Question 1

If a plant population evolves the ability to grow on soils with a chemical composition that most plants cannot tolerate, which of the following statements is false?

Accepted Answer

A)   The species may expand into geographic areas where it did not previously occur.
B)   Because of the competitive advantage they provide, the alleles that facilitate growing on the chemically challenging soils will almost surely spread throughout the geographic range of the species.
C)   The population may have to adapt to a different suite of competitors that occur on more typical soils.
D)   The population may have to adapt to a different suite of herbivores that occur on more typical soils.

Question 2

The studies by Rieseberg and colleagues on sunflowers showed that hybrids between two species

Accepted Answer

A)   are always sterile.
B)   have new genetic combinations that their parental species do not have.
C)   sometimes can grow in environments where their parental species cannot.
D)   typically outcompete individuals of their parental species due to hybrid vigor.

Question 3

Carroll's studies showed that the beaks of soapberry bugs

Accepted Answer

A)   can evolve appreciably in less than a century.
B)   evolve as a defense against parasites.
C)   did not evolve in response to the availability of food sources.
D)   evolve so slowly that evolutionary change could not be measured. A

Question 4

Which of the following is not a possible reason for why adaptations are not perfect?

Accepted Answer

A)   Gene flow can bring genetic variants into a population that are not perfectly adapted to the local environment.
B)   The population may lack the appropriate genetic variation to respond to natural selection.
C)   An allele that is favored by natural selection may cause other effects that are harmful.
D)   Some adaptations, such as physiological adaptations to minimize heat stress in a globally warming climate, may be beneficial throughout the geographic range of a species.

Question 5

Refer to the figure.
 The figures show the distribution of beak sizes in Galápagos medium ground finches (Geospiza fortis)  before and after a year of extreme drought that reduced the availability of seed types most easily accessed by birds with pre-drought bills. Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   Between 1976 and 1978, mean beak depth increased by approximately 30%, which is an example of disruptive selection.
B)   Between 1976 and 1978, mean beak depth increased by approximately 10%, which is an example of directional selection.
C)   Between 1976 and 1978, mean beak depth increased by approximately 10%, which is an example of stabilizing selection.
D)   Between 1976 and 1978, mean beak depth did not change significantly, but variance increased, as expected for disruptive selection.

Question 6

The mutation rate of a gene involved in glucose metabolism is five mutations per million copies of the gene per generation. Suppose there are two million individuals in a population of a species of snake, each with two copies of this gene (i.e., they are diploid) . In this snake population, how many new mutations would we expect of this gene in each generation?

Accepted Answer

A)   Fewer than 1
B)   5
C)   10
D)   20 D

Question 7

You are studying two species of tree frog. The two species are found on two different islands, separated by 200 km of ocean water. Species A lives on very light-colored rocks and species B lives on dark-colored trees. Which process is least likely to affect allele frequencies in the population?

Accepted Answer

A)   Gene flow between the two islands
B)   Genetic drift
C)   Natural selection
D)   Mutation

Question 8

Which process changes allele frequencies by chance alone?

Accepted Answer

A)   Disruptive selection
B)   Stabilizing selection
C)   Genetic drift
D)   Directional selection

Question 9

Refer to the figure.
s allele at different latitudes in Australia taken in 1979?1982, and again in 2002?2004. Consider 1981 as the baseline for the 1979?1982 data, and 2003 as the baseline for the 2002?2004 data. Based on these data, the cline is shifting _______ per year toward the _______. A)  0.18°; north B)  0.45°; north C)  0.18°; south D)  0.45°; south" class="answers-bank-image d-inline" rel="preload" >
- The figure shows the frequency of the Adhs allele at different latitudes in Australia taken in 1979?1982, and again in 2002?2004. Consider 1981 as the baseline for the 1979?1982 data, and 2003 as the baseline for the 2002?2004 data. Based on these data, the cline is shifting _______ per year toward the _______.

