Biology 280 Evolution Midterm 1 Exam Questions
and Answers|2025 Update|100% Correct.
An allele frequency is the ___ of allele copies of a particular type in the
population.
a) fraction (= proportion)
Natural theologians argue that the 'fit' of organisms to their environments is
proof that those organisms were created by a supernatural being - it's proof of
the 'miracle of life' in the most literal sense. In principle, are there observations
from the natural world (even including experiments whose results you could
observe) that you could use to test this assertion?
b) No, it's impossible - science can only be used to study the natural world.
Let's say there's a locus with only two alleles. If the two alleles produce the
same (average) phenotype, do they have the same fitness?
a) Yes, they'd have to
Can two individuals have different phenotypes but the same genotype?
a) Sure - no individuals have identical phenotypes.
Artificial selection has demonstrated that...
a) rapid evolution would be very possible under natural conditions
What is the definition of evolution?
b) It's the change from generation to generation in the frequencies of genetic
variants in a population.
Is there any way that evolution can operate except by natural selection?
a) Yes.
If you see a small cockroach on campus, it's probably a brown-banded
cockroach. Distributed worldwide, they now live solely in close association
, with humans (nobody knows their original habitats). Some populations of
these roaches have evolved the ability to be able to feed on the plastic
sheathing around wires in stereos and other electronic devices. Is this an
example of artificial or natural selection?
b) Natural selection.
Of the following 3 conditions, which combination makes natural selection
inevitable? Condition #X: Phenotypic differences are inherited. Condition #Y:
Individuals differ in their phenotypes. Condition #Z: Some phenotypes have
higher reproductive success than others because of their differences.
d) X, Y & and Z - all three are required.
A 'population' comprises all the individuals of the same species that exist at the
same time and place.
a) Correct.
Many genes are polymorphic. Or in other words, many genes ...
a) have more than one allele.
A trait is polymorphic if individuals can be sorted into easily recognizable
groups based on their phenotypes.
a) That's right.
What's a continuous trait?
It's a trait that is varies gradually among individuals in a population.
What's the difference between fitness and reproductive success?
a) Fitness compares the reproductive successes of individuals with different
(average) phenotypes.
To an evolutionary biologist, what's the difference between 'fitness' and
'relative fitness?'
Actually, there's no difference.
and Answers|2025 Update|100% Correct.
An allele frequency is the ___ of allele copies of a particular type in the
population.
a) fraction (= proportion)
Natural theologians argue that the 'fit' of organisms to their environments is
proof that those organisms were created by a supernatural being - it's proof of
the 'miracle of life' in the most literal sense. In principle, are there observations
from the natural world (even including experiments whose results you could
observe) that you could use to test this assertion?
b) No, it's impossible - science can only be used to study the natural world.
Let's say there's a locus with only two alleles. If the two alleles produce the
same (average) phenotype, do they have the same fitness?
a) Yes, they'd have to
Can two individuals have different phenotypes but the same genotype?
a) Sure - no individuals have identical phenotypes.
Artificial selection has demonstrated that...
a) rapid evolution would be very possible under natural conditions
What is the definition of evolution?
b) It's the change from generation to generation in the frequencies of genetic
variants in a population.
Is there any way that evolution can operate except by natural selection?
a) Yes.
If you see a small cockroach on campus, it's probably a brown-banded
cockroach. Distributed worldwide, they now live solely in close association
, with humans (nobody knows their original habitats). Some populations of
these roaches have evolved the ability to be able to feed on the plastic
sheathing around wires in stereos and other electronic devices. Is this an
example of artificial or natural selection?
b) Natural selection.
Of the following 3 conditions, which combination makes natural selection
inevitable? Condition #X: Phenotypic differences are inherited. Condition #Y:
Individuals differ in their phenotypes. Condition #Z: Some phenotypes have
higher reproductive success than others because of their differences.
d) X, Y & and Z - all three are required.
A 'population' comprises all the individuals of the same species that exist at the
same time and place.
a) Correct.
Many genes are polymorphic. Or in other words, many genes ...
a) have more than one allele.
A trait is polymorphic if individuals can be sorted into easily recognizable
groups based on their phenotypes.
a) That's right.
What's a continuous trait?
It's a trait that is varies gradually among individuals in a population.
What's the difference between fitness and reproductive success?
a) Fitness compares the reproductive successes of individuals with different
(average) phenotypes.
To an evolutionary biologist, what's the difference between 'fitness' and
'relative fitness?'
Actually, there's no difference.
