Deck 20: Development and Evolutionary Change

Question 1

Which of the following is true about temperature determination of sex in some reptiles?

A) It ensures that males and females are produced at different seasons of the year.
B) It ensures that males are faster than females.
C) It acts through the inactivation of the male sex chromosome.
D) There is no evidence that it has evolved because of effects on reproductive success.
E) Temperature effects are due to modifications of concentrations and actions of sex steroids.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following statements about Hox genes is false?

A) They are part of the so-called genetic toolkit.
B) There are expressed in similar patterns in the embryos of both mice and flies.
C) They are arranged in similar clusters of genes in both mice and flies.
D) Because of their important functional roles, they evolve rapidly in both mammals and flies.
E) All of the above are true; none is false.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following statements about the gene eyeless is true?

A) It encodes a transcription factor.
B) It is found in Drosophila.
C) Pax6 is the equivalent gene in mice.
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A mutation that affects the length of wing in a fly, but has little or no effect elsewhere in the body, would be explained by the phenomenon of

A) heterochrony.
B) homeosis.
C) pleiotropy.
D) developmental plasticity.
E) modularity.

Question 5

Which of the following examples of evolutionary change do not involve Hox genes?

A) Difference in numbers of legs between bees and centipedes.
B) Difference in number of cervical vertebrae between a goose and a giraffe.
C) Loss of forelegs in snakes.
D) Loss of webbing in the feet of chickens.
E) Location of legs and antennae in Drosophila.

Question 6

In studies of gene expression, which of the following would be the least likely observation?

A) Expression of a gene important in developmental processes varies with temperature.
B) One insect species has a pair of wings that its relatives lack; these evolved as the result of a radically different developmental process.
C) A species of fish is much larger than its relatives because of the much earlier expression of a gene that affects bone growth.
D) The amino acid sequence of a Hox gene protein is extremely similar in nematodes and humans.
E) The expression pattern of a gene important in development is more restricted in its spatial result in one rodent species than in all others; this leads to that species having a narrower face.

Question 7

Parallel phenotypic evolution is likely to occur because

A) closely related organisms typically face similar problems.
B) the conservation of regulatory genes during evolution means that similar traits are likely to evolve repeatedly.
C) many different phenotypes can be produced by a given genotype.
D) phenotypic plasticity, which generates parallel phenotypic evolution, is widespread.
E) evolutionary biologists have looked especially hard to find evidence of it.

Question 8

Organisms often respond to environmental signals that accurately predict future conditions by

A) stopping development until the signal changes.
B) altering their development to adapt to the future environment.
C) altering their development such that the resulting adult can produce offspring adapted to the future environment.
D) producing new mutants.
E) developing normally because the predicted conditions may not last long.

Question 9

If you know that a Hox gene, AbdB, is expressed in the most posterior part of the abdomen in a Drosophila embryo, which of the following conclusions about a homologous gene in humans would most likely be correct?

A) There is no homologous gene to abdB in humans, because the evolutionary distance between humans and flies is so great.
B) The homologous gene to abdB exists in humans, but it is expressed only in adults, not in human embryos.
C) The homologous gene to abdB exists and is expressed in the head of human embryos.
D) The homologous gene to abdB exists and is expressed throughout the human embryo in roughly equal amounts.
E) The homologous gene to abdB exists and is expressed near the tail of the human embryo.

Question 10

Which of the following conclusions emerged from the studies performed by Walter Gehring and his colleagues on Drosophila eyes?

A) The DNA sequence of the Pax6 gene of mice and the eyeless gene of flies is similar.
B) The Pax6 gene of mice can substitute for the eyeless gene in the process of eye development in flies.
C) Fly eyes look like mammalian eyes.
D) Both a and b
E) Both b and c

Question 11

Flies have _______ eyes, while mammals have _______ eyes.

A) cameralike; compound
B) cameralike; binocular
C) compound; cameralike
D) compound; heterochronic
E) simple; compound

Question 12

Which of the following is not a general principle of evo-devo?

