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

Question 1

To determine the role of mimicry in the behavior of the tephritid fly Zonosemata vittigera and the jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus,Greene and colleagues (1987)conducted carefully controlled experiments to correlate appearance and behaviors with the deterrence of predation.What two factors were found important in preventing predation of the tephritid fly by the jumping spiders?

Answer 1

They determined that both wing-waving and wing markings are important deterrents to predation.

Question 2

Clayton and colleagues (2003)examined the frequency of host shifts observed among both wing feather and body lice that infect doves.They observed that body lice rarely shift host species,whereas wing feather lice often shift from one species to another.The higher frequency of host shifts observed in wing feather lice is due to the observation that ________.

A) wing feathers containing lice molt frequently, and are frequently used by other hosts to build nests
B) body feathers do not come into contact with other hosts as frequently as wing feathers
C) the lice that infect wing feathers often move from host to host on a parasitic fly
D) doves preen each other's wing feathers at a higher frequency than body feathers

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Futuyma and colleagues (1995)demonstrated that host shifts by the herbivorous leaf beetles of the genus Ophraella in feeding on members of the sunflower family are due to the ________.

A) frequency-dependent selection properties among beetle populations
B) low mutation rate observed in beetle populations
C) need for populations to maintain sufficiently large sizes on a small number of hosts
D) availability of genetic variation sufficient for evolutionary change

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In experiments by Greene and colleagues (1987)with the tephritid fly Zonosemata vittigera and the jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus,the purpose for gluing housefly wings onto the bodies of the tephritid fly was to ________.

A) test for the effect of wing surgery in preventing predation
B) test for effect of wing markings in preventing predation
C) control for the effect of wing waving in preventing predation
D) test for the effect of wing shape in preventing predation

Question 5

The method used to plot the divergence that arises between sister species as they evolve farther and farther from their common ancestor is termed ________.

A) phylogenetically dependent contrasts
B) phylogenetically derived contrasts
C) divergence contrasts
D) phylogenetically independent contrasts

Question 6

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 ________.

A) penetrate the epidermal layer to lay eggs on nonhost plants
B) detect and detoxify chemical defenses produced by nonhost plants
C) digest the leaves of nonhost plants
D) break down the chemical defenses produced by nonhost plants in response to predation by the beetles

Question 7

Choose the incorrect statement regarding adaptation from the following:

A) Some observed traits may not be adaptive, but are simply due to the process of genetic drift.
B) Although adaptations may seem to exist for obvious reasons, their presence always needs to be tested.
C) All traits that are observed are not necessarily adaptive.
D) If a trait is adaptive, it will perfectly fit a need that confers an evolutionary advantage.
E) At the molecular level, many of the variations among individuals, populations, and species may be selectively neutral.

Question 8

Bush and colleagues (2010)photographed body and head lice on several cockatoos and compared the ________ of the lice on the bird's bodies and heads.

A) size
B) luminosity
C) weight
D) shape

Question 9

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 ________.

A) phenotype-by-environment interaction
B) genotype-by-environment interaction
C) induced response interaction
D) reactive response interaction

Question 10

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.

A) situational
B) experimental
C) observational
D) phylogenetic contrast
E) comparative

Question 11

The replication of experiments or observations allows researchers to control for two important factors when considering experimental design.These two factors are ________ and ________.

Question 12

In experiments with Caenorhabditis elegans by Anderson and colleagues (2011),the relationship between physiological performance and temperature was measured.This type of measurement is termed a ________.

A) thermal regulation distribution
B) thermal fitness curve
C) thermal performance curve
D) reproductive success curve
E) behavioral fitness curve

Question 13

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 ________.

A) only on or under rocks that are of medium (20-40 cm) thickness
B) on or under rocks that are of medium (20-40 cm) or thick (>40 cm) thickness
C) on or under rocks that are of thin (<20 cm) or medium (20-40 cm) thickness
D) only on or under rocks that are thick (>40 cm)
E) avoiding rocks and moving to a deeper location under the surface

Question 14

Conventional wisdom holds that oxpeckers remove ticks from the backs of cattle on which they feed in a mutualistic relationship,and the cattle tolerate the oxpecker's presence because the birds help remove parasites.Weeks (2000)performed observational experiments in Zimbabwe and demonstrated that the relationship between oxpeckers and cattle was not the removal of parasites but that the oxpeckers are ________.

A) mutualistic, but serve only to remove earwax from the cattle on which they feed
B) in fact parasitic, and create and feed on wounds they make, and also feed on earwax in the cattle
C) mutualistic and only feed on open wounds that have already been created by feeding ticks
D) parasitic and feed on earwax and the open wounds they create during the removal of the earwax
E) mutualistic and feed on open wounds that have already been created by ticks, and additionally feed on earwax

Question 15

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?

Question 16

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.

A) Marfan's
B) Apert
C) Edward
D) Asherman's

Question 17

Explain the role of behavioral thermoregulation in the experiments performed with Caenorhabditis elegans by Anderson and colleagues (2011).

Question 18

In experiments by Greene and colleagues (1987)with the tephritid fly Zonosemata vittigera and the jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus,carefully controlled experiments demonstrated that ________.

A) wing-waving by the tephritid fly was sufficient to prevent predation
B) both wing-waving and wing markings on the tephritid fly mimicked the spider, and thus prevented predation
C) wing marking on the tephritid fly were sufficient to prevent predation
D) neither wing-waving or wing markings on the fly substantially prevented predation
E) wing markings alone were sufficient to prevent predation

Question 19

What is the purpose of the null hypothesis in experimental design?

Question 20

In the Kotukutuku plant,fuchsia excortiata,pollinated flowers turn colors from ________ to ________ in order to signal pollinators that nectar is no longer being produced.

A) red; yellow
B) red; green
C) green; red
D) green; yellow
E) green; white

Question 21

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.

Question 22

Felsenstein (1985)developed a method to plot the divergence that arises between sister species as they evolve farther and farther from their common ancestor.This method enables researchers to better evaluate cross-species correlations among traits.The resultant plot provides divergences that arise between pairs of sister species as they evolve away from a common ancestor,and are known as ________.[three words]

Question 23

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.The lines drawn between control and fish-induced water are termed ________.[two words]

Question 24

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.

Question 25

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

Question 26

In experiments by Greene and colleagues (1987)with the tephritid fly Zonosemata vittigera and the jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus,carefully controlled experiments were used to better understand the predator/prey relationship.Treatments were designed to test whether the display of the fly when disturbed served to mimic the appearance of the jumping spider and deter an attack.When the fly is exposed to the jumping spider,it holds its wings perpendicular to its body and waves them up and down,and additionally the flies have dark banding patterns on the wings.Explain the purpose of the five different treatments used in the experiment: Zonosemata untreated,Zonosemata with own wings cut and reglued,Zonosemata with housefly wings,housefly with Zonosemata wings,and housefly untreated.

Question 27

Huey and colleagues (1989)performed experiments to examine thermoregulation in garter snakes.Explain the factors that were examined in their experiments,how the temperature of the snakes was monitored,and the specific details of how the snakes can regulate their temperature by selective movements.

Question 28

Futuyma and colleagues (1995)demonstrated that host shifts by the herbivorous leaf beetles of the genus Ophraella in feeding on members of the sunflower family are constrained by what?

Question 29

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.

Question 30

In the Kotukutuku plant,fuchsia excortiata,why do pollinated flowers remain attached to the plant for several days after pollination occurs and nectar is no longer produced?