Deck 15: Evolution on a Small Scale

Question 1

Which of the following examples is one of genetic drift?

A) A forest fire kills all plant life south of a highway.
B) Rabbits with longer fur survive the winter.
C) Insects resistant to insecticide survive crop dusting.
D) Colorful lizards living on brown leaves are most often eaten by predators.
E) Flowers with larger flowers attract more butterflies than smaller flowers.

Answer 1

A
Explanation: Genetic drift refers to random survival and reproduction, regardless of adaptive traits.

Question 2

What statement is false regarding the differences between a biological species and subspecies?

A) Crosses between biological species cannot produce fertile offspring, crosses between subspecies can produce fertile offspring.
B) Subspecies are "races" within a single species.
C) Gene flow exists among different subspecies but not among species.
D) Greater degrees of allelic frequencies exist between species than among subspecies.
E) Phenotypes of different species are easily recognizable; little to no phenotypic variation exists among subspecies.

Answer 2

E
Explanation: Subspecies are somewhat genetically distinct populations (or races) within a species. Subspecies exhibit gene flow, can produce fertile offspring, and often do exhibit distinct phenotypes.

Question 3

If p = 0.6, what is q?

A) 0.6
B) 0.4
C) 0.36
D) 0.15
E) 0

Answer 3

B
Explanation: Knowing the frequency of one allele, use the formula (p + q =1) to determine the frequency of the other allele.

Question 4

Which of the following does not result in a decrease of genetic variation?

A) natural selection
B) genetic drift
C) bottleneck effect
D) founder effect
E) mutation

Question 5

Which individual would be considered the fittest?

A) Individual that has the longest canine teeth within the group
B) Individual that has the greatest number of breeding opportunities
C) Individual that has the best camoflauge to avoid predators
D) Individual that controls the largest territory
E) Individual that has the greatest number of offspring

Question 6

Why does the malaria disease persist in the human population?

A) Too few humans have died of malaria to end the disease.
B) Multiple phenotypes survive in a balanced polymorphism.
C) Malaria is a recessive disease and few humans are ever sick.
D) Humans are protected from the malaria parasite.
E) The disease is under stabilizing selection.

Question 7

What might occur in moth populations if pollution from industry was cleaned up, and the color of tree bark returned to its natural color?

A) Dark moths would continue to be the predominant phenotype.
B) Birds would now see the dark moths easier than the lighter color moths.
C) Dark- and light-colored moths would survive in equal numbers.
D) Both dark and light color moths would be preyed upon equally by birds.

Question 8

Which of the following does not generate genetic variation within a population?

A) genetic recombination
B) independent assortment of alleles
C) sexual reproduction
D) mutations
E) adaptation

Question 9

If a population recovers to its original population size after experiencing a bottleneck, which statement is correct regarding this population?

A) The recovered population is as likely to go extinct as is the population prior to the bottleneck.
B) The bottleneck subjected the population to directional selection.
C) The recovered population shows less genetic diversity that the population prior to the bottleneck.
D) The recovered population shows more genetic diversity than the population prior to the bottleneck.
E) The recovered population is more likely to go extinct as is the population prior to the bottleneck

Question 10

Why do prokaryotes and eukaryotes differ in their reliance on mutations for generating genetic variation?

A) Prokaryotes are smaller in size than eukaryotes.
B) Prokaryotes sexually reproduce, eukaryotes do not.
C) Eukaryotes sexually reproduce, prokaryotes do not.
D) Eukaryotes possess a nucleus, prokaryotes do not.
E) Prokaryotes are single-celled, eukaryotes are multicellular.

Question 11

All of the genes and all of their associated alleles within a population represent the population's

A) genotype.
B) gene flow.
C) gene pool.
D) genome.
E) Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

Question 12

If people with freckles preferentially mate with other people with freckles, this would be an example of

A) microevolution.
B) natural selection.
C) genetic drift.
D) nonrandom mating.
E) gene flow.

Question 13

What characteristic do a bottleneck and a founder effect have in common?

A) Both encounter a population crash.
B) Both involve a portion of a population becoming isolated.
C) Both involve a decrease in a population's genetic diversity.
D) Both affect the entire population.
E) Both are a type of natural selection.

Question 14

Which Hardy-Weinberg condition is violated by sexual selection?