A) Most animals share similar molecular mechanisms underlying development.
B) Different developmental processes usually operate independently from one another.
C) Changes in the timing of expression of particular genes often play a major role in morphological modifications that occur throughout evolution.
D) Changes in the location of expression of particular genes often play a major role in morphological modifications that occur throughout evolution.
E) All of the above are true; none is false.

Question 13

Ducks have webbed feet and chickens do not because

A) ducks need webbed feet to swim, whereas terrestrial chickens do not.
B) both duck and chicken embryos express BMP4 in the webbing between the toes, but the Gremlin gene is expressed in the webbing cells only in ducks.
C) both duck and chicken embryos express BMP4 in the webbing between the toes, but the Gremlin gene is expressed in the webbing cells only in chickens.
D) only duck embryos express BMP4 in the webbing between the toes.
E) only chicken embryos express BMP4 in the webbing between the toes.

Question 14

Modularity is important for development because it

A) guarantees that all units of a developing embryo will change in a coordinated way.
B) coordinates the establishment of the anterior-posterior axis of the developing embryo.
C) allows changes in developmental genes to change one part of the body without affecting other parts.
D) guarantees that the timing of gene expression is the same in all parts of a developing embryo.
E) allows organisms to be built up one module at a time.

Question 15

The developmental control pathway that results in polarity and pattern formation in the head-abdomen axis in Drosophila

A) has a similar gene sequence and chromosome order in the mouse.
B) arose only in insects during evolution.
C) determines only the organs that arise in head segments.
D) involves only gene products made by the embryo.
E) arose through new genes that had not existed before in any form.

Question 16

The Pax6 gene in mammals and the eyeless gene in flies are both _______ genes.

A) heterochronic
B) developmentally plastic
C) homologous
D) diapause
E) modular

Question 17

The process whereby changes in the timing of developmental events can change the form of an organism is called

A) heterochrony.
B) developmental plasticity.
C) adaptation.
D) modularity.
E) mutation.

Question 18

Which of the following is not true of genetic switches?

A) They control how a genetic toolkit is used.
B) They integrate positional information in an embryo.
C) A single switch controls each gene.
D) They allow different structures to develop within an individual organism.
E) They determine when and where a gene is turned on or off.

Question 19

Which of the following techniques or tools was instrumental in the studies performed by Gehring and his colleagues demonstrating that eyeless is a transcription factor involved in eye development?

A) Comparison of DNA sequences by means of a database search
B) Recombinant DNA constructs
C) The genetic toolkit
D) DNA chip technology
E) Hormone treatments

Question 20

Which of the following is not one of the principles of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo)?

A) Animal groups share similar molecular mechanisms for morphogenesis.
B) Changes in the timing of gene expression are important in the evolution of new structures.
C) Evolution of development is not responsive to the environment.
D) Changes in the locations of gene expression in the embryo can lead to new structures.
E) Evolution occurs by modification of existing developmental genes and pathways.

Question 21

Which of the following distinguishes insects from other arthropods?

A) Insect Ubx promotes the expression of Distal-less, whereas the Ubx of other arthropods has no effect on Distal-less expression.
B) Insect Ubx inhibits the expression of Distal-less, whereas the Ubx of other arthropods has no effect on Distal-less expression.
C) Insect distal-less promotes the expression of Ubx, whereas the Distal-less of other arthropods has no effect on Ubx expression.
D) Insect distal-less inhibits the expression of Ubx, whereas the Distal-less of other arthropods has no effect on Ubx expression.
E) Insect distal-less promotes the expression of Ubx, whereas the Distal-less of other arthropods inhibits Ubx expression.

Question 22

Which of the following accounts for the giraffe's long neck?

A) Developmental plasticity
B) Modularity
C) Heterochrony
D) Apoptosis
E) Stretching

Question 23

Ubx expression _______ forewing development and _______ hindwing development.

