Exam 1 (Ch 1-5) Flashcards
A measure of reproductive success relative to the average reproductive success in population
Fitness
Fundamental changes and developments in the organization of living things that have occurred over the history of life
Major transitions
A change to the DNA sequence
Mutation
The observations physical development, and behavioral characteristics of an organism
Phenotype
A process in which humans decide which plants or animals in a population are allowed to breed.
Selective breeding
The process of human-directed selective breeding aimed at producing a desire set of traits in the selected species
Artificial selection
The ability of microbes to survive and reproduce in the presence of antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance
A visual representation, in the form of a bifurcating tree, of the evolutionary relationship between species, genera, families, and higher taxonomic units
Phylogenetic tree
The evolutionary process by which species change over time
Descent with modification
A phylogenetic tree that depicts the evolutionary relationships among all living things
Tree of life
A measure of diversity quantified by summing lengths of all branches in a phylogenetic tree
Phylogenetic diversity
The process by which a new species arise from previously existing species. All models of speciation involve some type of breakdown of gene flow across populations
Speciation
The evolutionary process by which beneficial alleles increase in frequency over time in a population because of increased survival and reproductive success of individuals carrying those alleles
Natural selection
Proposed explanation for a natural phenomenon.
Hypothesis
An approach in which the world is explained solely in terms of natural, rather than supernatural, phenomena and processes
Methodological naturalism
The hypothesis that traits acquired during the lifetime of an organism are passed on to its offspring. This idea was championed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Inheritance of acquired characteristics
An experimental approach that examines evolutionary change in real time, often but not always by studying microbial populations in the laboratory
Experimental evolution
A trait that currently serves one function today but which evolved fro a trait that served a different function in the past
Exaptation
A situation in which constraints prevent simultaneously optimizing two different characters or two different aspects of a character
Trade-off
A phenomenon in wich a single gene has multiple phenotypic consequences with opposing effects in fitness
Antagonistic pleiotropy
The process in which evolutionary changes to traits in species 1 drive changes to traits in species 2, which feed back to affect traits in species 1, and so on, back and forth, over and over again
Coevolution
Measurable aspects of an organism. Characters may be anatomical, physiological, morphological, behavioral, developmental, molecular, genetic and so on
Characters
Any observable characteristics of organisms, such as anatomical features, developmental or embryological processes, behavioral patterns, or genetic sequences
Traits
A branch point on a phylogenetic tree, representing an ancestral population or species that subsequently divided into multiple descendant populations or species
Node
The basal (most ancestral) lineage on a phylogenetic tree
Root
Two taxa that are immediately derived from the same ancestral node on a phylogenetic tree
Sister taxa
A taxonomic group including an ancestor and all of its descendants
Clade
A group that consists of a unique common ancestor and each and every one of its descendant species, but no other species
Monophyletic group
A node on a phylogenetic tree that has more than two branches arising from it, often used to represent uncertainty about relationships on a phylogenetic tree
Polytomy
A group that includes the common ancestor of all its members but does not contain every species that descended from that ancestor
Paraphyletic group
A group that does not contain the common ancestor of its members and/or all of descendants of that common ancestor
Polyphyletic group
A phylogenetic tree in which the root is indicated and thus the direction of time is specified
Rooted tree
A phylogenetic tree on which absolute time is denoted
Chronograms
A phylogenetic tree in which the length of each branch represents the amount of evolutionary change that gas occurred along that branch
Phylograms
A trait shared by two or more species because those species have inherited the trait from a shared common ancestor
Homologous trait
A trait that is similar in two different species or taxa, not because of common descent, but rather as a result of natural selection
Analogous trait
The process in which natural selection acts in similar ways in different taxa, driving the independent evolution of similar traits in each taxon
Convergent evolution
The process in which natural selection operates in different ways of two or more taxa that share a recent common ancestor, leading to different traits in each taxa
Divergent evolution
A trait that is similar in two species because of convergent evolution rather than common ancestry
Homoplasy
A derived trait that is shared in two populations because it was inherited from a recent common ancestor
Synapomorphy
The order in which different variants of a trait evolved over time
Polarity
The shared ancestral state of 2 or more non sister taxa
Symplesiomorphy
Traits that have no known current function but that appear to have had a function in evolutionary history
Vestigal traits
A phylogenetic tree in which cladistic relationship are represented but in which branch lengths do not indicate the degree of evolutionary divergence
Cladograms
A measure of the extent to which two DNA sequences differ from one another
Sequence divergence
The tendency of some phylogenetic inference methods to incorrectly infer too close a relationship mind rapidly evolving taxa
Long-branch attraction
Scientist and philosopher who coined he term paradigm shift
Thomas Kuhn
Diversity of life depended from a common ancestor further back in time, one of Darwin’s major contributions
Common descent
A gradual process in which forms that are better suited to their environment increase in frequency over time, one of Darwin’s major contributions
Natural selection
How much do chimp and human nucleotides differ?
