Question 1

Any characteristic that improves an organism's reproductive success in its environment is called a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Any characteristic that improves an organism's reproductive...

Question 2

Genetic variation within a population is the result of the expression of the different ________ of a gene.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Genetic variation within a population is the...

Question 3

Humans have bred cows that are specialized for milk production by mating female cows that produce large quantities of milk with male cows whose mothers also produced large quantities of milk.This is an example of ________ selection.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Humans have bred cows that are specialized...

Question 4

Early scholars recognized that species change over time,either because of chance or because of changes imposed by their environment.

Accepted Answer

Early scholars, such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, proposed that species change over time due to natural selection, which is driven by changes in their environment. This idea was further developed and supported by later scientific discoveries and research.

Question 5

Cliff swallows in southwestern Nebraska are experiencing a new natural selection pressure; the swallows that are less agile are more likely to be killed by ________.

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The answer of Cliff swallows in southwestern Nebraska are experiencing...

Question 6

The fossils of organisms that existed when the continents were connected are distributed across ________ continents than the fossils of organisms that evolved after the continents separated.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The fossils of organisms that existed when...

Question 7

One result of ________ over evolutionary time spans is that the alleles that enable individuals to survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other individuals become more common in the population.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One result of ________ over evolutionary time...

Question 8

Suppose a population's gene pool consists of the A and a alleles in a ratio of 80:20.If the population has reached equilibrium,the next generation will consist of genotypes in a ratio of

Accepted Answer

According to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation, the expected genotype frequencies for a population with alleles A and a in the ratio of 80:20 would be: AA = (0.8)^2 = 0.64, Aa = 2(0.8)(0.2) = 0.32, and aa = (0.2)^2 = 0.04. Therefore, the ratio of genotypes in the next generation would be approximately 25AA:50Aa:25aa, which matches option C.

Question 9

A study by Charles and Mary Brown has documented a reduction in the wing length of cliff swallows that live near busy roadways; the study proposes that the need to avoid being hit by cars is the evolutionary driving force for the change.How would you evaluate this hypothesis if wing length had also shortened in cliff swallow populations that live in the desert Southwest where traffic is virtually nonexistent?

Accepted Answer

If wing length had also shortened in cliff swallow populations that live in the desert Southwest where traffic is virtually nonexistent, it would suggest that some other factor besides vehicular collisions is driving the evolution of shorter wings. This raises doubts about the hypothesis that the need to avoid cars is the driving force for the reduction in wing length, and suggests that further investigation is necessary to identify what that factor might be.

Question 10

The origin of many species of Galápagos finches from one original species is an example of

Accepted Answer

The origin of many species of Galápagos finches from one original species is an example of adaptation and speciation. This refers to the process by which a single species evolves into multiple species that are adapted to their specific environments. The finches on the different islands of the Galápagos archipelago adapted to the unique food sources and environments on each island, resulting in the development of different beak shapes and sizes. This is a classic example of natural selection and provides evidence for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Question 11

In ________ selection,success is related more to attracting a mate than to possessing adaptations that are beneficial for survival.

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The answer of In ________ selection,success is related more to...

Question 12

________ are the preserved remains of formerly living organisms.

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The answer of ________ are the preserved remains of formerly...

Question 13

Which of the following agricultural practices is supported by our current knowledge of the evolutionary process?

Accepted Answer

Rotating pest control methods helps prevent pests from evolving resistance to a single method, aligning with evolutionary principles of variation and selection.

Question 14

After reading an essay written by ________,both Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace became aware of the potential for populations to increase beyond their environment's capacity to provide for all individuals,resulting in competition for survival.

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The answer of After reading an essay written by ________,both...

Question 15

The protein sequences and DNA sequences of organisms that share a recent common ancestor are likely to be ________ similar than those of organisms that do not share a recent common ancestor.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The protein sequences and DNA sequences of...

Question 16

Plate tectonics causes the ________ of Earth's landmasses over geologic time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Plate tectonics causes the ________ of Earth's...

Question 17

The need for new alleles to confront issues like environmental change has nothing to do with the specificity or rate of ________; the process is entirely random.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The need for new alleles to confront...

Question 18

Some highly successful biologists also have a strong religious faith.How do they reconcile their faith with the scientific evidence for evolution?

Accepted Answer

Many biologists who are religious reconcile their faith and their work in evolutionary biology by recognizing that religion and science are separate domains that do not overlap with each other. They may see religion as providing answers to questions about meaning, purpose, and morality, while science provides empirical explanations of the natural world. They may also recognize that scientific theories, including the theory of evolution, are provisional and subject to revision based on new evidence. Ultimately, how individual biologists reconcile their faith and their scientific work is a personal matter that may reflect their own experiences and beliefs.

Question 19

One of the consequences of ________ is a change in the proportions of one or more of the inherited characteristics found in the next generation,compared with the original population.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the consequences of ________ is...

Question 20

Some finches on the Galápagos Islands feed on insects,an unusual food for finches to eat.Which of the following statements about these finches is most likely to be true?

Accepted Answer

The fact that there are no typical insect-eating birds on the Galápagos Islands suggests that competition for insect food sources is low. This would make it easier for finches to gradually adapt to eating insects as part of their diet. Option A is not necessarily true, as the finches may have adapted to their island environment over time. Option B is unlikely, as there is no evidence that these finches observed and learned from local birds. Option C is unsupported, as there is no information provided to suggest that insects are nutritionally superior to other foods available on the island.

Quiz 14: How Evolution Works