A) no mutations
B) no natural selection
C) random mating
D) no genetic drift
E) no gene flow

Question 15

If half of a population is homozygous recessive, what is p?

A) 0.5
B) 0.707
C) 0.25
D) 0.293
E) 0.1

Question 16

The figure shown here represents stabilizing selection. What happens when an individual is produced that possesses a trait far away from the mean value?

A) That extreme individual will likely not survive and reproduce.
B) That extreme individual will be more likely to survive and reproduce.
C) That extreme individual will have neither an advantage nor a disadvantage than other individuals.
D) All phenotypes have equal likelihood of surviving and reproducing.
E) The average phenotype is less likely to survive and reproduce.

Question 17

If the average leg size of a reptile continually got smaller through generations, this would be an example of

A) disruptive selection.
B) stabilizing selection.
C) directional selection.
D) genetic drift.
E) bottleneck effect.

Question 18

Which of the following is not one of the conditions required for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

A) Mutations must not occur.
B) Natural selection must not occur.
C) Random mating must not occur.
D) Genetic drift must not occur.
E) Assortative mating must not occur.

Question 19

Which of the following is most likely to lead to two distinct species?

A) directional selection
B) stabilizing selection
C) disruptive selection
D) genetic drift
E) bottleneck effect

Question 20

In the Hardy-Weinberg formula, what does q² represent?

A) frequency of the dominant allele
B) frequency of the recessive allele
C) frequency of the heterozygotes
D) frequency of the homozygous dominants
E) frequency of the homozygous recessives

Question 21

The conditions required by the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium are commonly found in nature.

Question 22

British land snails primarily occur in two extreme phenotypes. This is an example of

A) directional selection.
B) stabilizing selection.
C) disruptive selection.
D) genetic drift.
E) mutation.

Question 23

Today, cheetahs show extreme genetic similarity. This is evidence of

A) past gene flow.
B) a past bottleneck event.
C) a history of directional selection.
D) a history of few genetic mutations.
E) assortative mating.

Question 24

In what type of environment is being heterozygous in regards to the sickle cell trait an advantage?

A) An environment that has malaria.
B) An environment that is malaria free.
C) Environment that is exposed to a large amount of sunlight year round.
D) Environments that are degraded.
E) Cold and rainy environments favor the heterozygote.

Question 25

The usage of the insecticide DDT to control mosquitos resulted in

A) directional selection to insecticide resistance in the insects.
B) stabilizing selection to insecticide resistance in the insects.
C) disruptive selection to insecticide resistance in the insects.
D) genetic drift to insecticide resistance in the insects.
E) no change in the insect population.

Question 26

Which of the following is most likely an example of a founder effect event?

A) A random small group of a bird population migrates to an island and then returns to breed.
B) A random large group of a bird population migrates to an island and then returns to breed.
C) A selected small group of a bird population migrates to an island and then returns to breed.
D) A random small group of a bird population migrates to an island and does not return to breed.
E) A random large group of a bird population migrates to an island and does not return to breed.

Question 27

The effects of genetic drift are more significant in

A) large populations.
B) small populations.
C) populations that mate randomly.
D) populations that are undergoing natural selection.
E) populations in which the frequency of mutations is high.

Question 28

Dominance causes an allele to become more common.

Question 29

Biotic environments that influence natural selection includes all but which of the following?

A) competition
B) predation
C) parasitism
D) weather
E) disease

Question 30

Microevolution is not influenced by which of the following?

A) mutation
B) random mating
C) gene flow
D) natural selection
E) genetic drift

Question 31

If p² = 0.04, what is the frequency of homozygous recessives in the population?

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

Question 32

In the figure shown here, the bell-shaped curve representing the population illustrates that

A) most individuals are white, few individuals are pink.
B) most individuals are white, few individuals are yellow.
C) most individuals are yellow, few individuals are pink.
D) most individuals are pink, few individuals are yellow or white.
E) most individuals are yellow and white, few individuals are pink.

Question 33

A group of field mice cross a highway and join a new population of field mice on the other side, producing offspring with this population. This is an example of

A) gene flow.
B) genetic drift.
C) Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
D) assortive mating.

