Deck 4: Population Genetics and Natural Selection

Question 1

Which of the following is not part of Darwin's theory of natural selection?

A) Offspring are like their parents.
B) There is variation between individuals within a species.
C) Fewer offspring are produced each generation than can be supported by the environment.
D) Some individuals have a higher chance of surviving and reproducing than others in the same population.
E) Heritable characteristics can be passed from parent to offspring.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Research conducted on the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) can be summarized in all of the following statements except:

A) inbreeding can contribute to local extinctions.
B) smaller meadows can contribute to local extinction.
C) a decrease in heterozygosity can contribute to local extinctions.
D) increase in predation can contribute to local extinctions.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Darwin is often considered the father of evolutionary thought. Which of the following terms is/are not part of Darwin's analysis?

A) gene frequencies
B) natural selection
C) adaptation
D) fitness
E) None of the choices are correct.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

For thousands of years, humans have bred domesticated plants and animals to produce and maintain desirable traits, such as large fruits. Darwin used which term to describe this:

A) mutation.
B) artificial selection.
C) phenotypic plasticity.
D) genetic engineering.
E) natural selection.

Question 5

In a population of lizards, the average and long length tails are selected against and the short tails are selected for. This is an example of

A) directional selection.
B) disruptive selection.
C) stabilizing selection.
D) natural selection.
E) balanced polymorphism.

Question 6

Evolution can be defined as

A) a process which favors the average phenotype within a population.
B) a process that increases the average size of individuals within a population.
C) a process of eliminating "bad" traits within a population.
D) a change in gene frequencies in a population.
E) the extent to which phenotypic variation is due to genetic variation.

Question 7

The populations of Chihuahua spruce (Picea chihuahuana) have been fragmented due to changing climatic conditions. This has resulted in

A) stabilizing selection.
B) large population sizes.
C) an increase in genetic diversity within populations.
D) genetic drift.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 8

The Hardy-Weinberg principle states that

A) genotypic changes will result in phenotypic changes.
B) phenotypic changes will result in genotypic changes.
C) allelic frequencies within a population will not change unless certain conditions are met.
D) allelic frequencies within a population will change unless certain conditions are met.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 9

Research on soapberry bugs (Jadera haematoloma) supports all of the following results except:

A) the soapberry bugs underwent developmental changes without genetic changes.
B) beak length positively correlated with fruit diameter.
C) genetic differences were observed between the populations in study.
D) natural selection occurred.
E) soapberry bugs underwent developmental changes without genetic changes and beak length positively correlated with fruit diameter.

Question 10

All of the following conditions are included in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium principle except:

A) no mutation.
B) large population size.
C) non-random mating.
D) no immigration.
E) genotypes of equal fitness.

Question 11

In a population of birds, the average beak size is selected against and the large and small sized beaks are selected for. This is an example of

A) directional selection.
B) disruptive selection.
C) stabilizing selection.
D) natural selection.
E) balanced polymorphism.

Question 12

Which of the following are conditions necessary to maintain Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

A) no mutations
B) large population
C) equal fitness
D) random mating
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 13

Within a population, if the average is selected for and the two opposing extremes are selected against, this is an example of

A) directional selection.
B) disruptive selection.
C) stabilizing selection.
D) natural selection.
E) balanced polymorphism.

Question 14

Evolution results from

A) mutations.
B) natural selection.
C) genetic drift.
D) gene flow.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 15

What results could Clausen, Keck, and Hiesey have expected to see if alpine, mid-elevation, and lowland populations of sticky cinquefoil (Potentilla glandulosa) were not genetically different?

A) mid-elevation plants grew best at mid-elevations
B) alpine plants produced more flowers at alpine elevations
C) lowland plants did not produce the most flowers at any elevation
D) lowland plants grew better than alpine plants at lowland elevations
E) all plants would grew equally well at all elevations

Question 16

Adaptation to the environment by a population does not include

A) variation in characteristics among individuals in a population.
B) evolution.
C) improved ability to live in the environment.
D) anatomy, physiology, and behavior.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 17

Over time, average phenotypes become less common and the population becomes phenotypically more diverse as a result of _____________ selection.

A) bimodal
B) directional
C) disruptive
D) stabilizing
E) disjointed

Question 18

For a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, in a situation where there are only two alleles at a particular locus, the proportions of genotypes are: SS = 0.64, Ss = 0.32, and ss = 0.04. Calculate the allele frequency for the recessive allele.

A) 0.04
B) 0.2
C) 0.32
D) 0.64
E) 0.8

Question 19

Locally adapted and genetically distinctive populations within a species are referred to as

A) heterotypes.
B) metatypes.
C) genotypes.
D) ecotypes.
E) allotypes.

Question 20

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation:

A) q² - qp + p² = 1.0
B) 2pq - q₂ - 2p = 1.0
C) q² - qp₂ + p = 1.0
D) p² + 2pq + q² = 1.0
E) p² + pq + q² = 1.0

Question 21

______________________ can change population gene frequencies through random processes.

Question 22

Phenotypic changes are always reflections of genotypic changes.

Question 23

Using microsatellite DNA, Douglas and Brunner concluded that populations of Coregonus found in the Alps were highly differentiated and should be managed as separate units.

Question 24

The alternate form of a gene is called a(n) _________________________________.

Question 25

Vila-Aiub and colleagues found that populations of the weed Sorghum halepense that have been persistently exposed to the herbicide, glyphosate, were not resistant to its effects.

Question 26

The number of offspring contributed by an individual to future generations is called _________________.

Question 27

The transplant experiment conducted on Potentilla glandulosa determined that morphological changes occurred, but no genetic changes occurred within the various experimental populations.

Question 28

A recent study of the finch
G. fortis on Santa Cruz Island showed that directional selection has resulted in larger beak size.

Question 29

Egg size in Ural owls is highly heritable and is currently undergoing stabilizing selection.

Question 30

The combination of genetics and environmental pressures can cause variations in phenotypes.

Question 31

Ecotypes are local populations within a species that are genetically and phenotypically distinct due in part to local environmental adaptation.