module 1+4: good chris questions:)

Question 1

All genetic variation results in phenotypic variation but not all phenotypic variation results from genetic variation

Answer 1

false

Question 2

The nucleus of the eukaryotic cell likely originated via endosymbiosis

Answer 2

false

Question 3

You have found two morphologically diverged forms of Mormon crickets and show that when mated in the lab, they can produce viable offspring. You should conclude that these two forms are the same species

Answer 3

false

Question 4

New variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus seem to arise from the previously dominant variant

Answer 4

false

Question 5

For vertebrates the molecular clock cannot be successfully calibrated with the fossil record

Answer 5

false

Question 6

The high frequency of the genetic condition porphyria variegate in the white Afrikaaner population is an example of founder effect

Answer 6

true

Question 7

Genetic drift results from the movement of genes from one place to another

Answer 7

false

Question 8

Sometimes, traits favoured by sexual selection would seem to decrease the survival of the individuals bearing them

Answer 8

true

Question 9

Continental drift was associated with a dramatic increase in the rate of speciation primarily through vicariance

Answer 9

false

Question 10

The problem with studying evolution n cities is that each city is unique so we are unlikely to see convergent evolution in response to urbanization

Answer 10

false

Question 11

Mammals underwent an adaptive radiation after the extinction of many dinosaur lineages. Why?

Because continental drift caused a high rate of mammalian speciation via vicariance

Plants had recently colonized land, creating new niches for animals

Because the extinction of dinosaurs left a variety of niches vacant that could be filled by new mammal species

The asteroid that caused dinosaur extinction caused global cooling which allowed warm-blooded mammals to outcompete cold-blooded dinosaurs

Answer 11

Because the extinction of dinosaurs left a variety of niches vacant that could be filled by new mammal species

Question 12

Which of the following factors might not contribute to slower evolution of resistance by viruses to vaccines than to anti-viral medication?

Vaccines suppress viruses at the beginning of an infection when virus populations are large whereas anti-virals are usually administered when infection is well under way and virus populations are small

With vaccination, the agent of selection is the immune system and each host will mount a somewhat different immune response to viral infection, whereas the mode of action by anti-virals is the same in all patients

Circumventing a vaccine may require more genetic changes than resistance to an anti-viral medication

Answer 12

Vaccines suppress viruses at the beginning of an infection when virus populations are large whereas anti-virals are usually administered when infection is well under way and virus populations are small

Question 13

You’ve been studying natural selection on body size in the fall peeper, a small frog that hatches in the spring from eggs laid the previous fall, grows all summer, reproduces and lays eggs in late October, and then dies. In summer 2020, you measured body size of a very large sample of male peepers and you return in the fall to measure the body size of males that you observe in the act of mating with females. Which of these results suggest would stabilizing selection on body size?

No difference in mean body size but the variability of body size is lower in fall than summer

The mean body size is higher in the summer than in the fall but there is no difference in variability between samples

Both the mean and the variability in body size is similar between summer and fall samples

Both the mean and the variability in body size is higher in the summer sample than in the fall sample

Answer 13

No difference in mean body size but the variability of body size is lower in fall than summer

Question 14

You have planted 200 experimental populations of the annual plant morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) that are polymorphic for flower colour and the polymorphism involves a single locus with two alleles (the alleles are referred to as “P” and “W”). You allocate the populations to 2 experimental groups. The first group consists of 100 populations, each including 12 plants. By randomly removing excess seedlings from these populations, you make sure that these populations remain at a constant size of 12 individuals each. The second group also consists of 100 populations, each with 120 plants. Again, you randomly remove seedlings to ensure a constant size of 120 for each population. Incomplete dominance of the two flower colour alleles allows you to estimate allele frequencies. At the start of the experiment every population has equal frequencies of the two flower colour alleles. At the beginning of each generation, you score all the plants in each population for flower colour and calculate allele frequencies. Which of the following statements describes the expected result from this experiment?

(i) For each population, the frequencies of the P and R alleles will fluctuate randomly between generations.
(ii) The frequency of the P allele, averaged across all populations, will increase from generation to generation.
(iii) Some populations may lose the P allele altogether.
(iv) None of the populations will lose the W allele.
(v) At the end of the experiment, populations of 120 plants will tend to still contain both the P allele and the W allele more often than populations of 12 plants.

Answer 14

i, iii & v

Question 15

You are interested in the evolution of insecticide resistance and have been maintaining an experimental population of mosquitoes in the lab. You do an experiment where you spray them with a 0.5% solution of DDT (an insecticide) before the mosquitoes reach sexual maturity and note that 60% of the population dies. You then allow the surviving mosquitoes to mate and lay eggs. You raise the progeny under the exact same environmental conditions as you raised the parents and then spray the progeny with the same DDT solution. This time, 60% of them die. Which of the following statements is supported by these results?