1.3%
Who proposed the reasoning for an even sex ratio?
Sir Ronald A. Fisher
What was the example/case study used to explain the sex ratio?
Blue Moon Butterflies and the outbreak of Wolbachia bacterium that killed larval males
Who said, “We must not accept a genera principle from logic only, but must prove its application to each fact..” ?
Aristotle
Who had the theory of an unchanging world?
Greek philosophers
Processes we observe now are the same processes that have operated over time in a slow, gradual manner
Uniformitarianism
What belief did uniformitarianism oppose?
Catastrophism
Who proposed the uniformitarianism belief and had heavy influence on Darwin?
Charles Lyell
What were the two major problems with Aristotle’s classification system?
Shared degree of complexity and potential to change
Who stated that life came from a “single living filament,” and had ideas about humans evolving from primates?
Erasmus Darwin
Who proposed that species had descended gradually from older, less complex species?
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Who wrote On Naval Timber and Arboriculture?
Patrick Matthew
How long did it take Darwin to write On the Origin of Species?
23 years
What are the three problems with Darwin’s theory?
- Accounting for complex structures with multiple intricate parts
- Explaining traits and organs of seemingly little importance
- Why does variation persist in the face of Natural Selection?
The pattern of phenotypic expression of a single genotype across a range of environments
Norm of reaction
In the Oldfield Mouse case study, what is the gene responsible for melanin production?
Mc1R gene
An inherited trait that makes an organism more fit in its abiotic and biotic environment, and that has arisen as a result of the direct action of natural selection for its primary function
Adaptation
What example was given for a environmental/reproductive trade-off?
Reznick’s guppy transplantation
What are the two possible explanations for the origin or complex traits and organs?
Intermediate stages with function similar to modern function, or intermediate stages with different function
Natural selection can look ahead to fashion a structure that only later will become useful. True or False?
False
What is an example of an exaptation?
Feathers as wings
Reconstructs phylogeny based on fewest number of evolutionary changes
Parsimony
Depict monophyletic groups that appear in all phylogenies (often many polytomies)
Strict consensus tree
Removes these polytomies according to a majority vote
Majority rule consensus tree
Artificial selection could be described as all of the following, EXCEPT:
A. the process of human-directed selective breeding
B. an increase in the frequency of traits that are associated with increased survival and increased reproductive frequency in the wild
C. humans’ choice of which individuals get to reproduce
D. an improvement in the quality and yield of crops and livestock
B. an increase in the frequency of traits that are associated with increased survival and increased reproductive frequency in the wild
Charles Darwin and his colleagues Thomas Henry Huxley proposed that humans share a common ancestor with great apes. How did they come up with such a hypothesis?
A. They looked at the amino acid sequence of these primate species
B. They compared the DNA sequences of these primate species
C. They looked at the morphological characteristic of living primate species
D. They compared morphological characteristics in the fossils of these primate species from Africa
C. They looked at the morphological characteristic of living primate species
Charles Darwin was the first to propose that ___.
A. The changes that have occurred in species are primarily a result of natural selection
B. Earth must be older than 7000 years
C. the world changes and evolves over time
D. we could use artificial selection to produce new breeds of animals
A. The changes that have occurred in species are primarily a result of natural selection
Penicillin once was considered a miracle drug that would permanently eradicate tuberculosis and many other bacterially caused diseases. Today, we encounter resistance to this and many other antibiotics in numerous bacterial species. What could we have done differently to slow the evolution of penicillin resistance?
