Exam 15: A: Nonadaptive Evolution and Speciation Urban Evolution

Random changes in the allele frequency of a population between generations is the definition of

Red kites are endangered hawks distributed in populations scattered throughout western and central Europe.In a recent study,investigators found 10 different alleles of a mitochondrial DNA gene.They discovered that the large population in central Spain had five different alleles of the gene.The population on Majorca (an island off the south coast of Spain),in contrast,had only one of those five.From this,you can infer that

Two populations of frog are separated from each other by a large distance and rarely interbreed with each other.However,approximately one male frog a year makes the journey and breeds with females in the other population.Would you expect these populations to eventually become separate species? Why or why not?

The biological species concept defines a species as

A scientist studying population genetics of a bird population inhabiting a group of islands finds that allelic diversity is highest on island C,lowest on island A,and island B has intermediate allelic diversity levels.What is the likely order in which these islands were colonized by this species?

What would be advantageous for reducing genetic bottleneck effects?

Why is inbreeding likely to limit the ability of a population to survive?

Zoos often construct extensive genetic profiles of their animals,maintain pedigree books,and trade or share animals for breeding purposes.Why would a zoo with 12 elephants bother to import a male elephant from another zoo,or lend its males to another zoo,often at a huge expense?

All of the following are true of genetic drift,EXCEPT

Founder effect causes

In North America,there are more than 60 species of mice in the genus Peromyscus,most of whom closely resemble one another.You wish to determine the relatedness of three of these species: the deer mouse,the oldfield mouse,and the white-footed mouse.You set up breeding experiments and find that deer mice and oldfield mice will reluctantly breed with one another,but neither one will breed with white-footed mice.What do you determine to be the pattern of relatedness of these three species?

Mating rituals are an example of which type of reproductive isolation?

A species of wildflower grows on hillsides in two locations.In the first (location A),the population is large and diverse,covering a large section of hillside.In the second (location B),a small but diverse population grows at the base of a hillside.Severe storms cause extensive mudslides in both areas,killing a large proportion of individuals in both populations.If you were to survey both locations after the surviving flowers have survived and reproduced for several generations,which pattern would you expect to observe?

You have a population of flies with three alleles for wing size,L (large),M (medium),and S (small).Individuals with SS,SM,or SL have small wings.Individuals with MM have medium wings.Individuals with LL or LM have large wings.After a sudden storm,all of the small-winged individuals have been killed.What will happen to the population?

Snail species A has a shell that spirals counterclockwise,but a mutation has caused some individuals to have a clockwise shell.The genitalia of the two versions are incompatible,leading some scientists to say that the clockwise snails are reproductively isolated.This is an example of

Human populations are known to isolate themselves from other groups based on cultural identity,language religion,etc.Some of these communities in North America include the Ashkenazi (descendants of European Jewish communities,Yiddish speakers),the Cajun population of Louisiana,the Arcadian population of Canada,and the Old Order Amish community of Pennsylvania.One in every 27 members of the Ashkenazi community,the Cajun population of Louisiana,the Arcadian population of Canada,and the Old Order Amish community of Pennsylvania carry the recessive Tay Sachs gene (Tay Sachs disease is caused by a recessive mutation on chromosome 15,and children with Tay Sachs rarely live beyond age 5),but this recessive gene is only found in 1 of every 250 people in the general North American population.Explain the high incidence of Tay Sachs among the Ashkenazi,Cajun,Arcadian,and Old Order Amish populations.

A species of lizard is found on the eastern and western sides of part of a mountain range.On both sides,individual populations are small.On the western side,individual populations are relatively close together and males move extensively among populations to breed.On the eastern side,however,populations are farther apart and males seldom move among more than one or two adjacent populations to breed.If you were to study the genetic diversity of western and eastern populations,which pattern would you expect to find?

Snail species A has a shell that spirals counterclockwise,but a mutation has caused some individuals to have a clockwise shell.The genitalia of the two versions are incompatible,leading some scientists to say that the clockwise snails are reproductively isolated.Could the clockwise snails become a new species?

Kangaroo rats,kangaroo mice,and pocket mice are found only in the deserts of the Southwestern United States.They share a number of features,including external,fur-lined cheek pouches,which they use to gather and transport seeds to their burrows.But they are also quite different from one another in size,overall shape,behavior,and other features.The best explanation for their similarities and differences is that

Genetic bottlenecks can be caused by