Accepted Answer

A)   0.18°; north
B)   0.45°; north
C)   0.18°; south
D)   0.45°; south

Question 10

If the long-term extinction rate within lineage A is higher than that in lineage B and the long-term speciation rate in lineage B is higher than in lineage A, then we can conclude that

Accepted Answer

A)   diversity of lineage A relative to diversity of lineage B will increase through time.
B)   diversity of lineage A relative to diversity of lineage B will decrease through time.
C)   lineage A will become increasingly diverse through time.
D)   lineage B will become increasingly diverse through time.

Question 11

Refer to the phylogenetic tree.
 Based on the phylogenetic tree, which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   Sea lions are more closely related to true seals than to Allodesmus.
B)   True seals are more closely related to Puijila darwini than to Mustelids.
C)   Mustelids are more closely related to Puijila darwini than to the sea lions.
D)   True seals are more closely related to sea lions than to the walrus.

Question 12

Refer to the figure.
  The figure shows the mortality rate for female red deer of different ages that reproduced (blue curve) or did not reproduce (red curve). Describe the patterns you see and suggest likely explanations for the general shapes of these two curves.

Accepted Answer

The mortality rate for adult female red deer that do not reproduce is essentially constant until it increases sharply starting at age 13, presumably from senescence ("getting old"). Deer that reproduce have a higher mortality rate, presumably due to tradeoffs such as allocating resources to reproduction rather than maintenance. This mortality differential is very small between ages 6 and 9, but for younger and older deer the mortality cost of reproduction is greater and reproducing results in significantly earlier aging for adults older than 9 years.

Question 13

Which of the following evolutionary innovations is least likely to have been a key feature driving adaptive radiation?

Accepted Answer

A)   Insect wings
B)   Platypus bill
C)   Insect herbivory
D)   Mammal placenta

Question 14

Which of the following cannot be an example of evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)   As a consequence of legislation promoting cleaner air, the frequency of black peppered moths in Europe has decreased in the last half century.
B)   After repeated exposure to high temperatures, an individual turtle can tolerate heat more successfully.
C)   As a consequence of climate change, robins in the northeastern United States sing earlier in the spring than they did two decades ago.
D)   Due to a genetic bottleneck, the frequency of one allele has increased in a population of Drosophila subobscura.

Question 15

Which process is least likely to be the direct cause of appreciable change in allele frequencies over short periods of time?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mutation
B)   Genetic drift in small populations
C)   Gene flow
D)   Directional selection

Question 16

Refer to the figure.
 
- You are studying a remote island before and after a volcanic eruption. Data at Time 1 were collected one month before the eruption, and data at Time 2 were collected one month after the eruption. All of the species on the island are endemic. The island is 100 km across. Each animal icon represents 20 individuals. Species A and B (the two snail species) generally move a distance of only 2 m a day. Species C (the bird) often covers 20 km a day in search of food. After the eruption, the lava flow hardens, and the island is divided by a 20-km strip of bare rock with few if any resources these animals need to survive. Deaths of individuals due to the volcanic eruption could change the frequency of alleles in these very small island populations. Unfortunately, however, you do not have data on the allele frequencies before and after the eruption for any of these species. Based on your understanding of genetic change in populations, do you expect that these three species would be affected by increased genetic drift after the eruption? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Species A would not be affected by genet...

Question 17

What factor is important in minimizing the impacts of genetic drift?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mutation rate
B)   Population size
C)   Generation time of the organism
D)   None of the above; the effects of genetic drift are constant across all populations.

Question 18

Which statement about soapberry bug beaks is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   Beak length is not a heritable trait.
B)   Beak length has evolved in response to changes in the feeding habits of the soapberry bugs.
C)   Measurable changes in average beak length have occurred on a time scale of centuries, but are not detectable on a time scale of a few decades.
D)   Soapberry bugs feed on the same plant host species everywhere they occur, which is what makes it possible to study the evolution of beak length across their geographic range.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a reason why natural selection tends to be more effective in large populations than in small populations?

Accepted Answer

A)   Larger populations are less likely to go extinct.
B)   Genetic drift tends to have a greater impact on smaller populations.
C)   Genetic drift tends to have a greater impact on larger populations.
D)   There is more genetic variation in a large population.

Question 20

If two plant species with different habitat associations, Species X and Species Y, hybridize, and the resulting progeny are well adapted to living and reproducing only in a novel habitat in which neither parental species can live, which of the following is least likely to be true?