A) promotes; promotes
B) promotes; inhibits
C) has no effect on; promotes
D) inhibits; promotes
E) inhibits; inhibits

Question 24

Which of the following would be the most likely event if Ubx were expressed in the second thoracic segment in Drosophila?

A) The fly would develop a new set of forewings on the second segment.
B) The fly would develop a larger set of forewings on the second segment.
C) The fly would develop a set of halteres on the second segment.
D) The fly would develop eyes on the second segment.
E) Nothing would happen because wings do not develop from the second segment.

Question 25

Which of the following organisms are not arthropods?

A) Centipedes
B) Spiders
C) Insects
D) Crustaceans
E) All of the above are arthropods.

Question 26

Genetic determinism is the tenet that the genotype is responsible for phenotypic traits. The prevalence of which of the following phenomena best argues against pure genetic determinism?

A) Heterochrony
B) Modularity
C) Parallel phenotypic evolution
D) Developmental plasticity
E) Homology

Question 27

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Embryos are made up of modules.
B) Adults are made up of modules.
C) Many developmental genes exert their effects on only a single module.
D) All of above
E) None of the above

Question 28

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Homologous genes encoding similar transcription factors are expressed in similar patterns along the anterior-posterior axes of both mammals and insects.
B) The full-sized wing in Drosophila is normally produced on just the third thoracic segment.
C) Deletions of the Ubx gene in Drosophila convert the third thoracic segment into the second thoracic segment.
D) Ubx is a Hox gene.
E) All of the above are true; none is false.

Question 29

Webbing in ducks occurs because the _______ protein is expressed in the webbing cells. This protein prevents the _______ protein from signaling for apoptosis.

A) BMP4; Gremlin
B) BMP4; eyeless
C) BMP4; Ultrabithorax
D) Gremlin; eyeless
E) Gremlin; BMP4

Question 30

The addition of _______ protein in the right location of a developing chicken foot will make it appear more like a duck foot.

A) BMP4
B) Gremlin
C) Distal-less
D) Ubx
E) None of the above

Question 31

If a genetic change in turtles led to aromatase being more active than usual, which of the following would most likely occur?

A) More females would be produced, because aromatase disrupts the production of testosterone from cholesterol.
B) More females would be produced, because aromatase converts testosterone into estrogen.
C) More females would be produced, because aromatase disrupts the conversion of estrogen into testosterone.
D) More males would be produced, because aromatase converts estrogen into testosterone.
E) More males would be produced, because aromatase prevents testosterone from being converted into estrogen.

Question 32

Suppose that a plant normally grows large fleshy leaves in the absence of water stress. In low moisture conditions, that same plant species grows small thin leaves that are more resistant to desiccation. This observation would be an illustration of the principle of

A) plasticity.
B) parallel phenotypic evolution.
C) heterochrony.
D) homoplasy.
E) modularity

Question 33

Which of the following best describes the relationship between modularity and heterochrony?

A) Heterochrony allows for modularity.
B) Heterochrony inhibits the evolution of modularity.
C) Modularity permits evolutionary changes that involve heterochrony.
D) Modularity inhibits evolutionary changes that involve heterochrony.
E) Modularity has no effect on the likelihood of evolution via heterochrony.

Question 34

Which of the following is responsible for the webbed feet of ducks?

A) The loss of a developmental gene
B) The gain of a developmental gene
C) An altered temporal expression pattern of a developmental gene
D) An altered spatial expression pattern of a developmental gene
E) Developmental plasticity

Question 35

Which of the following is an example of heterochrony?

A) A gene whose expression causes legs to form
B) A gene whose expression inhibits the formation of legs
C) A gene whose expression causes one segment to start growing sooner than it would in the absence of that gene
D) A gene whose expression affects more than one module
E) None of the above

Question 36

The sex of slider turtles is determined by

A) the presence or absence of a Y chromosome.
B) the ratio of X chromosomes to autosomes.
C) temperature: females are more likely to develop at warmer temperatures.
D) temperature: females are more likely to develop at cooler temperatures.
E) the level of cholesterol in the diet of the young turtles.

