Final exam

Question 1

Which emerged from Africa first, into Europe and/or Asia?
(a) our species, Homo sapiens
(b) the homininae
(c) the apes
(d) all at about the same time

Answer 1

The apes

Question 2

Based on the theory we have discussed in lecture and all else being equal, which of
these two species of pathogen should evolve higher virulence? Explain your reasoning.
1. Bacterium that typically occurs in multi-species infections.
2. Bacterium that typically occurs in single species infections.

Answer 2

1. Bacterium that typically occurs in multi-species infection

Question 3

Two genes, A and B, occur very close together on a single autosome. Mom is AABB; Dad is aabb. They have a daughter, AaBb. What will be the most common genotypes of her eggs?

Ab and aB
ab only
AaBb
ab and AB
AB only

Answer 3

ab and AB

Question 4

Some Americans get a bitter taste from a drug, phenylthiocarbamide (PTC); others do not. The tasting ability is due to a dominant gene; the recessive allele causes the nontasting trait. A woman who is a nontaster marries a man who is a taster but whose father was a non-taster. What proportion of this couple’s children are expected to be tasters?
none of the other answers is correct
100% tasters
50% tasters
25% tasters

Answer 4

50%

Question 5

To go from a stretch of DNA to the protein for which that DNA codes, what must happen?

only transcription
biotechnology is required
both transcription and translation
only translation

Answer 5

both transcription

Question 6

Which of the following statements is generally correct about the cells in an organism:

All are correct
All cells have the same genes
All cells have the same proteins
All cells express the same genes

Answer 6

all cells have the same genes

Question 7

Who originated and first presented the theory of evolution by natural selection?
Mayr and Dobzhansky
Wallace alone
Lamarck
Darwin alone
Darwin and Wallace

Answer 7

Darwin and wallace

Question 8

Evolution is
a process that occurs within individuals
any change in the inherited traits of a population that occurs from one generation to the next
exactly equivalent to natural selection
a process that typically occurs within a generation

Answer 8

any change in the inherited traits of a population that occurs from one generation to the next

Question 9

The inheritance of acquired characters is most strongly associated with

Mayr
Haldane
the inheritance of acquired characters is not strongly associated with any of these individuals
Dobzhansky
Wallace

Answer 9

The inheritance of acquired characters is not strongly associated with any of these individuals

Question 10

Which of the following traits are probably homologous?

the eyes of a human and the eyes of a dog
the arms of a gorilla and the branches of a tree
none of the other answers includes homologous traits

Answer 10

the eyes of a human and the eyes of a dog

Question 11

Vestigial traits are a special case of
heterozygous traits
convergent traits
homozygous traits
none of these is correct

Answer 11

none of these

Question 12

If geological processes were different and we had no fossils,
we would still have extensive evidence for evolution
we would have no evidence for evolution
we would only have evidence of evolution by genetic drift
we would have strong evidence against natural selection

Answer 12

we would still have extensive evidence for evolution

Question 13

Which species would you expect to have the most complete fossil record? Note that slugs are molluscs that lack shells
there is no reason to expect one of these to have a better record than the others
a marine slug
a marine snail
a land-dwelling slug
a land-dwelling snail

Answer 13

a marine snail

Question 14

Which of these patterns would be most inconsistent with the theory of evolution, (that is, the idea that the diversity of life is the result of descent with modification)?

if some transitional forms, for example lungfish-like verebrates, could not be found in the fossil record
if there were no fossil record at all
if we did not have the burgess shale
if there were only trace fossils
if all modern organisms were present at the start of the fossil record and in every subsequent layer of sedimentary rock

Answer 14

if all modern organism were present at the start of the fossil record and in every subsequent layer of sedimentary rock

Question 15

Which of the following could plausibly be used to age fossils dating from the Mesozoic?
a very rapidly decaying isotope such as carbon 14 collected directly from the fossils
all of these answers are equally correct
a moderately slowly decaying isotope such as Uranium 235 from layers of volcanic material in the same rock formations
a moderately slowly decaying isotope such as Uranium 235 collected directly from the fossils

Answer 15

a moderately slowly decaying isotope such ad Uranium 235 from layers of volcanic material in the same rock formations

Question 16

Which sequence of events is seen in the fossil record?
prokaryotes then eukaryotes then colonization of land by animals

eukaryotes then prokaryotes then colonization of sea by animals

prokaryotes then eukaryotes then colonization of land by animals then photosynthesis

eukaryotes then prokaryotes then colonization of land by animals
prokaryotes then eukaryotes then colonization of land by animals then colonization of land by prokaryotes

Answer 16

prokaryotes than eukaryotes then colonization of land animals

Question 17

Which is correct?
Hadean then Archean then Proterozoic then Phanerozoic

Hadean then Archean then Phanerozoic then Proterozoic

Archean then Mesozoic then Phanerozoic then Proterozoic

Archean then Hadean then Phanerozoic then Proterobotanic

Archean then Hadean then Phanerozoic then Proterozoic

Answer 17

Hadean Archean Phanerozoic Proterozoic

Question 18

Very high oxygen levels were present in
the Hadean eon
the Archean eon
the mid-Paleozoic era
the mid-Mesozoic era

Answer 18

the mid Paleozoic era

Question 19

The Cambrian explosion occurred
in the early Paleozoic era
at a time of extremely low oxygen levels
because of the meteor that also caused the extinction of the dinosaurs
when the dinosaurs diversified very quickly into many species and forms

Answer 19

in the early paleozoic era

Question 20

Which of the following has been implicated in at least one mass extinction in the fossil record?
increases in tropical cyclones
increases in sun spot activity
changes in the moon’s orbit
high levels of volcanic activity
increased parasitism by ticks

