Deck 24: Evolution by Natural Selection

Question 1

A farmer uses triazine herbicide to control pigweed in his field.For the first few years,the triazine works well and almost all the pigweed dies;but after several years,the farmer sees more and more pigweed.Which of these explanations best describes this observation?

A)The herbicide company lost its triazine formula and started selling poor-quality triazine.
B)Natural selection caused the pigweed to mutate,creating a new triazine-resistant species.
C)Triazine-resistant pigweed has less-efficient photosynthesis metabolism.
D)Only triazine-resistant weeds survived and reproduced,so each year more pigweed was triazine-resistant.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following statements is an example of typological thinking?

A)The variety of dog shape and size is truly amazing.
B)Women are shorter than men,have longer hair,and like to shop.
C)It is best to choose the seeds from the plants with the largest fruits to set aside for next year's plantings.
D)The type of beak that is most advantageous varies depending on how much rain falls in a given year.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Many crustaceans (e.g.,lobsters,shrimp,and crayfish)use their tails to swim,but crabs have reduced tails that curl under their shells and are not used in swimming.This is an example of

A)artificial selection.
B)an extinction.
C)the law of succession.
D)a vestigial trait.
E)natural selection.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Your text discusses the evolution of antibiotic-resistant M.tuberculosis bacteria in a patient.Researchers discovered that the strain of M.tuberculosis taken from the dead patient has a point mutation in the rpoB gene that codes for part of the RNA polymerase enzyme.This mutant form of RNA polymerase does not normally function as well as the more common form,but a commonly used antibiotic called rifampin does not affect the mutant rpoB.A researcher places M.tuberculosis isolated from the patient a year before death (no rpoB mutation)in cell cultures with M.tuberculosis isolated from the dead patient (with rpoB mutation).Half the cell cultures contain just standard nutrients,and the other cell cultures contain rifampin in addition to the standard nutrients.After many cell generations,the researcher finds that

A)very few M.tuberculosis in the standard nutrient cell cultures carry the rpoB gene mutation,but almost all of the M.tuberculosis in the cell cultures with rifampin carry the rpoB mutation.
B)almost all M.tuberculosis in the standard nutrient cell cultures carry the rpoB gene mutation,but very few of the M.tuberculosis in the cell cultures with rifampin carry the rpoB mutation.
C)very few M.tuberculosis in any of the cell cultures carry the rpoB gene mutation.
D)almost all of the M.tuberculosis in both types of cell cultures carry the rpoB mutation.
E)a mix of both M.tuberculosis strains thrive in the standard cell cultures,but no living bacteria can be found in the cell cultures that contain rifampin.

Question 5

Which of these conditions are always true of populations evolving due to natural selection? Condition 1: The population must vary in traits that are heritable.
Condition 2: Some heritable traits must increase reproductive success.
Condition 3: Individuals pass on all traits they acquire during their lifetime.

A)Condition 1 only
B)Condition 2 only
C)Conditions 1 and 2
D)Conditions 2 and 3
E)Conditions 1,2,and 3

Question 6

After the drought of 1977,researchers hypothesized that on Daphne Major,medium ground finches with large,deep beaks survived better than those with smaller beaks because they could more easily crack and eat the tough Tribulus cistoides fruits.If this hypothesis is true,what would you expect to observe if a population of these medium ground finches colonizes a nearby island where Tribulus cistoides is the primary available food in all years? Assume that (1)even the survivors of the 1977 drought sometimes had difficulty cracking the tough T.cistoides fruits and would eat other seeds when offered a choice,and (2)food availability is the primary limit on finch fitness on this new island.

A)evolution of yet larger,deeper beaks over time
B)evolution of smaller,pointier beaks over time
C)random fluctuations in beak size and shape
D)no change in beak size and shape

Question 7

Which of the following scientists argued that variation among individuals allows evolution to occur?

A)Aristotle
B)Lamarck
C)Linnaeus
D)Wallace

Question 8

The same basic internal organs (kidneys,stomach,heart,lungs)are found in frogs,birds,snakes.and rodents.This is primarily an example of

A)structural homology.
B)developmental homology.
C)genetic correlation.
D)inheritance of acquired characteristics.