A. Larger doses of penicillin should have been prescribed
B. Penicillin treatment should have been continued for months past the infection
C. Penicillin should have not been prescribed unless necessary
D. Penicillin should never have been prescribed
C. Penicillin should have not been prescribed unless necessary
Sir Ronald A. Fisher’s mathematical model of sex ratio was tested in nature on blue moon butterflies (Hypolimnas bolina), a species of butterfly from the Samoan islands, where the sex ratio deviated strongly from one to one (99% females). Which of the following is TRUE regarding this test?
A. The shift back to an even sex ration refuted Fisher’s mathematical model, demonstrating that theory should not precede empirical research
B. A new mutant arose on one of the islands and the sex ration among the blue moon butterflies on the island returned approximately 1:1, contradicting Fisher’s mathematical model
C. The shift back to an even sex ration was the result of changes in pathogenic bacterium. These bacteria could no longer affect ex ratio, so Fisher’s mathematical model was not supported by his case
D. A new mutant butterfly arose on one of the islands and the sex ratio among the blue moon butterflies on the island returned to approximately 1:1, supporting Fisher’s mathematical model
D. A new mutant butterfly arose on one of the islands and the sex ratio among the blue moon butterflies on the island returned to approximately 1:1, supporting Fisher’s mathematical model
We often see pesticide resistance evolve in insects that feed on crop plants. Which of the following statements best describes how these changes occur?
A. Individual insects that have been exposed to pesticides develop new mutations capable of breaking down pesticide molecules.
B. Insects tend to learn from their parents and relatives how to avoid the locations that have been recently treated with pesticides.
C. The variants in the treated population that already have mutations that confer resistance to the pesticide treatment will survive and proliferate.
D. Artificial selection for pesticide resistance in insects occurs when humans select which insects will become parents for the next generation.
C. The variants in the treated population that already have mutations that confer resistance to the pesticide treatment will survive and proliferate.
When we compare primate karyotypes (chromosome sets), interesting evidence of our genetic relatedness is revealed. What is the main difference between the human karyotype and the karyotypes of the great apes?
A. Chromosomes of humans, chimps, gorillas, and orangutans are identical.
B. The karyotypes are similar in number, yet there are very different lengths of the chromosome arms across the karyotypes.
Correct Response
C. Humans have one fewer pair of chromosomes as a result of the fusion of chromosomes 2p and 2q in chimpanzees.
D.Humans have one extra pair of chromosomes as a result of the breakage of chromosomes 2p and 2q in chimpanzees.
C. Humans have one fewer pair of chromosomes as a result of the fusion of chromosomes 2p and 2q in chimpanzees.
Which of the following helps explain why most species display an even sex ratio?
A. When males are rare, a parent that produces more males will have more grandchildren on average.
B. When males are rare, females have a benefit because they have a better chance of finding a mate.
C. Natural selection favors an even sex ratio because of chromosomal sex determination.
D. In most species, males have a higher fitness than females, so more females need to be produced to reach the same total fitness.
A. When males are rare, a parent that produces more males will have more grandchildren on average.
Although Charles Darwin formulated most of his ideas on evolution and natural selection while on his voyage on the HMS Beagle, it was 23 years after his return until he published On the Origin of Species. Why did it take so long for Darwin to present his work?
A. He was a slow writer and became distracted by other pursuits after his return to England.
B. He realized that his ideas were revolutionary and worked to build evidence to present the strongest case possible for his theory of evolution by natural selection.
C. He did not realize how important and revolutionary his work was, so he did not work on it for many years until he began to realize its importance.
D. He delayed because he lacked sufficient evidence, so he published after Alfred Russel Wallace provided the evidence he needed.
B. He realized that his ideas were revolutionary and worked to build evidence to present the strongest case possible for his theory of evolution by natural selection.
Although scientists widely accepted Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and common descent, one of the major problems proposed and discussed was how to account for complex structures and multiple, intricate parts. Why was this seen as a problem?
A. Critics argued that natural selection operates in sudden gradual increments, so complex structures had to arise from spontaneous generation of the multiple parts required.
