BIO 345 QUIZ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What class of barrier to gene flow would we be observing if we noted that the offspring
of a lion and a tiger (two different species) are awkward, gangly beasts that have poor
survival in the wild? - Answers -Postzygotic barrier
The structure and morphology of the genitalia of many insects sits in the gray area
between pre- and post-mating isolation. The analogy most similar to the functional use
of genital structures in these insects is a _____________________. - Answers -Lock
and key, where correct fit between components is critical
You collect individuals from different allopatric populations of a leaf-eating beetle. In the
laboratory, you conduct mate-choice experiments to assess levels of reproductive
isolation among beetles from different populations. Assuming that ecological speciation
occurred in the wild, which pattern should you expect? - Answers -Less reproductive
isolation among populations that share similar habitats
Which data would not affect maximum likelihood estimates of phylogenies when
comparing different tree hypotheses? - Answers -- The tree topology
- The lengths of the branches
- The branching order of the tree
- Nucleotide substitution rate
Which of these would be an advantage of using Bayesian inference instead of
maximum likelihood to construct a phylogeny based on DNA sequence data? -
Answers -Bayesian methods allow one to incorporate prior information to weight
probabilities
Stickleback fish found in lakes rapidly evolve a low armor plate morphology when
compared to marine populations. Analysis of the gene responsible shows that
populations with low plating form one clade and marine populations form another.
However, gene trees formed with other genes show that the low plating phenotype
probably evolved independently multiple times. How have scientists resolved these
contradictory gene trees? - Answers -A single origin of the low plating gene in the
oceanic population that remained at a low frequency until lakes were colonized. Then
the gene independently became fixed in each.
Evolutionary biologists and geologists recognize the "big five" mass extinctions and are
actively studying a potential sixth. Which of these describes that potential sixth mass
extinction? - Answers -The current extinctions, caused primarily by human activities
The Red Queen hypothesis proposes that the relationship between taxon age and
extinction rate is ________. - Answers -linear
, Which pattern best characterizes the history of extinctions on Earth? - Answers -Five
major mass extinctions and several lesser episodes of heightened extinction rates
How do evolutionary biologists view the notion of biological "progress"? - Answers -
Objective definitions of progress are fraught with difficulty, as the processes that drive
evolution have no mechanism for foresight.
Why are colonies of social insects, like termites, sometimes referred to as
superorganisms? - Answers -They have achieved a level of hierarchical organization
greater than the individual.
Stephen Jay Gould suggested that if we were to replay the "tape of life," the course of
events that we know as "history" might play themselves out very differently. Which
statement supports this idea? - Answers -Historical contingency suggests that small
differences in random events can result in large downstream differences.
How do you define a species? - Answers -"No one definition has as yet satisfied all
naturalists; yet every naturalists knows vaguely what he means when he speaks of a
species"
The evolution of decreased virulence would be expected in _________ - Answers -- A
parasite transmitted from caregiver to baby during the changing of diapers.
- Vertically transmitted parasite.
Which of the following would be an example of an extended phenotype? - Answers -An
increase in sexual activity due to infection with a sexually transmitted pathogen.
Imagine you discover a new human parasite like T. gondii that forms cysts in the brain.
You suspect it is altering human behavior. You also determine that it is transmitted
through sharing food. In what ways would you predict that it zombifies its hosts (alters
their behavior)? - Answers -- It should make them feel sick and rest in bed.
- It should make them want to host more people for social dinners.
- It should make them want to prepare meals more.
- It should reduce their sanitary practices (e.g. washing hands) while preparing food.
Which trait of humans is not shared by the LUCA? - Answers -Eukaryotic cell structure
You extract DNA from human bones in an ancient village buried by volcanic ash. You
discover that there is an extremely high frequency of the LCT allele for lactase
persistence. What might you conclude about the population? - Answers -The members
of this population likely used domesticated livestock for their milk.