Question 9

A farmer uses triazine herbicide to control pigweed in his field.For the first few years,the triazine works well and almost all the pigweed dies;but after several years,the farmer sees more and more pigweed,no matter how often he applies triazine.Which of these actions is most likely to solve the farmer's problem?

A)buying triazine from a different company
B)trying a different herbicide
C)increasing the amount of triazine he puts on his fields
D)adding triazine more often to his fields

Question 10

Radiometric dating is a technique used to determine the age of rocks.Geologists have used this technique to determine that

A)Earth is about 6.2 trillion years old,and life appeared on Earth about 4.9 trillion years ago.
B)Earth is about 4.6 billion years old,and life appeared on Earth about 3.4 billion years ago.
C)Earth is about 4.6 million years old,and life appeared on Earth about 4.4 million years ago.
D)Earth is about 6.2 thousand years old,and life appeared on Earth about 6 thousand years ago.

Question 11

Evolutionary theory predicts that species are related,not independent.Four of the following examples provide support for this prediction,but one is irrelevant.Which one of these examples does not support the claim that species are related?

A)Many dinosaurs and other organisms went extinct following a huge asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous.
B)The endostyle of lancelets (invertebrate chordates)and the thyroid gland of vertebrates develop similarly,and both produce iodinated proteins.
C)All prokaryotes and eukaryotes use DNA to carry their genetic information.
D)Ground squirrel species found on the north and south sides of the Grand Canyon are very similar to each other.
E)Before synthetic insulin was available,diabetics used injections of purified pig insulin to manage their disease.

Question 12

You sequence the genes that code for an important glycolytic enzyme in a moth,a mushroom,a worm,and an alga,and find a high degree of sequence similarity among these distantly related species.This is an example of

A)structural homology.
B)developmental homology.
C)genetic homology.
D)analogy/convergent evolution.

Question 13

Why was Darwin and Wallace's theory of evolution by natural selection revolutionary?

A)It implied that England's economy would improve if the monarchy were eliminated.
B)It proved that individuals acclimated to their environment over time.
C)It dismissed the idea that species are constant and emphasized the importance of variation and change in populations.
D)It was the first time a biologist had proposed that species changed through time.

Question 14

Why did Darwin argue that evidence of extinction supports the theory of evolution?

A)It shows that reproduction is more important than survival of the fittest.
B)It shows that lower organisms have died to make way for humans.
C)It shows that nothing lasts forever.
D)It shows that the number and types of species have changed over time.

Question 15

Which of the following has the highest Darwinian fitness?

A)A personal trainer who works out at the gym every day
B)A scientist who devotes herself to science and wins the Nobel Prize
C)A sperm donor who anonymously fathers 52 children
D)A woman who home schools her two children

Question 16

Gill pouches in chick,human,and house-cat embryos are an example of

A)structural homology.
B)developmental homology.
C)genetic homology.
D)the inheritance of acquired characters.

Question 17

Who proposed that organisms could be organized into a great chain of being?

A)Aristotle
B)Lamarck
C)Linnaeus
D)Darwin
E)Wallace

Question 18

Researchers have found fossils of Eocene horse species in Colorado.Deeper deposits contain smaller species,and more recent deposits contain larger species.How does this observation support the theory of evolution?

A)It suggests that species are unchanging and of recent origin.
B)It proves that environments have changed over time.
C)It provides evidence that species change over time.
D)It shows that all species are related to each other.
E)It does not support the theory of evolution.

Question 19

Explain how one of the following supports the idea that species change through time: artificial selection,extinction,transitional forms,vestigial traits,or antibiotic resistance.

Question 20

Which of the following is the best modern definition of evolution?

A)descent without modification
B)change in allele frequencies in a population over time
C)survival of the fittest
D)inheritance of acquired characters

Question 21

Tourist companies start visiting Island X,where the new colony of medium ground finches (see previous question)feeds on the tough-fruited Tribulus cistoides.The tourist companies set up reliable feeding stations with a variety of bird seeds (different types and sizes),so that tourists can get a better look at the finches.Which of these events is now most likely to occur to finch beaks on Island X?

