Exam 10: Studying Adaptation: Evolutionary Analysis of Form and Function

As demonstrated by the experiments of Huey and colleagues (1989)on thermoregulation in garter snakes,snakes have a wide range of options for behavioral thermoregulation during the day―so long as they avoid thin rocks or direct sunlight at noon―but during the evening they are most often observed ________.

Goriely and colleagues (2003)studied a genetic disease caused by a mutation in the gene coding for fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2).This disease,known as ________ syndrome,is a dominant mutation that causes premature fission of the joints in the skull,facial malformations,and fusion of the fingers and toes.

Futuyma and colleagues (1995)used the herbivorous leaf beetles of the genus Ophraella to study constraints in genetic diversity.Ophraella beetles feed and lay eggs on only certain members of the sunflower family because the beetles are unable to ________.

Describe the experiments done by Delph and Lively (1989)with the Kotukutuku plant,fuchsia excortiata.Explain the relationship of nectar production with flower color,why flowers begin to change colors once they no longer contain nectar,and why pollinated flowers must remain attached to the plant for several days after pollination occurs and nectar is no longer produced.

The data of Huey and colleagues (1989)on thermoregulation in garter snakes is an example of the ________ method evolutionary biologists use to test hypotheses about adaptations.

Describe the experiments performed by Luc De Meester (1996)to demonstrate phenotypic plasticity in the response of several Daphnia genotypes across a wide range of environments.Be sure to include (1)the experimental method used to measure the change in phototactic behavior and the use of reaction norms,(2)the types of treatments performed based on water that had been previously occupied by fish,and (3)the reaction norms observed from Daphnia eggs harvested from sediments from differing environments.

To demonstrate the response of several Daphnia genotypes across a wide range of environments,Luc De Meester (1996)measured the change in phototactic behavior of Daphnia sampled from lakes that contained different numbers of predatory fish.Some genotypes altered their behavior in the presence versus absence of fish.The variation in response is termed ________.

Oxpeckers have long been thought to have a mutualistic relationship with cattle in Zimbabwe,whereby the birds remove ticks from the backs of cattle,and the cattle benefit due to the removal of parasitic ticks.The observational experiments of Weeks (2000)in Zimbabwe demonstrated that the relationship between oxpeckers and cattle was not mutualistic,but in fact parasitic.What two oxpecker behaviors did Weeks observe?

Douglas Taylor and colleagues (2002)used yeast (Saccaromyces cerevisiae)to examine selection.Yeast can harvest energy by either fermentation or respiration.Explain how this characteristic enabled the researchers to utilize parasitic mitochondria to examine selection across varying population sizes.

In their experiments with the flowers of Begonia involucrate,Agren and Schemske (1991)observed that there was a trade-off between what two characteristics?