Question 34

Directional selection in the modern horse is demonstrated by

A) the gradual decrease in size over time.
B) the rapid decrease in size over time.
C) the gradual increase in size over time.
D) the rapid increase in size over time.
E) the extinction of other horse species.

Question 35

In random mating,

A) individuals choose the most attractive mate.
B) there is no influence on mate choice.
C) breeding occurs between two different species.
D) breeding occurs between two different subspecies.
E) fertile offspring are not produced.

Question 36

The frequency increase of dark phenotypes in response to increased pollution is called

A) genetic drift.
B) founder effect.
C) industrial melanism.
D) assortative mating.
E) stabilizing selection.

Question 37

Individuals who inherit sickle cell disease, a recessive disorder, tend to die at an early age while individuals who are homozygous for their blood cells survive. How does the recessive allele persist in the population?

A) New individuals who are recessive for sickle cell will migrate into the area.
B) Spontaneous mutations will occur on Homozygous individuals that causes them to develop a recessive allele.
C) The recessive allele will not persist within the population. It is always weeded out.
D) Each generation some individuals will be born that by chance will inherit the recessive allele.
E) Individuals who are heterozygous for the sickle cell trait have an advantage in certain environments.

Question 38

A female peacock chooses a male as a mate based on his showy plumage and courtship dance. This is an example of

A) random mating.
B) assortative mating.
C) sexual selection.
D) gene flow.
E) natural selection.

Question 39

What is the typical mutation rate within a cell?

A) 1/100,000
B) 1/1000
C) 1/10,000
D) 1/100
E) 1/10

Question 40

In the process of natural selection, individuals that are most fit are the ones that are

A) most likely to survive.
B) most likely to reproduce.
C) most likely to migrate.
D) most likely to mutate.
E) most likely to be physically fit.

Question 41

Natural selection will favor directional, stabilizing and disruptive selection in the same population simultaneously.

Question 42

In the figure shown here, flower color of a population is distributed in a bell-shaped normal curve. If the pink flower color increases in frequency in the population, this would illustrate

A) stabilizing selection.
B) disruptive selection.
C) directional selection.
D) genetic drift.

Question 43

In the figure shown here, flower color of a population is distributed in a bell-shaped normal curve. If the white and yellow flower colors increase in frequency in the population, this would illustrate

A) stabilizing selection.
B) disruptive selection.
C) directional selection.
D) genetic drift.

Question 44

A population of bacteria is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. However, through repeated exposure to an antibiotic, the frequency of the recessive allele is rapidly increasing. What is the most likely explanation for this response?

A) The recessive allele is responsible for susceptibility of the bacteria to the antibiotic.
B) The dominant allele is responsible for susceptibility of the bacteria to the antibiotic.
C) The recessive allele is responsible for resistance of the bacteria to the antibiotic.
D) The population is experiencing gene flow.
E) The population is experiencing disruptive selection.

Question 45

Microevolution is the term that applies to which of the following?

A) Any evolution at any scale is considered microevolution.
B) Large scale changes over a long period of time.
C) Small scale changes over a long period of time.
D) Small scale changes over a short period of time.
E) Changes of any scale within microorganisms.

Question 46

If the survivors of an original population survived due to specific phenotypes that they possessed, then this event is an example of

A) natural selection.
B) genetic drift.
C) founder effect.
D) industrial melanism.

Question 47

In the figure shown here, flower color of a population is distributed in a bell-shaped normal curve. If the white flower color increases in frequency in the population, this would illustrate

A) stabilizing selection.
B) disruptive selection.
C) directional selection.
D) genetic drift.

Question 48

What is the genotype of an individual that is lives in protection from both sickle cell disease and malaria?

A) Hb^AHb^A
B) Hb^AHb^S
C) Hb^SHb^S
D) Hb^S Hb^s
E) Hb^A Hb^a

Question 49

A fraction of the original green frog population survives to reproduce and generate the new population. If the survivors of the original population survived by chance, then this event is an example of

A) natural selection.
B) genetic drift.
C) founder effect.
D) industrial melanism.

Question 50

Polydactylism (possessing more than five fingers per hand) within the Amish population in Pennsylvania is considered an example of founder effect. This is because the frequency of polydactylism among the Amish in Pennsylvania is identical to its frequency among the Amish population in Germany.