There was no phenotypic variation in resistance among individuals in the parental generation

There was no variation in fitness among individuals in the parental generation

There was no genetic variation in resistance in the parental generation

There was genetic variation but no phenotypic variation in resistance in the parental generation

Answer 15

There was no genetic variation in resistance in the parental generation

Question 16

Human activities have increased the cloudiness of the water in Lake Victoria which has been the site of an explosive adaptive radiation of cichlid fish, driven in part by sexual selection on mating colouration. From what we discussed about these fish in the video lecture, what is the likely outcome of this disturbance?

Stronger reproductive isolation between closely related species

A decreased frequency of hybridization

Evolution of reinforcement

An increased frequency of hybridization

Answer 16

An increased frequency of hybridization

Question 17

Lucky you, you’ve landed a job working on coral reef conservation in Australia and are studying the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle. You’ve managed to capture 100 hatchling turtles and have genotyped each at a protein-encoding locus that exhibits two alleles (called S and Q). Here are the genotype numbers among your sample of turtles: 25 SS, 50 SQ, 25 QQ. Which of the following statements is the best interpretation of these data?

The population is at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

It is not possible to determine if this population is at Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

The population is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

Answer 17

The population is at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

Question 18

Which of the following types of trait character changes provide the most information for testing hypotheses about the evolutionary phylogeny of species?

Shared ancestral character states

Shared derived character states

DNA sequence variation

Character states unique to individual species

Answer 18

Shared derived character states

Question 19

When unrelated species have very similar traits that help them persist in similar environments, biologists refer to this as

Paedomorphosis

Homology

Adaptive radiation

Convergent evolution

Answer 19

convergent evolution

Question 20

You are the biologist in charge of managing mountain lions in Banff National Park and have overseen the construction of wildlife tunnels that allow these big cats to safely cross major highways. At a meeting with the Ministry of Transportation, a high-ranking official is arguing that the tunnel program has not been effective because trail cameras mounted on both ends of existing tunnels show that very few mountian lions actually use these tunnels each year. Accordingly, these tunnels are probably ineffective at preventing genetic subdivision of the mountain lion population caused by roads. Based on what you have learned in BIOL103, what is the best response to this statement?

Agree with the statement because gene flow in well-studied species is usually over only very short distances

It does not take much gene flow to prevent genetic differentiation, thus the tunnels are serving their intended purpose

In response, suggest that the number of tunnels be doubled because it takes considerable gene flow to prevent genetic differentiation

The best response is to agree with this statement

Answer 20

It does not take much gene flow to prevent genetic differentiation, thus the tunnels are serving their intended purpose

Question 21

In competition for resources a strategy that uses aggression to win is not always favoured by natural selection

Answer 21

true

Question 22

Anna Hargreaves found that the elevational range of Rhinanthus minor in the Canadian Rocky Mountains was limited by low fitness

Answer 22

true

Question 23

Based on the results of species translocation experiments, species distribution models will accurately predict how quickly species will shift their geographic ranges

Answer 23

false

Question 24

Pollination of flowers by animals is a universal example of mutualism

Answer 24

false

Question 25

Parental care behaviour should always evolve to maximize the fitness of individual offspring

Answer 25

false

Question 26

The combination of low temperature and high precipitation gives rise to the tundra biome

Answer 26

false

Question 27

Inclusive fitness is the component of fitness derived from the survival and reproductive success of relatives

Answer 27

false

Question 28

When two species compete, their fundamental niches are usually smaller than their realized niches

Answer 28

false

Question 29

The concept of maximum sustainable yield has resulted in fish stocks being harvested sustainably

Answer 29

false

Question 30

Wood is a carbon-neutral fuel because, unlike fossil fuels, the carbon dioxide released by burning wood was fixed by trees relatively recently can be immediately taken up by trees again. Hence burning wood should help us reach our short-term greenhouse gas emission targets over the next 10 years

Answer 30

false

Question 31

Let’s say you are a progressive social policy analyst working in a think tank focused on reducing the rate of human population growth in developing countries. Based on what you know about models of population growth, why might your goal be a difficult one?

Because there seems to be no real carrying capacity for human populations

Because human populations grow exponentially

Because social policies that reduce the birth rate are also likely to reduce the death rate

Because the regulation of human populations is density-independent

Answer 31

Because social policies that reduce the birth rate are also likely to reduce the death rate

Question 32

According to the theory of Island Biogeography why are larger islands typically inhabited by more species than smaller islands?

(i) Because larger islands are typically closer to the mainland than smaller islands
(ii) Because for any given species number already on the island, the probability of a new species successfully immigrating is higher for larger than smaller islands
(iii) Because for any given species number already on the island, the probability of one of those species going locally extinct is lower for larger than smaller islands

Answer 32

ii & iii

Question 33

Grizzly bears feed on the berries produced by the shrub Shepherdia canadensis. How should the foraging behaviour of individual bears change in response to the density of Sherperdia bushes?

