
A) artificial selection.
B) evolution.
C) genetic drift.
D) natural selection.
E) sexual selection.

Accepted Answer

Artificial selection is like natural selection except that the selection is made consciously by humans rather than by blind natural forces.

Question 20

Which type of genetic drift occurs when many members of a population die,resulting in a great loss of genetic diversity?
A) the founder effect
B) the bottleneck effect
C) the directional effect
D) the selective effect
E) None of the answer choices are correct.

Accepted Answer

Disasters and diseases can cause crashes in population, which can, in turn, lead to bottleneck effects.

Quiz 12: Forces of Evolutionary Change

The few ancestors of the Galápagos finches who colonized the islands is an example of

Darwin obtained which of the following in the Essay on the Principle of Population by Malthus?

Use the Hardy-Weinberg equations: p + q = 1 and p² + 2pq + q² = 1.If the dominant allele frequency is 0.8,what percent of the population will be homozygous dominant?

The North American bison was hunted to near-extinction in the 1800s.It has since recovered,but with decreased genetic diversity.This is an example of

Evolution answers the question of how life began.

Ancestors of giraffes with shorter necks could not reach branches high up in trees for food.This led to ________ for giraffes with longer necks.

Natural selection is a random process.

Darwin believed that because of "differential reproductive success" a population would change over time.

A male peacock has enormous tail feathers that it uses in mating displays to attract females.While the tail feathers are an advantage in mating,what is the potential disadvantage of these feathers to the male?

Sexually dimorphic features do not include

The hundreds of dog breeds are a product of natural selection.

Ancestors of the Galápagos finches had two different types of seeds to eat on some islands.Some seeds were very small and required small beaks to handle.Other seeds were very large and required large strong beaks to crack.This led to ________ among the Galápagos finches.

Ancestors of giraffes with shorter necks could not reach branches high up in trees for food.This led to ________ for giraffes with longer necks.

If an environment changes rapidly,organisms with ________ will be more likely to survive and reproduce.

The founder effect occurs when

Use the Hardy-Weinberg equations: p + q = 1 and p² + 2pq + q² = 1.If the dominant allele frequency is 0.8,what percentage of the population will be heterozygous?

Artificial selection is responsible for many vegetable varieties.

Babies that are at a low birth weight are more likely to have health problems,while women will have difficulty delivering babies with high birth weight.Together this leads to ________ for babies of average birth weight.

Farmers and horticulturalists bred broccoli,cauliflower,kale,and cabbage from the wild mustard plant through

Which type of genetic drift occurs when many members of a population die,resulting in a great loss of genetic diversity?