A)evolution of yet larger,deeper beaks over time,until all birds have relatively large,deep beaks
B)evolution of smaller,pointier beaks over time,until all birds have relatively small,pointy beaks
C)increased variation in beak size and shape over time
D)no change in beak size and shape over time

Question 22

Figure 24.1 The following question(s)are based on information in Hopi E. Hoekstra, Kristen E. Drumm, and Michael W. Nachman, "Ecological Genetics of Adaptive Color Polymorphism in Pocket Mice: Geographic Variation in Selected and Neutral Genes," Evolution 58(6), 2004: 1329-41.

Refer to Figure 24.1.In their investigation of natural selection on Mc1r alleles (the gene that determines coat color)in Arizona pocket mice,Hoekstra et al.determined the frequency of the D and d alleles in each population.They also determined the frequency of alleles for two neutral mitochondrial DNA genes (genes that do not affect and are not linked to coat color).Why did the researchers include the mitochondrial DNA genes as part of their experimental design?

A)Allele change for the neutral mitochondrial genes serves as an experimental group and gives information on any general background genetic difference among these populations.
B)Allele change for the neutral mitochondrial genes serves as a control and determines coat-color differences among these populations.
C)Allele change for the neutral mitochondrial genes serves as an experimental group and gives information on coat-color differences among these populations.
D)Allele change for the neutral mitochondrial genes serves as a control and gives information on any general background genetic difference among these populations.
E)None of the above answers apply.

Question 23

A population of beetles lives on a forest floor,which is covered in dark leaf litter.Dark beetles have the genotype A₂A₂,while lighter beetles have an A₁A₁ genotype;heterozygotes have a phenotype that is closer to that of the A1A1 homozygotes.The oppresso bird preys on these beetles.What do you predict will be the outcome of this predation over time?

A)The colour of each beetle within the population will gradually change over time.
B)Beetles will have darker-shelled offspring to protect them from predation.
C)The proportions of beetles having different traits within a population change over time.The proportions of beetles having different traits within a population change over time.
D)Behaviours learned from the beetles will be passed onto their offspring.
E)A mutation will arise that will result in a darker shell colour and protect the beetles from predation.

Question 24

Which of the following is an example of acclimation?

A)Some hemoglobins have a higher affinity for oxygen than others.
B)Some animals grow thicker coats when exposed to low temperatures.
C)Some bacteria can use the energy from sunlight to make sugars.
D)Some plant species can absorb nitrogen better than others can.
E)Some fungi are larger than others are.

Question 25

Read the scenario above.If the population is maintained on media that lacks rifampin,what is expected to occur over a period of time?

A)The rifampin resistant bacteria will increase in proportion compared to the rifampin susceptible bacteria.
B)The rifampin susceptible bacteria will increase in proportion to the rifampin resistant bacteria.
C)The rifampin susceptible bacteria and the rifampin resistant bacteria will remain in approximately equal proportions.

Question 26

Consider gene A,which has two (2)alleles in the population.A₄ codes for a mutated allele,which does not produce any protein;the associated phenotype is a disease state that reduces reproductive ability.A₂ is the normal allele and is dominant to the phenotype of A₄;the associated phenotype is not diseased.Based on this information,can natural selection eliminate the A₄ allele?

A)Yes,because it reduces the fitness of the bearer.
B)No,because it will remain "hidden" in heterozygotes.
C)Yes,because A₄ homozygotes can be eliminated.
D)No,because A₂ is dominant only in homozygotes.

Question 27

Evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria represents which of the following?

A)naturalselection
B)genetic drift
C)artificial selection
D)reproductive selection

Question 28

If the population is maintained on media that contains rifampin,what is expected to occur over a period of time?

A)The rifampin resistant bacteria will increase in proportion compared to the rifampin susceptible bacteria.
B)The rifampin susceptible bacteria will increase in proportion to the rifampin resistant bacteria.
C)The rifampin susceptible bacteria and the rifampin resistant bacteria will remain in approximately equal proportions.

