Quiz 12

Question 1

1. Which of the following statements regarding Intelligent Design (ID) is INCORRECT?

ID proponents allow for some change within species (microevolution)
ID proponents accept the fact that the Earth is much older than 6,000 years
ID proponents accept that the mainstream scientific discipline of evolution is largely correct
ID proponents argue that there are certain biochemical processes and structures, that, being “irreducibly complex”, cannot have arisen through unguided natural processes

Answer 1

ID proponents accept that the mainstream scientific discipline of evolution is largely correct

Question 2

2. Which population will grow more rapidly, population A which has an r = 0.3 or population B which has an r = 0.5?

population A
population B

Answer 2

population B

Question 3

3. With respect to sickle cell anemia, which genotype would, on average, have the highest relative fitness in Africa?

an individual who is homozygous “normal” (carries no copies of the allele coding for a defective hemoglobin protein)
an individual who is a carrier for the sickle cell trait (has one copy of the allele coding for a defective hemoglobin protein)
an individual who is homozygous for the sickle cell trait (has two copies of the allele coding for a defective hemoglobin protein)

Answer 3

an individual who is a carrier for the sickle cell trait (has one copy of the allele coding for a defective hemoglobin protein)

Question 4

4. Several things happen to populations as a result of a founder event or a bottleneck. Which of the following correctly describes the consequences of a founder event or a bottleneck?

population size decreases and genetic variation increases
genetic variation decreases and allele frequencies change
genetic variation decreases and allele frequencies remain the same
population size decreases and allele frequencies remain the same

Answer 4

genetic variation decreases and allele frequencies change

Question 5

5. Which type of selection is thought to operate on birth weight in humans?
   stabilizing selection
   directional selection
   disruptive selection

Answer 5

stabilizing selection

Question 6

6. There were two scientific criticisms about Darwin’s ideas shortly after he presented the evidence for evolution by means of natural selection. One had to do with the age of the Earth. What was the other?
   how genes operated
   the Biblical account of creation
   how traits were passed on from one generation to the next
   how radioactive decay occurs

Answer 6

how traits were passed on from one generation to the next

Question 7

7.  There are a variety of reproductive isolating mechanisms (ways that present mating between individuals).  Most are classified as intrinsic (something about the organism itself), and only one type is an extrinsic isolating mechanism.  Which of the following is the extrinsic isolating mechanism?
geographic isolation
ecological isolation
genetic isolation
behavioral isolation

Answer 7

geographic isolation

Question 8

8.  About how long ago did the lineage leading to humans split from the lineage that eventually evolved into the common chimpanzee and the Bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee)?
about 5 thousand years ago
about 50,000 years ago
about 500,000 years ago
about 5 million years ago

Answer 8

about 5 million years ago

Question 9

9.  Scientists studied the amount of genetic variation among geographic groups of humans using a STR locus (tandem repeats of TTTTC).  Which human group had the MOST genetic variation?
Asians
Europeans
Sub-Saharan Africans
Native Americans

Answer 9

Sub-Saharan Africans

Question 10

10. List one of the three main attributes/structural differences that make a cephalopod eye a “better” design than a vertebrate eye.

Answer 10

Could be: lack of a blind spot, photoreceptor cells located in front of neurons and blood vessels, and a lens that is moved backwards and forwards

Question 11

11. Which of the following factors will lead to a decrease in population size?
    births
    immigration
    emigration

Answer 11

emigration

Question 12

12. Suppose a population of rabbits, introduced to an island, experiences rapid growth for a few years, and then population growth slows. The population size becomes stable because:
    “r” declines
    immigration declines
    the carrying capacity has been reached

Answer 12

the carrying capacity has been reached

Question 13

13. Density dependent factors affecting a population change as a function of the ______________________
    population size
    severity of the bottleneck
    severity of an abiotic factor such as a storm, heat wave, etc.

Answer 13

population size

Question 14

1) variation in a population that natural selection can act on, and 4) the subset of the population that survives better and reproduces more is not a random sample. What are postulates 2 and 3?

Answer 14

2) traits have to be heritable (genetic component)

3) environmental factor(s) reduce survival and reproduction resulting in variable reproduction