Question 37

Which of the following statements about chick and mouse embryos is false?

A) Chick and mouse embryos differ in the number of their cervical vertebrae.
B) Chick and mouse embryos differ in the number of their thoracic vertebrae.
C) The presence of Hoxc6 expression affects the identity of vertebrae in different ways in chicks and mice.
D) The expression pattern of Hoxc6 differs in chicks and mice.
E) All of the above are true; none is false.

Question 38

The process by which the relative timing of different developmental processes is altered is called

A) modularity.
B) homeosis.
C) developmental plasticity.
D) heterochrony.
E) homeostasis.

Question 39

The _______ thoracic segment of Drosophila bears small hindwings that aid in _______.

A) first; balance
B) first; sense
C) second; sense
D) second; mating
E) third; balance

Question 40

In which of the following ways do insects and centipedes differ?

A) Insects form legs on the thoracic segments, whereas centipedes do not.
B) Centipedes form legs on the thoracic segments, whereas insects do not.
C) Centipedes form legs on the abdominal segments, whereas insects do not.
D) Both a and c
E) None of the above

Question 41

Which of the following statements about sticklebacks is false?

A) Different genes govern the differences between marine and freshwater forms in different populations.
B) Most of the lakes in which freshwater sticklebacks live formed in the last 10,000 years.
C) Predation risk is lower in freshwater lakes.
D) Bony armor is less common in freshwater lakes.
E) All of the above are true; none is false.

Question 42

A gene found in mice and a gene found in humans show sequence similarity as well as similarity in their function. These observations have led researchers to infer that the genes evolved from a common ancestor. In other words, these are _______ genes.

Question 43

Suppose that a hypothetical gene, wing7, was found to be responsible for the differences in wing morphology between different species of related wasps because this gene affected the expression of several genes in wing development. Wing7 would thus be an example of a _______.

Question 44

A new field of biology known as _______ involves comparative study of the genes that control the development and evolution of various organisms.

Question 45

Differences in the expression of the gene _______ account for many of the phenotypic differences between freshwater and marine forms of three-spine sticklebacks.

A) Bicoid
B) Pax6
C) Pitx1
D) Ubx
E) Gremlin

Question 46

Larvae of the moth Nemoria arizonaria develop into different forms depending on the season in which they hatch. The environmental signal that causes this difference is

A) temperature at the time that they hatch.
B) the part of the oak on which they feed.
C) day length at the time that they hatch.
D) the level of rain that has fallen recently.
E) the amount and intensity of sunlight present as they develop.

Question 47

The extent to which a developmental gene affects phenotype is limited, because most such genes affect only one _______ and not the whole organism.

Question 48

Even if the temperatures remain warm, many mammals will respond to declining day lengths by developing thicker coats. This observation illustrates

A) genetic determinism.
B) the capacity of organisms to respond to information that predicts future conditions.
C) phenotypic plasticity.
D) Both a and b
E) Both b and c

Question 49

Which of the following is most likely to be an example of phenotypic plasticity?

A) Homology
B) Heterochrony
C) Diapause
D) Parallel phenotypic evolution
E) Modularity

Question 50

The transcription factors that govern pattern formation in multicellular organisms, and the genes that encode them, are components of what biologists call the genetic _______.

Question 51

Which of the following statements about sticklebacks is true?

A) The differences between marine and freshwater sticklebacks are mainly induced by environmental conditions.
B) The differences between marine and freshwater sticklebacks arise due to changes in the expression of a transcription factor.
C) These species illustrate parallel phenotypic evolution.
D) Both a and b
E) Both b and c

Question 52

Which of the following statements about the evolution of development is false?

A) Evolution by natural selection "works" like a tinker, assembling new structures by combining and modifying available materials.
B) Nearly all evolutionary innovations are the result of modifications of previously existing mechanisms and structures.
C) The genes that control development are highly conserved.
D) Natural selection can act on any signaling pathway that affects development.
E) All of the above are true; none is false

Question 53

Deletion of the _______ gene in Drosophila converts the third thoracic segment into the second thoracic seg­ment, resulting in a fly with two sets of fully formed wings.