According to the figure, which organism is the closest living relative to humans? -
Answers -Bonobos and chimpanzees, equally
What class of barrier to gene flow would we be observing if we noted that the offspring
of a lion and a tiger (two different species) are awkward, gangly beasts that have poor
survival in the wild? - Answers -Postzygotic barrier
The structure and morphology of the genitalia of many insects sits in the gray area
between pre- and post-mating isolation. The analogy most similar to the functional use
of genital structures in these insects is a _____________________. - Answers -Lock
and key, where correct fit between components is critical
You collect individuals from different allopatric populations of a leaf-eating beetle. In the
laboratory, you conduct mate-choice experiments to assess levels of reproductive
isolation among beetles from different populations. Assuming that ecological speciation
occurred in the wild, which pattern should you expect? - Answers -Less reproductive
isolation among populations that share similar habitats
Which data would not affect maximum likelihood estimates of phylogenies when
comparing different tree hypotheses? - Answers -- The tree topology
- The lengths of the branches
- The branching order of the tree
- Nucleotide substitution rate
Which of these would be an advantage of using Bayesian inference instead of
maximum likelihood to construct a phylogeny based on DNA sequence data? -
Answers -Bayesian methods allow one to incorporate prior information to weight
probabilities
Stickleback fish found in lakes rapidly evolve a low armor plate morphology when
compared to marine populations. Analysis of the gene responsible shows that
populations with low plating form one clade and marine populations form another.
However, gene trees formed with other genes show that the low plating phenotype
probably evolved independently multiple times. How have scientists resolved these
contradictory gene trees? - Answers -A single origin of the low plating gene in the
oceanic population that remained at a low frequency until lakes were colonized. Then
the gene independently became fixed in each.
Evolutionary biologists and geologists recognize the "big five" mass extinctions and are
actively studying a potential sixth. Which of these describes that potential sixth mass
extinction? - Answers -The current extinctions, caused primarily by human activities
The Red Queen hypothesis proposes that the relationship between taxon age and
extinction rate is ________. - Answers -linear
, Which pattern best characterizes the history of extinctions on Earth? - Answers -Five
major mass extinctions and several lesser episodes of heightened extinction rates
How do evolutionary biologists view the notion of biological "progress"? - Answers -
Objective definitions of progress are fraught with difficulty, as the processes that drive
evolution have no mechanism for foresight.
Why are colonies of social insects, like termites, sometimes referred to as
superorganisms? - Answers -They have achieved a level of hierarchical organization
greater than the individual.
Stephen Jay Gould suggested that if we were to replay the "tape of life," the course of
events that we know as "history" might play themselves out very differently. Which
statement supports this idea? - Answers -Historical contingency suggests that small
differences in random events can result in large downstream differences.
How do you define a species? - Answers -"No one definition has as yet satisfied all
naturalists; yet every naturalists knows vaguely what he means when he speaks of a
species"
The evolution of decreased virulence would be expected in _________ - Answers -- A
parasite transmitted from caregiver to baby during the changing of diapers.
- Vertically transmitted parasite.
Which of the following would be an example of an extended phenotype? - Answers -An
increase in sexual activity due to infection with a sexually transmitted pathogen.
Imagine you discover a new human parasite like T. gondii that forms cysts in the brain.
You suspect it is altering human behavior. You also determine that it is transmitted
through sharing food. In what ways would you predict that it zombifies its hosts (alters
their behavior)? - Answers -- It should make them feel sick and rest in bed.
- It should make them want to host more people for social dinners.
- It should make them want to prepare meals more.
- It should reduce their sanitary practices (e.g. washing hands) while preparing food.
Which trait of humans is not shared by the LUCA? - Answers -Eukaryotic cell structure
You extract DNA from human bones in an ancient village buried by volcanic ash. You
discover that there is an extremely high frequency of the LCT allele for lactase
persistence. What might you conclude about the population? - Answers -The members
of this population likely used domesticated livestock for their milk.
According to the figure, which organism is the closest living relative to humans? -
Answers -Bonobos and chimpanzees, equally