B. Critics argued that complex structures and traits with multiple, intricate parts had to form from slow, gradual processes.
C. Critics argued that Darwin’s view of natural selection acting in gradual increments could not be responsible for forming complex structures and multiple, intricate parts because they had no value until fully formed.
D. Critics argued that although natural selection did work to select advantageous traits, it could only work to select noncomplex traits.
C. Critics argued that Darwin’s view of natural selection acting in gradual increments could not be responsible for forming complex structures and multiple, intricate parts because they had no value until fully formed.
If the idea of natural selection was Charles Darwin’s first insight on evolution, which of the following would best describe Darwin’s second insight?
A. All species have descended from one or a few common ancestors, but they do not resemble one another in many respects.
B. Earth changed over the years through many catastrophic events.
C. All species have descended from one or a few common ancestors; species that share a recent common ancestor tend to resemble one another in many respects.
D. Populations tend to increase faster than the food supply.
C. All species have descended from one or a few common ancestors; species that share a recent common ancestor tend to resemble one another in many respects.
In his famous book Principles of Geology, Being an Attempt to Explain the Former Changes of the Earth’s Surface, Charles Lyell stated that Earth’s geological features were formed by the same currently observable processes taking place. Charles Darwin was greatly influenced by Lyell’s work and proposed that the current diversity of life can also be explained by mechanisms that are in operation today, acting over very long periods of time. Why was this a critical understanding for both scientists?
A. They both understood that past processes were different and that only currently observable processes could be tested.
B. They both understood that geological processes and biological processes were different from one another, but were observable.
C. They both understood that although past processes could not be scientifically tested, current processes in both geology and biology could be tested.
D. They both understood that if currently observable processes acted in the same manner in the distant past, those processes could then be scientifically tested
D. They both understood that if currently observable processes acted in the same manner in the distant past, those processes could then be scientifically tested
In his scientific writings, Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles Darwin, came up with a theory of evolution and argued that all life developed from what he called a “single living filament,” which was modified in endless ways, over millions of years (Darwin 1796). What was one of the missing concepts in his work that Charles Darwin later fully addressed?
A. E. Darwin understood the struggle for existence—the notion that organisms are in a constant struggle to obtain resources.
B. For E. Darwin, the original form of life produced all of the forms of life that exist today.
C. E. Darwin believed that new traits are the product of random mutations.
D. E. Darwin failed to connect the struggle for existence to the evolutionary changes that such a struggle would produce.
D. E. Darwin failed to connect the struggle for existence to the evolutionary changes that such a struggle would produce.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was likely the first to propose a process for evolutionary change, and connected that process to environmental fit. However, he is most famous for his process being wrong. What was this process he proposed?
A. Lamarck proposed that traits were inherited from the parents and that traits that were beneficial to the organism’s survival were passed on to their progeny.
B. Lamarck proposed that inherited traits were passed to offspring, but only those traits that were beneficial to the organism’s survival were passed on to their offspring.
C. Lamarck proposed that characteristics were acquired during the lifetime of an organism as a result of the organism’s habits and these acquired traits were passed down to their offspring.
D. Lamarck proposed that characteristics were acquired during the lifetime of an organism as a result of chance, but if the traits were beneficial to the organism’s survival, they were passed down to their offspring.
C. Lamarck proposed that characteristics were acquired during the lifetime of an organism as a result of the organism’s habits and these acquired traits were passed down to their offspring.
Patrick Matthew published a theory very similar to Charles Darwin’s theory in his obscure work On Naval Timber and Arboriculture, although he was not widely recognized for his ideas. What did the theories of Matthew and Darwin share and what was different?
A. Both theories recognized natural selection, but Matthew did not discuss common descent.
B. Both theories recognized common descent and natural selection, but Matthew did not discuss the genetic basis for inheritance.
C. Both theories recognized common descent in all living organisms, but Matthew did not discuss natural selection.
D. Both theories recognized common descent and natural selection, but Matthew attributed inheritance to acquired traits while Darwin recognized the genetic basis for inheritance.
A. Both theories recognized natural selection, but Matthew did not discuss common descent.
The voyage on HMS Beagle took place more than 20 years before Charles Darwin’s publication of On the Origin of Species. Darwin was greatly inspired by his travels and wrote about them in his book. Where did the Beagle sail on Darwin’s voyage?
