Deck 2: The Evolution of Behavior

Question 1

Which of the following factors does NOT generate new variation in a population?

A) transposition
B) migration
C) heritability
D) genetic recombination
E) base mutation

Answer 1

heritability

Question 2

One method for controlling the influence of ancestry in comparative approaches to behavior is:

A) quantitative trait locus mapping
B) independent contrasts
C) parsimony analysis
D) convergence analysis
E) there are no ways to control for ancestry

Answer 2

independent contrasts

Question 3

Which of the following best characterizes eusocial naked mole rats?

A) overlapping generations, high relatedness, and reproductive division of labor
B) many queens and all males are reproductively active; low relatedness
C) reproductive division of labor without overlapping generations
D) high relatedness but no communal care of the young
E) overlapping generations and high relatedness; all colony members reproduce

Answer 3

overlapping generations, high relatedness, and reproductive division of labor

Question 4

Alleles are defined as:

A) genes that require only a single copy to be expressed.
B) regions of a chromosome containing a set of genes that contributes to the expression of a single trait.
C) alternative forms or variants of the same gene.
D) those genes that cannot be subject to natural selection.
E) genes that require two copies to be expressed.

Question 5

Narrow-sense heritability analysis measures the proportion of variance in a trait attributable to:

A) combined genetic and environmental variance.
B) environmental variance alone.
C) maternal environment effects.
D) phenotypic variance.
E) that portion of genetic variance accessible to natural selection.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT required for natural selection to operate?

A) The resource in question must be limited in some way.
B) Variation in the trait of interest must exist.
C) Some mode of inheritance must exist.
D) All alleles in the population must be dominant alleles.
E) Traits influence an individual's relative expected contribution to the next generation.

Question 7

Genetic recombination involves:

A) exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during cell division.
B) transposition of a section of DNA from one part of the genome to another.
C) addition of a single nucleotide to a section of DNA.
D) replacement of one nucleotide with a different nucleotide.
E) deletion of a single nucleotide to a section of DNA.

Question 8

The phenotype of an organism is defined as:

A) those traits that are coded by recessive alleles.
B) those traits that are not subject to natural selection.
C) the genes that an organism possesses.
D) those traits that are coded by dominant alleles.
E) the sum of all observable traits including behavior and morphology.

Question 9

Which of the following represents the result of selection pressures on guppy (Poecilia reticulata) populations located in high-predation streams?

A) fewer and larger offspring per brood
B) increased growth rates and slower maturation rates
C) fewer broods of offspring and fast maturation rates
D) close-range predator inspection and schooling in small groups
E) tight schooling behavior and frequent predator inspection

Question 10

Describe at least three prerequisites for natural selection to operate.

Question 11

How would you define "fitness"? Why is it important to examine the fitness of each individual relative to others in the population?

Question 12

Describe Gregor Mendel's principle of segregation. Why did Mendel's work in the field of genetics provide a powerful addition to Darwin's theory of natural selection?

Question 13

Read the 2011 paper by Danchin and colleagues titled "Beyond DNA: Integrating Inclusive Inheritance into an Extended Theory of Evolution" (Nature Reviews Genetics, vol. 12, 475-486). Discuss the differences between genetic inheritance, epigenetic inheritance, parental effects, ecological inheritance, and cultural inheritance. Then describe the authors' impetus for a "new modern synthesis." Discuss how this new modern synthesis will advance our understanding of behavioral evolution.

Question 14

What is cryptic genetic variation? Are there any examples of cryptic genetic variation underlying behavioral traits? Why is it important to consider cryptic genetic variation when discussing the evolutionary potential of a given population?

Question 15

Describe two methods for measuring narrow-sense heritability. How is narrowsense heritability fundamentally different from broad-sense heritability?

Question 16

If you were to select an organism in which to study the process of natural selection, what features of the organism's life history and/or environment would factor into your decision?