envs212 exam1 help

1.What is biological evolution?

 C) Inherited changes in groups of organisms over generations 

2.Which mechanism is one way evolution occurs? 

 B) Natural selection 

3.What is a misconception about evolution? 

 C) Individuals evolve

4.Who is considered the father of taxonomy? 

 D) Carl Linnaeus

5.What is a clade? 

 B) A group that includes a common ancestor and all its descendants 

6.What does the biological species concept emphasize? 

 A) Reproductive isolation 

7.Which idea did Lamarck propose? 

 C) Inheritance of acquired traits 

8.What is an exaptation? 

 D) A trait coopted for a new use 

9.What is natural selection? 

 A) Differential survival and reproduction 

10.What was a key point in Darwin’s theory?

 B) Descent with modification 

11.What defines a monophyletic group? 

 A) A group that includes all descendants of a common ancestor

12.What is adaptive radiation? 

 C) Rapid evolution of many species from a common ancestor 

13.Which is an example of convergent evolution? 

 D) Wings of birds and bats 

14.What is genetic drift? 

 B) Random changes in allele frequencies 

15.What are synapomorphies? 

A) Shared derived traits

16.What is the modern synthesis? 

C) Integration of Darwin’s and Mendel’s ideas

17.Who independently conceived natural selection? 

B) Alfred Russel Wallace

18.What is parsimony in phylogenetics?

C) The simplest tree with least changes

19.What is an example of an adaptation? 

A) Beak size in finches related to seed size

20.What defines phylogenetic trees? 

D) Hypotheses of evolutionary relationships

21.What is a paraphyletic group?  

B) Includes some but not all descendants of common ancestor

22.Which process contributes to evolution but is not selection? 

C) Genetic drift

23.What trait evolved for one function but was coopted for another? 

B) Exapation

24.What does fitness measure? 

B) Reproductive success

25.What is the term for a unique derived character state? 

C) Autapomorphy

26.Which gene affects pigmentation in beach mice? 

A) mc1r

27.Which process does NOT always lead to adaptation? 

 D) Genetic drift 

28.What kind of characters diagnose clades? 

 B) Synapomorphies 

29.What is the term for genes diverging via speciation? 

C) Orthologous

30.What is homoplasy? 

 B) Shared traits from convergence 

31.What is the wobble position in codons? 

 B) Base that allows silent mutations 

32.What caused dark moth coloration in industrial England? 

 C) Natural selection 

33.Which group proposed the neutral theory of molecular evolution?

 D) Motoo Kimura  

34.Which bird feature may have first evolved for display? 

 A) Feathers 

35.What is group selection?

 C) Selection on group-benefiting traits 

36.What was missing in Darwin's theory initially? 

 C) Inheritance mechanism 

37.Which scientist coined inclusive fitness? 

 D) J.B.S. Haldane 

38.What is gene flow? 

 A) Migration between populations

39.What is the difference between micro- and macroevolution? 

 C) Evolutionary scale (individuals vs species) 

40.What principle underlies cladistics? 

 B) Occam’s Razor 

Natural selection is the only mechanism by which evolution occurs.  

F

Individual organisms can evolve during their lifetime.  

F

Genetic drift is more likely to affect small populations than large ones.  

T

Lamarck proposed that traits acquired during an individual's lifetime can be inherited. 

T

A monophyletic group includes all the descendants of a common ancestor.  

T

Synapomorphies are shared ancestral traits that are not useful in phylogenetic reconstruction. 

F

The modern synthesis combined Darwin's theory of natural selection with Mendelian genetic  

T

Exaptations are traits that evolved specifically for their current function.

F

Alfred Russel Wallace developed a theory of natural selection independently of Darwin.  

T

Evolution can occur without natural selection through mechanisms like gene flow and mutation. 

T

Feathers in birds originally evolved for flight.  

F

Homoplasy refers to traits inherited from a common ancestor. 

F

Phylogenetic trees represent hypotheses about evolutionary relationships.  

T

Orthologous genes arise from gene duplication within the same species.  

F

The wobble position in a codon allows for silent mutations that do not change the protein sequence.

T

A researcher observes that mosquitoes in a region have evolved resistance to a new insecticide within five years. Which mechanism is most responsible? 

 B) Natural selection 

A paleontologist finds a fossil species with a mixture of traits seen in reptiles and mammals. What does this fossil represent?

 B) Transitional form 

In a population where consanguineous (related) mating increases, which Hardy-Weinberg assumption is violated?

 B) Random mating 

A drought leads to most small seeds disappearing from an island. The bird population then evolves larger beaks. This is an example of:

 C) Natural selection 

A scientist finds that two unrelated cave-dwelling fish species lack eyes. What evolutionary process likely caused this similarity? 

 B) Convergent evolution 

A population is found to deviate from Hardy-Weinberg due to influx of individuals from another region. What is the cause? 

C) Gene flow 

 Researchers introduce a dark-colored louse onto white pigeons. Over time, it becomes lighter. This is an example of: 

 C) Natural selection 

A duplicated gene diverges and takes on a new function. This is known as:  

 D) Neofunctionalization 

A population of frogs living near a highway shows reduced genetic diversity. What mechanism could be responsible? 

 C) Genetic drift 

A population of lizards separated by a river begins to show differences in color and mating calls. What evolutionary process is likely at play?  

 B) Allopatric speciation 

Two species of finches with different beak sizes live on separate islands with different seed types. What best explains their differences?  

 B) Natural selection 

 A mutation leads to extra digits in some amphibians. The trait is not harmful or helpful. What is likely to happen over time? 

 C) Maintenance or loss through drift 

Which molecular pattern would support the neutral theory of evolution?  

 C) Most mutations are synonymous 

Which process increases variation in gametes during meiosis?  

 C) Mutation 

A scientist observes that dark-colored peppered moths are more common in polluted areas. This is an example of:  

 B) Disruptive selection 

What happens when selection acts on heritable variation?  

 B) Population allele frequencies shift over generations 

 If a trait is beneficial but arises only after several mutations, what may slow its spread in the population?  

 B) Low mutation rate 

What is the most likely outcome of strong directional selection?  

 C) Shift in trait distribution toward one extreme 

Which of the following is an example of homology?  

 C) Limbs in humans and whales 

Shared derived trait used to infer evolutionary relationships  

Synapomorphy

 Independently evolved similar traits in unrelated groups  

Homoplasy

Scientist who independently conceived the theory of natural selection  

J. Alfred Russel Wallace