The density of Sheperdia bushes should not influence a bear’s foraging behaviour.

Bears should move between bushes more frequently when bushes are uncommon in a habitat

Bears should move between bushes less frequently when bushes are common in a habitat

Bears should move between bushes more frequently when bushes are common in a habitat

Answer 33

Bears should move between bushes more frequently when bushes are common in a habitat

Question 34

Which of the following aspects of the Earth give rise to the major global wind patterns such as the Northeast trade winds or the Westerlies?

(i) Earth’s spherical shape
(ii) The orbit of Earth around the Sun
(iii) The rotation of Earth around its longitudinal axis

Answer 34

i & iii

Question 35

Which of the following contributes the most to there being animal life in the oceans’ aphotic zones?

stratification of temperature by depth

upwelling

primary production in the photic zone

photosynthesis in the abyssal zone

Answer 35

primary production in the photic zone

Question 36

Why will the availability of phosphorous more strongly limit human agriculture than the availability of nitrogen?

(i) Because phosphorous is only available from phosphate-containing rock deposits which are increasingly scarce
(ii) Because nitrogen gas can be turned into fertilizer via an industrial process
(iii) Because phosphate precipitates in the soil making it unavailable to plants

Answer 36

i & ii

Question 37

The video on species interactions described an experiment that competed blowflies against houseflies and the species that was initially suppressed (blowflies) by the other eventually competitively excluded houseflies from the experimental habitat. Which of the following statements best described the take-home message from this experiment?

In competition for limited resources the initially subordinate species will evolve to coexist with the initially dominant species

In competition for limited resources the initially dominant species will exclude the subordinate species

A species that is initially dominant will be selected to be more competitive against the subordinate species, whereas a subordinate species is selected to be more competitive against members of its own species

A species that is initially subordinate will be selected to be more competitive against the dominant species, whereas a dominant species will be selected to be more competitive against members of its own species

Answer 37

A species that is initially subordinate will be selected to be more competitive against the dominant species, whereas a dominant species will be selected to be more competitive against members of its own species

Question 38

Which of the following statements does not accurately describe the trends over time in global meat consumption?

For most countries grouped by GDP consumption of empty calories increases with increased per-capita meat consumption

The relation between increasing per-capita GDP and the consumption of meat, empty calories and total dietary calories is similar for most countries

Although most countries are following dietary trends observed in affluent developed countries, some countries are not

As the GDP of nations increases so does the per-capita daily meat consumption until at present most people in most countries eat as much meat as people in affluent developed countries like Canada

Answer 38

As the GDP of nations increases so does the per-capita daily meat consumption until at present most people in most countries eat as much meat as people in affluent developed countries like Canada

Question 39

All animals are eukaryotes but not all eukaryotes are animals

Answer 39

true

Question 40

Protozoans are considered primitive animals

Answer 40

false

Question 41

Green photosynthetic organisms that live in the water are all algae.

Answer 41

false

Question 42

Green alga was the likely ancestor of all plants about 470 mya, including red and brown algae.

Answer 42

false

Question 43

Synapomorphies are traits shared by a lineage that are absent in the sister lineage. For example, hair/fur is a synapomorphy of mammals.

Answer 43

true

Question 44

Multicellularity arose exclusively in plants, fungi and animals.

Answer 44

false

Question 45

Fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants.

Answer 45

true

Question 46

The most recent common ancestor of fungi and animals was which of the following?

a choanoflagellate

an opisthokont

a holomycotan

a holozoan

Answer 46

an opisthokont

Question 47

Which of the following taxonomic term includes all of the others

class

order

family

phylum

Answer 47

phylum

Question 48

Which of the following taxonomic terms includes all of the others?

domain

kingdom

class

phylum

Answer 48

domain

Question 49

Like all mammals, both you and mice have 2 paralogs of enzyme X (EnX), called EnXa and EnXb. True or false, your EnX paralogs are more different from each other than are EnXa orthologs of you and mouse.

Answer 49

true

Question 50

Whole genome duplications early in the vertebrate lineage provided the raw material for the evolutionary complexity of vertebrates. True or false. If there is 1 copy of a gene in a sea urchin, you would expect 4 copies of that gene in a lizard, assuming no addition gene duplications or deletions.

Answer 50

true

Question 51

Which of the following is a prokaryote that is the closest relative to a plant?

archae

amoeba

E. coli

cyanobacterium

Answer 51

archae

Question 52

Which of the following is most likely to be found in a multigenerational family reunion of a typical undergraduate student?

Vibrio

Cyanobacteria

Heliobacter

Clostridium botulinum

Answer 52

heliobacter

Question 53

Which of the following is most likely to be successfully treated with antibiotics that target bacterial cell wall synthesis?

giardiasis

malaria

toxoplasmosis

strep throat

Answer 53

strep throat