Question 29

Claytonia virginica is a woodland spring herb with flowers that vary from white to pale pink to bright pink.Slugs prefer to eat pink-flowering over white-flowering plants (due to chemical differences between the two),and plants experiencing severe herbivory are more likely to die.The bees that pollinate this plant also prefer pink to white flowers,so that Claytonia with pink flowers have a greater relative fruit set than Claytonia with white flowers.A researcher observes that the percentage of different flower colors remains stable in the study population from year to year.If the researcher removes all slugs from the study population,what do you expect to happen to the distribution of flower colors in the population over time?

A)The percentage of pink flowers should increase over time.
B)The percentage of white flowers should increase over time.
C)The distribution of flower colors should not change.
D)The distribution of flower colors should randomly fluctuate over time.

Question 30

Which of the following is a fitness trade-off?
Figure 24.1 The following question(s)are based on information in Hopi E.Hoekstra,Kristen E.Drumm,and Michael W.Nachman,"Ecological Genetics of Adaptive Color Polymorphism in Pocket Mice: Geographic Variation in Selected and Neutral Genes," Evolution 58(6),2004: 1329-41.
B)Moths are the best pollinators for datura flowers,but bees are the best pollinators for orchids.
C)Some lemmings run into the sea when overgrazing threatens the species.
D)Algal genotypes that can grow fast in nitrogen-limited environments are easier for predators to digest.

Question 31

According to the theory of evolution by natural selection,which of the following is FALSE?

A)The individuals that survive to reproduce are a random sample of the population.
B)Natural selection occurs at the level of the individual,but the changes (evolution)are observed at the population level.
C)Over-reproduction and limited resources leads to competition.
D)Individuals with certain heritable traits contribute more reproductively to the next generation than others without those traits.

Question 32

Evolution by natural selection changes the population but not the individual.

Question 33

Parasitic species tend to have simple morphologies.Which of the following statements best explains this observation?

A)Parasites are lower organisms,and this is why they have simple morphologies.
B)Parasites do not live long enough to inherit acquired characteristics.
C)Simple morphologies have been naturally selected for in most parasites.
D)Parasites have not yet had time to progress,because they are young evolutionarily.

Question 34

Claytonia virginica is a woodland spring herb with flowers that vary from white to pale pink to bright pink.This plant is primarily pollinated by a bee that prefers pink flowers to white flowers.Claytonia with pink flowers have a greater relative fruit set than Claytonia with white flowers.Nevertheless,the percentage of different flower colors remains stable in the study population from year to year.Which of these statements might explain this observation?

A)Reproductive success does not affect evolution in this species.
B)Flower color is not heritable,but is instead environmentally determined.
C)The white flowers have evolved pollinator resistance.
D)Fitness is primarily determined by fruit set in this species.

Question 35

A population of rabbits grows explosively because resources are high.However,now that numbers have increased substantially,there is not enough food for all individuals and the population is threatened.What will happen under such circumstances?

A)The rabbits will share the food with each other;if everyone gets a little bit of food,the population will survive.
B)A random group of the rabbits will survive and reproduce to form the next generation.
C)There will be competition for the food and some rabbits will not survive to reproduce.
D)Some rabbits will move away to find another food source so that individuals remaining in the population will survive.

Question 36

A patient has finished his treatment for a bacterial infection with an antibiotic and feels better.However,four days later the same bacterial infection returns.The doctor prescribes the same course of antibiotics,but this time these antibiotics do not cure the patient.What would be the most likely reason for this?

A)The antibiotic was quickly metabolized by the patient and did not have time to work.
B)The non-resistant bacteria evolved within these four days so that the drug became ineffective.
C)The patient was not treated in time and so the infection became too severe.
D)The drug killed most of the bacteria in the population,but a few survived due to the presence of a resistance gene,and were subsequently able to reproduce and pass this gene onto their offspring.

