Evolution Test

Question 1

Which of Lamarck’s ideas turned out to be true?

Answer 1

Lamarck believed that life had changed gradually over time.

Question 2

What did Darwin propose to be the “mechanism of evolution”?

Answer 2

Darwin believed that any inheritable variation that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce will tend to be passed on to the next generation.

Question 3

Why is variation essential to evolution?

Answer 3

Without variation, there would be no changes in a population. Without these changes, there would be no changing over time, because nothing would have ever changed.

Question 4

What defines the fitness of an organism in evolutionary terms?

Answer 4

It’s ability to survive and reproduce.

Question 5

In what sense is evolution more of an “editing” process, rather than a “creating” process?

Answer 5

Evolution does not create new organisms, but gradually affects the organisms that already exists.

Question 6

What are the 5 categories of evidence for evolution?

Answer 6

Biogeography, comparative embryology, the fossil record, molecular biology, and comparative anatomy.

Question 7

What are homologous structures?

Answer 7

Homologous structures are similar structures in different organisms that serve different functions. For example, the human forearm and the bat wing are homologous structures.

Question 8

What factors could cause a shift in the allele frequency for a gene in a certain population?

Answer 8

The Founder effect and Bottleneck effect could cause genetic drift.

Question 9

What are the four types of natural selection?

Answer 9

Directional, stabilizing, sexual, and disruptive.

Question 10

What is the principle of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

Answer 10

That none of the agents of change for microevolution affect a population, therefore the relative frequencies of alleles will never change
.

Question 11

What is the Founder effect?

Answer 11

That migration and establishment of a new colony will change the relative frequencies of alleles.

Question 12

What is the Bottleneck effect?

Answer 12

That a national disaster (or something of that nature) can decrease an overall population, and change the relative frequency.

Question 13

What is Gene Flow?

Answer 13

The gain or loss of alleles from movement of individuals into or out of a population.

Question 14

What are the 5 agents of change for microevolution?

Answer 14

Natural selection, DNA mutations, Genetic drift, Gene flow, and Non-random mating.

Question 15

What is reproductive isolation?

Answer 15

That only organisms within a species can reproduce,

Question 16

In Lamarck’s opinion, how would evolution occur?

Answer 16

Over an organism’s lifetime, the use and disuse of different organs and the acquiring of different traits would then be passed on to their offspring. The organisms would then, over time, try to aim towards both complexity and perfection.

Question 17

What has to happen for speciation to occur?

Answer 17

The gene pool of a population has to separate and become isolated.

Question 18

How do the gene pools of different species maintain separate?

Answer 18

There are usually geographic barriers (like a canyon, or a river) between them.

Question 19

What is the name of a species formed do to a geographic barrier?

Answer 19

An “Allopatric” species.

Question 20

What are the two categories of reproductive barriers?

Answer 20

Post-zygotic and pre-zygotic barriers.

Question 21

What is the difference between post-zygotic and pre-zygotic barriers?

Answer 21

Pre-zygotic barriers prevent the formation of the zygote, and post-zygotic occurs after formation of the zygote.

Question 22

What are the 5 categories of pre-zygotic barriers?

Answer 22

Temporal, habitat, behaviorial, mechanical, and gametic.