Question 54

Which of the following statements about the moth Nemoria arizonaria is false?

A) The spring caterpillars resemble catkins.
B) The summer caterpillars resemble oak twigs.
C) A chemical in oak leaves induces development of the summer form.
D) Both forms are adapted to the environments in which they live.
E) All of the above are true; none is false.

Question 55

Many genes are expressed earlier in humans than in chimpanzees and gorillas. This phenomenon is an example of _______.

Question 56

In the absence of hormone treatment, which of the following occurred in the jacky dragons studied by Warner and Shine?

A) Individuals reared at low temperatures developed into males; individuals reared at high temperatures developed into females.
B) Individuals reared at low temperatures developed into females; individuals reared at high temperatures developed into males.
C) Individuals reared at the lowest temperatures developed into males; those reared at intermediate tem­peratures developed into females; and those reared at the highest temperatures developed into males.
D) Individuals reared at the lowest temperatures developed into females; those reared at intermediate temperatures developed into males; and those reared at the highest temperatures developed into females.
E) Individuals with two X chromosomes developed into females; individuals with one X chromosome developed into males.

Question 57

Which of the following is most conducive for parallel phenotypic evolution?

A) Heterochrony
B) Phenotypic plasticity
C) The conservation of important developmental genes
D) The sudden appearance of a new structure
E) Organisms using information to predict future conditions

Question 58

How many times have wings evolved independently in vertebrates?

A) Once
B) Twice
C) Three times
D) Four times
E) More than four times

Question 59

An inhibitor of BMP4 known as _______ is expressed in the webbing of duck feet; the protein that this gene encodes causes webbing by preventing BMP4 from signaling for _______.

Question 60

Which of the following best contradicts Francois Jacob's view of evolution as a tinker?

A) Parallel phenotypic evolution
B) The sudden appearance of a new structure
C) Developmental plasticity
D) Heterochrony
E) The conservation of developmentally important genes across distantly related organisms

Question 61

Use the following to answer questions :
The diagram below shows the association of phenotype and gene expression patterns in five different species. The top portion shows the phylogeny of the five species; below the phylogeny are the phenotypes of the five species; and at the bottom are the expression patterns for three different genes (genes 1, 2, and 3) at two different time points in development (early and late), and in two different locations in the embryo (top and bottom).
The phenotypes of species B and E illustrate the phenomenon of

A) developmental plasticity.
B) homology.
C) diapause.
D) parallel phenotypic evolution.
E) pleiotropy.

Question 62

Low levels of light stimulate the _______ of plant cells.

Question 63

Use the following to answer questions :
The diagram below shows the association of phenotype and gene expression patterns in five different species. The top portion shows the phylogeny of the five species; below the phylogeny are the phenotypes of the five species; and at the bottom are the expression patterns for three different genes (genes 1, 2, and 3) at two different time points in development (early and late), and in two different locations in the embryo (top and bottom).
The additional segment in species B and E is most likely associated with which process?

A) Changes in the timing of gene expression
B) Changes in the location of gene expression
C) Phenotypic plasticity
D) Both a and c
E) Both b and c

Question 64

Use the following to answer questions :
The diagram below shows the association of phenotype and gene expression patterns in five different species. The top portion shows the phylogeny of the five species; below the phylogeny are the phenotypes of the five species; and at the bottom are the expression patterns for three different genes (genes 1, 2, and 3) at two different time points in development (early and late), and in two different locations in the embryo (top and bottom).
Which of the following would most likely lead to species A looking like species B?

A) Loss of a repressor of gene 1
B) Loss of a repressor of gene 2
C) Loss of a repressor of gene 3
D) Gain of a repressor of gene 1
E) Gain of a repressor of gene 2

Question 65

The ability of organisms to modify their development (and hence, their phenotype) in response to environmental stimuli is known as developmental _______.