Question 37

Figure 24.2
The distribution of pocket-mouse coat colors in several Arizona populations is associated with substrate color.Some populations live on light-colored granite substrate,and others live on dark volcanic rock.In Figure 24.2,chart A shows the frequency of the melanic (dark)coat phenotype across six populations.Populations C,D,and E live on dark volcanic rock;populations A,B,and F live on light-colored granite.Chart B shows the frequency of the Melanocortin-1 receptor (Mc1r)allele across these populations.The Mc1r alleles,D and d,differ by four amino acids;mice with DD and Dd genotypes have dark coats,whereas mice with dd genotype are light colored.Which of the following statements best interprets the results shown in charts A and B?

A)Frequency of the D allele is closely associated with the melanic phenotype,but is unrelated to the presence of dark substrate color.
B)Frequency of the D allele is not associated with the melanic phenotype,but is associated with the presence of dark substrate color.
C)Frequency of the D allele is closely associated with both the melanic phenotype and the presence of dark substrate color.
D)Frequency of the D allele is associated neither with the melanic phenotype nor with the presence of dark substrate color.
E)Frequency of the D allele does not vary.

Question 38

Vestigial traits and neutral changes in DNA sequences are good examples of

A)adaptation.
B)acclimation.
C)convergent traits.
D)nonadaptive traits.
E)developmental homology.

Question 39

Figure 24.3
In Figure 24.3,chart X above shows the frequency of the most common neutral mitochondrial DNA allele (an allele for a gene that does not affect and is not linked to coat color)across six pocket-mouse populations.Populations C,D,and E live on dark volcanic rock;populations A,B,and F live on light-colored granite.Compare this figure with chart Y above.What should you conclude after comparing these two figures?

A)The most common neutral mitochondrial DNA allele is strongly associated with substrate color.
B)The most common neutral mitochondrial DNA allele is strongly associated with the frequency of the Mc1r D allele.
C)The most common neutral mitochondrial DNA allele varies more among populations than the Mc1r D allele.
D)Little to no correlation exists between neutral mitochondrial DNA alleles and habitat color.

Question 40

Figure 24.1 The following question(s)are based on information in Hopi E. Hoekstra, Kristen E. Drumm, and Michael W. Nachman, "Ecological Genetics of Adaptive Color Polymorphism in Pocket Mice: Geographic Variation in Selected and Neutral Genes," Evolution 58(6), 2004: 1329-41.

The figure above shows the distribution of pocket-mouse coat colors in several Arizona populations found either on light-colored granite substrate or on dark volcanic rock (dark substrate).The Melanocortin-1 receptor (Mc1r)alleles,D and d,differ by four amino acids.Mice with DD and Dd genotypes have dark coats,whereas mice with the dd genotype are light colored.What sort of genotype frequencies might you expect to find in the Xmas,Mid,and O'Neill populations?

A)Xmas-high DD frequency;Mid-high Dd frequency,O'Neill-high dd frequency
B)Xmas-high Dd frequency;Mid-high DD frequency,O'Neill-high dd frequency
C)Xmas-high Dd frequency;Mid-high dd frequency,O'Neill-high DD frequency
D)Xmas-high dd frequency;Mid-high Dd frequency,O'Neill-high DD frequency
E)Xmas-high dd frequency;Mid-high DD frequency,O'Neill-high Dd frequency

Question 41

Fishers typically target the largest,and thus,oldest fish.Given this fishing strategy,which of the following would be the most likely outcome due to natural selection over time on life history traits.Which of the following best predicts the effect of natural selection due to this fishing strategy on the life history traits of the commercially popular fish?

A)A greater proportion of the fish population would be made up of individuals that become reproductively mature at a smaller size,and,thus,an earlier age.
B)A greater proportion of the fish population would be made up of individuals that become reproductively mature at a larger size,and,thus,an older age.
C)There would be no change in the life histories of these fish populations as a species' age at reproduction cannot change.
D)A greater proportion of the fish population would be made up of individuals that become reproductively mature at a smaller size,and,thus,an older age.

Question 42

The changes in the commercially popular fish populations' life history traits is an example of what type of selection pressure?

A)strong
B)weak
C)neutral