A. To India and the Far East, but not to South America
B. Directly to the Galápagos Islands and back to England
C. Across the Southern Hemisphere
D. Across the Northern Hemisphere
C. Across the Southern Hemisphere
What is methodological naturalism?
A. It is a strategy that provides a method or procedure for seeking scientific explanations of the world.
B. It is a fundamental aspect of the scientific method that focuses on verifying supernatural phenomena with natural, observable phenomena.
C. It is a strategy to explain natural phenomena that incorporates spontaneous generation with natural history observations.
D. It is a strategy initially developed by Aristotle that was used to define and explain evolution in nature.
A. It is a strategy that provides a method or procedure for seeking scientific explanations of the world.
An adaptation refers to a __________.
A. Noninherited trait that makes organisms more fit in their environment
B. Noninherited trait that makes organisms more fit in their environment as a result of the action of natural selection
C. Hereditary trait that makes organisms more fit in their environment and that has arisen as a result of the action of natural selection
D. Hereditary trait that makes organisms more fit in their environment, but was originally selected for a different function
C. Hereditary trait that makes organisms more fit in their environment and that has arisen as a result of the action of natural selection
Charles and Mary Brown found, in more than 30 years of studying cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), that the number of swallow roadkill had significantly decreased and the average wing length of swallows in the population at large had decreased as well (Brown and Brown 2013). Which of the following scenarios could have resulted in these changes?
A. Swallows with shorter wings are more likely to survive in the face of oncoming vehicles, resulting in the population evolving shorter wings on average and dying less often as the result of road kill.
B. Swallows with longer wings are more likely to survive in the face of oncoming vehicles, resulting in the population evolving shorter wings on average and dying more often as the result of road kill.
C. Swallows that get hit by oncoming vehicles tend to have more offspring, resulting in larger swallow populations and therefore more roadkill.
D. Swallows that get hit by oncoming vehicles tend to have shorter wings, thus reducing the number of short-winged individuals in the population.
A. Swallows with shorter wings are more likely to survive in the face of oncoming vehicles, resulting in the population evolving shorter wings on average and dying less often as the result of road kill.
Evolution of complex traits, such as the production of milk in mammals and parental care, has been one of the difficult questions, both in theory and experimental studies. Which of the following best explains the evolution of complex traits?
A. Each intermediate step on the way toward the evolution of a complex trait was itself adaptive.
B. Intermediate stages of complex traits were not selected because the traits did not serve the same function in the past as they do today.
C. Simple traits become complex traits by the evolution of trade-offs.
D. Complex traits cannot evolve because the intermediate stages themselves are too complicated.
A. Each intermediate step on the way toward the evolution of a complex trait was itself adaptive.
Following an intense drought in 2000 to 2004, descendant populations of Brassica rapa flowered much earlier in the season than those from predrought populations. Researchers agreed that this could be a result of strong selection during these four years. For natural selection to act on flowering time in B. rapa, all of the following must be true, except
A. Some of the differences in flowering times must be inherited by offspring from their parents.
B. Individuals in a population must differ from one another with respect to the trait of flowering times.
C. Certain variants must be more successful than others at surviving and reproducing in their environment (that is, there must be fitness consequences).
D. Flowering times must differ depending on the environment in which a plant is grown.
D. Flowering times must differ depending on the environment in which a plant is grown.
The textbook examines in detail a study of the natural populations of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in the waterfalls of Trinidad and Tobago. Upstream of such waterfalls, guppies typically face only mild predation pressure from one small species of fish. Downstream of the waterfalls, however, populations of guppies often are under severe predation pressure from voracious predators such as the pike cichlid. What life history strategy would be favored by natural selection in the upstream waterfalls?
A. Natural selection should favor females that produce as many offspring as possible, regardless of offspring size.
B. Females should face a trade-off between producing larger offspring or fewer offspring.
C. Natural selection should favor females that can produce offspring that are relatively large and grow quickly.
D. Natural selection should favor offspring that mature slowly.
C. Natural selection should favor females that can produce offspring that are relatively large and grow quickly.
