Topic Test 1

Question 1

What is a trait

Answer 1

an observable characteristic

Question 2

What is a phenotype

Answer 2

what value of a trait is observed

Question 3

What is a quantitative trait

Answer 3

traits where phenotype can be measured on a continuous scale

Question 4

What is a qualitative trait

Answer 4

traits where the phenotype is measured on a categorical scale

Question 5

What are morphological traits

Answer 5

traits where the phenotype has to do with the shape, structure, colour, pattern, or size of an individual or species

Question 6

What are behavioural traits

Answer 6

traits where the phenotype has to do with the behaviour of an individual/species

Question 7

What are life history traits

Answer 7

traits related to the timing of development and reproduction; longevity, size/number of offspring

Question 8

What are the two variations of traits

Answer 8

heritable and non-genetic

Question 9

What is heritability

Answer 9

a measure of how important genetics are to determining a trait

Question 10

What is phenotypic plasticity

Answer 10

when the exact same genotype produces different phenotypes in the environment

Question 11

What is sexual dimorphism

Answer 11

traits that vary between biological sexes in a species (usually specific to certain traits)

Question 12

What type of species is sexual dimorphism relevant to

Answer 12

dioecious species

Question 13

What is a dioecious species

Answer 13

species that have separate males and females

Question 14

What does biodiversity typically refer to

Answer 14

the total number of different species

Question 15

Scientific research usually has a __________ and __________ team, but focuses on a _____________ question or concept

Answer 15

big and diverse team
specific concept or question

Question 16

Biological traits are ______________ characteristics of an individual

Answer 16

observable

Question 17

What are the different ways traits can vary

Answer 17

heritability, plasticity, and whether they are sexually dimorphic

Question 18

What is evolution

Answer 18

the process that results in changes in the proportion of heritable traits within populations from one generation to the next

Question 19

What are the 4 mechanisms/forces that drive evolutionary changes

Answer 19

1. natural selection
2. mutation
3. genetic drift
4. gene flow

Question 20

What is the only mechanism of evolution that leads to adaptations

Answer 20

natural selection

Question 21

Natural selection is the only mechanism of evolution that leads to…

Answer 21

adaptation

Question 22

What are adaptations in terms of evolution

Answer 22

traits that provide a “fit” between an organism and its environment

Question 23

What are Darwins 3 postulates

Answer 23

1. phenotypic variation exists within a population
2. differential reproduction/survival occurs based on that phenotypic variation
3. this variation is genetically heritable

Question 24

If Darwins 3 postulates are true, what is occurring

Answer 24

natural selection

Question 25

Do populations adapt because they "need" to?

Answer 25

no

Question 26

Why don't populations adapt due to needs

Answer 26

natural selection lags behind environmental change

Question 27

What quality do the "fittest" organisms have

Answer 27

most successful at passing on their genes

Question 28

What is fitness a measure of

Answer 28

how many successful offspring an organism creates (NOT a measure of traits like speed or strength)

Question 29

Traits that increase reproduction are ________________

Answer 29

adaptive

Question 30

What is directional selection

Answer 30

when the variation moves up or down the scale but distribution remains constant (ie. beak size average increases by 10%, but the distribution remains, just moves up on the graph)

Question 31

What is stabilizing selection

Answer 31

when the genetic variants lead to extremes (ie. smallest and largest in the distribution become closer to the average, creating a steeper peak and shorter distribution)

Question 32

What is disruptive selection

Answer 32

genetic variants lead to average becoming less common than ends of the spectrum

Question 33

Is evolution synonymous with natural selection?

Answer 33

no

Question 34

Are mutations random or directed

Answer 34

random

Question 35

What is the form of selection when it shifts in one direction

Answer 35

directional

Question 36

What is the form of selection when variation is reduced

Answer 36

stabilizing

Question 37

What is the form of selection when it favours the extreme values and average is reduced

Answer 37

disruptive

Question 38

What does it mean for natural selection to "not be directional"

Answer 38

what is adaptive now is not necessarily adaptive tomorrow, it changes

Question 39

What would cause rates of natural selection to increase

Answer 39

high natural pressures

Question 40

What is a gene

Answer 40

a sequence of DNA that encodes for a functional product

Question 41

What are alleles

Answer 41

different versions of info that could be encoded for a given gene

Question 42

Do most mutations lead to new phenotype

Answer 42

no

Question 43

In order for mutations to influence evolution where must they occur

Answer 43

in gametes (sex cells)

Question 44

What is genetic drift

Answer 44

change in allelic frequencies that happen through random chance

Question 45

When is genetic drift occurring

Answer 45

always!

Question 46

What populations are affected more by genetic drift; small or large

Answer 46

small (think in terms of probability)

Question 47

What is gene flow

Answer 47

the flow of individuals of the same species from one population to another

Question 48

What is speciation

Answer 48

when individuals from a species diverge and isolate, and develop unique features that the original population doesn't have

Question 49

Speciation requires ____________ __________

Answer 49

gene flow

Question 50

Evolution can be understood as _________ frequencies over time

Answer 50

allelic

Question 51

What is the purpose of a phylogenetic tree

Answer 51

depict evolutionary relationships between different taxa

Question 52

When are species the most commonly related

Answer 52

when they have a more recent common ancestor

Question 53

What is a clade

Answer 53

monophyletic: common ancestor and all of its descendants (think about making a cut on the tree, everything that comes off is a clade)

Question 54

What is meant by paraphyletic

Answer 54

common ancestor and a subset of its descendants (but not all)

Question 55

What is meant by polyphyletic

Answer 55

two species that share a trait because of convergent evolution

Question 56

What is shared ancestry

Answer 56

traits shown by different individuals as a result of inheritance (the trait is SHARED)

Question 57

What is convergent ancestry

Answer 57

traits shown by different individuals as a result of random inheritance (not directly related on the tree)

Question 58

Convergent evolution is also called...

Answer 58

homoplasy

Question 59

What is homoplasy

Answer 59

convergent ancestry: common traits not by direct inheritance

Question 60

What is homology

Answer 60

shared ancestry: common traits inherited

Question 61

What is parsimony

Answer 61

the most likely set up of a phylogenetic tree

Question 62

What is a species

Answer 62

a group of individuals that actually or potentially inbreed in nature *biological species concept*

Question 63

What is the biological species concept

Answer 63

"a group of individuals that actually or potentially inbreed in nature" in terms of what is a species

Question 64

What does the morphological species concept define species by

Answer 64

physical characteristics

Question 65

What does the ecological species concept define species by

Answer 65

ecological roles and interactions

Question 66

What does the phylogenetic species concept define species by

Answer 66

evolutionary relationships and genetic data

Question 67

What does the genotypic cluster concept define species by

Answer 67

uses genetic data to identify distinct clusters of individuals

Question 68

Speciation requires...

Answer 68

reproductive isolation

Question 69

What is allopatric speciation

Answer 69

species splits due to geographical barrier

Question 70

What is sympatric speciation

Answer 70

species splits by reproductive separation even though they are in the same place