Accepted Answer

A)   The hybrids will compete with some species with which the parental species do not compete.
B)   The hybrids will interact with some pollinator species with which the parental species did not interact.
C)   The hybrids will compete with and replace the parental species.
D)   The parents will coexist in the geographic region in which they and the parental species occur.

Exam 6: Evolution and Ecology

If a plant population evolves the ability to grow on soils with a chemical composition that most plants cannot tolerate, which of the following statements is false?

Correct Answer
verified

The studies by Rieseberg and colleagues on sunflowers showed that hybrids between two species

Correct Answer
verified

Carroll's studies showed that the beaks of soapberry bugs

Correct Answer
verified
A

Which of the following is not a possible reason for why adaptations are not perfect?

Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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D

You are studying two species of tree frog. The two species are found on two different islands, separated by 200 km of ocean water. Species A lives on very light-colored rocks and species B lives on dark-colored trees. Which process is least likely to affect allele frequencies in the population?

Correct Answer
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Which process changes allele frequencies by chance alone?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
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If the long-term extinction rate within lineage A is higher than that in lineage B and the long-term speciation rate in lineage B is higher than in lineage A, then we can conclude that

Correct Answer
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Refer to the phylogenetic tree. Based on the phylogenetic tree, which of the following statements is true?

Correct Answer
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Refer to the figure. The figure shows the mortality rate for female red deer of different ages that reproduced (blue curve) or did not reproduce (red curve). Describe the patterns you see and suggest likely explanations for the general shapes of these two curves.

Which of the following evolutionary innovations is least likely to have been a key feature driving adaptive radiation?

Correct Answer
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Which of the following cannot be an example of evolution?

Correct Answer
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Which process is least likely to be the direct cause of appreciable change in allele frequencies over short periods of time?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
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Species A would not be affected by genet...
View Answer

What factor is important in minimizing the impacts of genetic drift?

Correct Answer
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Which statement about soapberry bug beaks is true?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following is not a reason why natural selection tends to be more effective in large populations than in small populations?

Correct Answer
verified

If two plant species with different habitat associations, Species X and Species Y, hybridize, and the resulting progeny are well adapted to living and reproducing only in a novel habitat in which neither parental species can live, which of the following is least likely to be true?

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 6: Evolution and Ecology

If a plant population evolves the ability to grow on soils with a chemical composition that most plants cannot tolerate, which of the following statements is false?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The studies by Rieseberg and colleagues on sunflowers showed that hybrids between two species

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Carroll's studies showed that the beaks of soapberry bugs

Correct AnswerverifiedA

Which of the following is not a possible reason for why adaptations are not perfect?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedD

You are studying two species of tree frog. The two species are found on two different islands, separated by 200 km of ocean water. Species A lives on very light-colored rocks and species B lives on dark-colored trees. Which process is least likely to affect allele frequencies in the population?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which process changes allele frequencies by chance alone?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If the long-term extinction rate within lineage A is higher than that in lineage B and the long-term speciation rate in lineage B is higher than in lineage A, then we can conclude that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Refer to the phylogenetic tree. Based on the phylogenetic tree, which of the following statements is true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Refer to the figure. The figure shows the mortality rate for female red deer of different ages that reproduced (blue curve) or did not reproduce (red curve). Describe the patterns you see and suggest likely explanations for the general shapes of these two curves.

Which of the following evolutionary innovations is least likely to have been a key feature driving adaptive radiation?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following cannot be an example of evolution?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which process is least likely to be the direct cause of appreciable change in allele frequencies over short periods of time?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedSpecies A would not be affected by genet...View AnswerShow Answer

What factor is important in minimizing the impacts of genetic drift?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which statement about soapberry bug beaks is true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is not a reason why natural selection tends to be more effective in large populations than in small populations?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If two plant species with different habitat associations, Species X and Species Y, hybridize, and the resulting progeny are well adapted to living and reproducing only in a novel habitat in which neither parental species can live, which of the following is least likely to be true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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A

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D

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Species A would not be affected by genet...
View Answer

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