Question 1

What is true of a fossil that is classified as a "transitional form"?

Accepted Answer

A fossil that is classified as a "transitional form" has some of the traits of its ancestors and some of the traits of its descendants. This indicates that it represents a transitional stage between two different species or groups.

Question 2

Peter and Rosemary Grant study natural selection in finches on the Galápagos Islands.They have hypothesized that dry conditions produce larger seeds and may result in larger beaks in succeeding generations of finches.The figure below shows their data from 1976 and 1978.The y-axis is the number of birds measured and the x-axis is the beak depth.Do their data support their hypothesis and why?

Accepted Answer

The data supports the hypothesis because the average beak depth of birds in the population increased from 8.8mm in 1976 to 9.8mm in 1978. This suggests that the succeeding generation of finches did indeed have larger beaks, which could be due to natural selection favoring those with larger beaks for better access to larger seeds during the drought.

Question 3

According to Thomas Malthus,food supplies tend to increase linearly while populations have the potential to increase exponentially,which means that resources will limit population growth.

Accepted Answer

According to Malthusian theory, the food supply increases linearly while the population can increase exponentially, leading to a shortage of resources to support the growing population.

Question 4

What field of study uses geographic distribution of extinct and living species to determine patterns of evolution?

Accepted Answer

Biogeography is the field of study that uses the geographic distribution of extinct and living species to determine patterns of evolution.

Question 5

The process of natural selection results in:
Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The process of natural selection results in:
Select...

Question 6

The term evolution is used to describe

Accepted Answer

Evolution refers to the heritable changes in characteristics of a population from one generation to the next. The other options are not accurate descriptions of evolution.

Question 7

A coral species that currently inhabits a single reef off the coast of Indonesia would be considered:

Accepted Answer

The coral species that currently inhabits a single reef off the coast of Indonesia is considered endemic because it exists only in that specific location and is not found anywhere else in the world.

Question 8

The interlocking rib cage of Titaalik roseae suggests that this transition organism had lungs.What other traits were found in T.roseae,but not in its ancestral form?

Accepted Answer

Tiktaalik roseae exhibits primitive wrists and fingers, a trait not found in its fish ancestors, indicating an evolutionary step towards the limb structures of terrestrial vertebrates.

Question 9

During the Beagle journey,Darwin visited islands,allowing him to compare island species with continental species.In terms of framing his theory of evolution,why was this significant?

Accepted Answer

Comparing island species with continental species allowed Darwin to see both similarities to ancestral forms and unique adaptations to island environments. This helped him formulate his theory of evolution by natural selection, which relied on the idea that species can change over time through natural selection acting on heritable variation. By seeing how island species differed from their continental ancestors, Darwin was able to observe this process in action.

Question 10

After his journey on the HMS Beagle,Charles Darwin bred pigeons,selectively mating those with particular characteristics in a process he termed artificial selection.The results of this artificial selection influenced and supported the ideas he presented in On the Origin of Species.What scientific tool(s)did Darwin use to develop his theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

Darwin used both experimentation (through his selective breeding of pigeons) and observation (through his travels on the HMS Beagle and studying the diversity of species in different environments) to develop his theory of evolution. He also later incorporated population genetics into his ideas.

Question 11

Some major changes that occurred in horse body size,foot anatomy,and tooth morphology are hypothesized to be due to natural selection because

Accepted Answer

The shift from forest to grassland environments required adaptations in body size, foot anatomy, and tooth morphology in order for horses to survive in new conditions. Natural selection played a role in shaping these adaptations.

Question 12

What idea is shared by both Lamarck's and Darwin's theories of evolution?

Accepted Answer

Both Lamarck and Darwin believed that the environment played a role in shaping the traits of organisms. Lamarck believed that these traits could be passed on to future generations while Darwin believed that advantageous traits would be naturally selected for and become more common in a population over time.

Question 13

An important message from the work of Thomas Malthus that influenced Charles Darwin was that

Accepted Answer

Malthus argued that populations tend to increase at a faster rate than their food supply, leading to a struggle for resources and ultimately only a fraction of the population surviving and reproducing. This idea of "survival of the fittest" influenced Darwin's theory of natural selection, where individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation.

Question 14

Cacti in the deserts of southwestern North America and some euphorbs in the deserts of Africa have barrel-shaped stems,short-lived leaves,and spines,yet these two types of plants are from different evolutionary lineages.The similar morphology of the two groups of plants is an example of:

Accepted Answer

The similar morphology of cacti and euphorbs, which are from different evolutionary lineages, suggests that they underwent convergent evolution - when similar traits develop in unrelated species as a result of similar selective pressures or environmental factors.

Question 15

Darwin's concept of evolution "the theory of descent with modification through variation and natural selection" can be demonstrated by which of the following examples?

Accepted Answer

This example demonstrates natural selection as the survival of the sand colored turtle is due to its ability to blend in with its environment and avoid predation. This survival trait is also passed down to its offspring. The other examples do not demonstrate the concept of evolution through variation and natural selection.

Question 16

Evolution,viewed on a small scale,as it relates to changes in a single gene or allele frequency in a population over time,is called

Accepted Answer

Microevolution specifically refers to the changes in gene frequency or allele frequency over time within a population. Genetic drift and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium are mechanisms that can cause microevolution to occur, but they are not the same as microevolution itself. Phenotypic evolution is a broader term that refers to the changes in physical or observable traits of organisms over time, which may or may not involve changes in gene frequency. Genetic evolution could refer to any changes in the genetic makeup of a population, but microevolution is the specific type of genetic evolution that involves changes in gene or allele frequency.

Question 17

English ivy (Hedera helix)and wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei)are not closely related,yet both have aerial rootlets that allow them to climb up and stick to bark on trees.What type of evolution is this?

Accepted Answer

The presence of aerial rootlets that allow plants to climb and stick to bark on trees is an example of convergent evolution. Although English ivy and wintercreeper are not closely related, they evolved similar adaptations to suit the same environment and ecological niche.

Question 18

You visit a pet store and decide to purchase a male guppy that has red,blue and green colors on its fins and tail.Your guppies at home do not have this combination of colors and you would like to own some that do.You place the new male in with three females for mating purposes.After three weeks you have many new baby guppies and with the new color combination! This is an example of which type of selection?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of artificial selection because the decision to breed the male guppy with the desired coloration with specific females for the purpose of creating offspring with the desired color combination was made by the individual (the pet owner) rather than by nature.

Question 19

What scenario best illustrates the process of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A population developing resistance to a pesticide is a clear example of natural selection. The individuals that have a genetic variation that allows them to survive the pesticide will be more likely to reproduce and pass on that trait, leading to a population that is better adapted to the pesticide over time.

Question 20

Selective breeding results from programs designed to modify traits in domesticated species.

Accepted Answer

Selective breeding involves intentionally choosing specific individuals with desirable traits and mating them to produce offspring with those desired traits. This process is often used in agriculture and animal husbandry to modify the characteristics of domesticated species for human use and benefit.

Quiz 19: An Introduction to Evolution and Population Genetics