Question 66

Unlike in other arthopods, Ubx protein in insects represses the expression of _______.

Question 67

Use the following to answer questions :
The diagram below shows the phylogeny of arthropods.
Which arthropod would likely have a Ubx gene that is most similar to that of a beetle?

A) A centipede
B) A spider
C) A fly
D) A shrimp
E) A springtail

Question 68

Use the following to answer questions :
The diagram below shows the association of phenotype and gene expression patterns in five different species. The top portion shows the phylogeny of the five species; below the phylogeny are the phenotypes of the five species; and at the bottom are the expression patterns for three different genes (genes 1, 2, and 3) at two different time points in development (early and late), and in two different locations in the embryo (top and bottom).
Which gene's expression is associated with the additional segment seen in species B and E?

A) Gene 1
B) Gene 2
C) Gene 3
D) Both gene 1 and gene 2
E) Both gene 2 and gene 3

Question 69

The graphs below show the reproductive successes of male and female jacky dragons that had been reared at different temperatures. Based on the graph, which of the following statements is false?

A) Sex determination was manipulated by the effects of hormones.
B) Rearing temperature had different effects on the reproductive successes of males and females.
C) At every temperature treatment, the sex with the higher reproductive success was the sex that would normally develop at that temperature.
D) At the lowest temperature, females have a greater reproductive success than males do.
E) All of the above are true; none is false.

Question 70

In slider turtles, _______ temperatures during development lead to mostly females being born.

Question 71

Use the following to answer questions :
Below is a diagram of a Drosophila larva. H represents the head segments region; T1, T2, and T3 represent the first, second, and third thoracic segments respectively; and A represents the abdominal segments region.
Indicate on the diagram where wings normally would form.

Question 72

Use the following to answer questions :
The diagram below shows the association of phenotype and gene expression patterns in five different species. The top portion shows the phylogeny of the five species; below the phylogeny are the phenotypes of the five species; and at the bottom are the expression patterns for three different genes (genes 1, 2, and 3) at two different time points in development (early and late), and in two different locations in the embryo (top and bottom).
Which gene's expression is associated with the appendage growing in the top segment of species D?

A) Gene 1
B) Gene 2
C) Gene 3
D) Both gene 1 and gene 2
E) Both gene 2 and gene 3

Question 73

Use the following to answer questions :
The diagram below shows the association of phenotype and gene expression patterns in five different species. The top portion shows the phylogeny of the five species; below the phylogeny are the phenotypes of the five species; and at the bottom are the expression patterns for three different genes (genes 1, 2, and 3) at two different time points in development (early and late), and in two different locations in the embryo (top and bottom).
The appendage in species D is most likely associated with which process?

A) Changes in the timing of gene expression
B) Changes in the location of gene expression
C) Phenotypic plasticity
D) Both a and c
E) Both b and c

Question 74

Use the following to answer questions :
Below is a diagram of a Drosophila larva. H represents the head segments region; T1, T2, and T3 represent the first, second, and third thoracic segments respectively; and A represents the abdominal segments region.
Indicate on the diagram where wings would form if Ubx were deleted.

Question 75

Use the following to answer questions :
The diagram below shows the phylogeny of arthropods.
Suppose that flies and moths both have the same Ubx expression pattern. Which of the following taxa would most likely also share that expression pattern, based on the phylogenetic relationships?

A) Beetle
B) Springtail
C) Mosquito
D) Spider
E) Centipede

Question 76

According to Francois Jacob, evolution works like a _______, assembling new structures from combinations of old ones.

Question 77

In vertebrates, wings evolved independently in birds, bats, and _______, an extinct group.

Question 78

Without the enzyme _______, all slider turtles would be male, because testosterone would not be converted to estrogen.

Question 79

Feeding on mushrooms has independently evolved several times in the genus Drosophila. This is an example of _______ phenotypic evolution.

Question 80

In the bone-forming regions of marine stickleback embryos, the gene _______ is active; it is inactive in freshwater stickleback embryos.