Answer 20

high levels of volcanic activity

Question 21

Extinction rates
are currently much higher than long term averages and, without major changes in human behavior, likely to increase
are currently much higher than long term averages but starting to decline
are currently similar to long term averages but at risk of increasing without major changes in human behavior
are currently much higher than long term averages but are thought to have peaked

Answer 21

are currently much higher than long term averages and without major changes in human behavior, likely to increase

Question 22

Consider a population of sharks that vary in size around a mean of 2m. If sharks over 3m in length have poor survival and sharks under 1m in length also survive poorly, what form of selection is most likely taking place?

random selection
archean selection
disruptive selection
directional selection
stabilizing selection

Answer 22

stabilizing selection

Question 23

Megafauna (large animals) have often gone extinct around the time humans arrived on a landmass, whether an island or a continent. Where did this happen most recently, and with the best archaeaological record?

North America
Australia
You Answered
South America
Africa
Pacific islands like New Zealand

Answer 23

Pacific island like New Zealand

Question 24

Which of the following would probably maintain or increase the amount of beak size variation present in a population?

in a population of finches, individuals with especially large beaks always have high mortality and die very young

in a population of finches, individuals with the most common size of beak tend to have low mortality and live to great ages

in a population of finches, rare individuals with especially small beaks tend to have high mortality and die very young

in a population of finches, individuals with the largest and smallest beaks have low mortality and live to great ages

Answer 24

in a population of finches, individuals with the largest and smallest beaks have low mortality and live to great ages

Question 25

Consider two sparrow populations experiencing similar directional selection for increased beak size. One population has relatively high variation in beak size but none of it is heritable whereas the other has only a little variation but all of it is heritable. Which population will experience the fastest rate of evolution in response to selection?

population with high variation in beak size but none of it is heritable

they will evolve at the same rate

population with only a little variation but all of it is heritable

no evolution is possible in this example

Answer 25

population with only a little variation but all of it is heritable

Question 26

In burrowing reptiles, limbs are often reduced, even in different lineages, apparently to facilitate movement through the earth. The consistent evolution of advantageous traits in this way is best explained by
genetic drift

gene flow

non-random mating

high mutation frequencies

natural selection

Answer 26

natural selection

Question 27

Adaptive radiations

result when there is more uranium in the environment

are driven largely by genetic drift

are often associated with ecological opportunity

can only occur among animals

result solely from hybridization

Answer 27

are driven largely by genetic drift

Question 28

What did natural selection explain that could not previously be explained by natural processes?

adaptation

similarity owing to shared ancestry

why mammals from Australia are mostly marsupials

that evolution had occurred

Answer 28

adaptation

Question 29

Which of the following happened in the Paleozoic Era?

the appearance of the first eukaryotes

the appearance of the first hominins

the appearance of the first known land animals

the origin of life

Answer 29

the appearance of the first known land animals

Question 30

Which of the following is an example of natural selection arising from human actions?

these are all examples of natural selection arising from human actions

plants evolving to flower earlier in the year as the spring starts earlier

antibiotics used against ear infections becoming less effective over time

pesticides used to kill insects that eat crops becoming less effective over time

Answer 30

these are all examples of natural selection arising from human actions

Question 31

In class, we learned that bats provide an important ecosystem service by eating insects which would otherwise consume crops. According to the recent study by Frank that we discussed, what has happened in US counties where white nose syndrome arrived and many bats died?

farmers used less pesticides and human infant mortaility rates went down

farmers used more pesticides and human infant mortaility rates did not change

farmers used less pesticides and human infant mortaility rates went up

farmers used more pesticides and human infant mortaility rates went up

Answer 31

farmers used more pesticides and human infant mortaility rates went up

Question 32

When stickleback fish from marine environments colonize freshwater lakes with few or no fish in them, what happens to the stickleback?

They frequently evolve to have fewer bony plates on their bodies in response to natural selection in their new environment

none of these answers is correct

they evolve in completely unpredictable ways

They frequently evolve bright warning coloration on their bodies in response to natural selection in their new environment

Answer 32

They frequently evolve to have fewer bony plates on their bodies in response to natural selection in their new environment

Question 33

According to McGee, Seehausen et al’s recent study, the adaptive radiation of cichlid fish in Africa’s Lake Victoria

was accelerated by early,
extensive hybridization

was slowed by early, extensive hybridization

occurred in spite of limited ecological opportunity

resulted exclusively from increased ecological opportunity

Answer 33

was accelerated by early,
extensive hybridization

Question 34

With regard to the evolution of anti-biotic resistance, bacteria.

evolve anti-biotic resistance as a result of gene flow directly from
human hosts

evolve anti-biotic resistance mainly as a result of genetic drift

often evolve resistance within a few years of the widespread use of a new anti-biotic

usually require decades to evolve resistance to new anti-biotics

Answer 34

often evolve resistance within a few years of the widespread use of a new anti-biotic

Question 35

What are the three conditions that must be satisfied in order for evolution by natural selection to take place?

Answer 35

Variation
heritability
reproduction success

Question 36

Phalaropes are shore birds with brightly colored females and dull colored males. Females are larger than males and compete with each other for access to males. Considering sexual selection theory, which of the following patterns would also be expected in light of this pattern of sexual dimorphism

offspring help raise their siblings

males incubate the eggs and provide a great deal of parental care

females incubate the eggs and provide all parental care, with males providing only sperm

Answer 36

males incubate the eggs and provide a great deal of parental care

Question 37

If we find evidence that a gene in a population is not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, what could explain this observation?

genetic drift is occurring
there is natural selection on this
gene

any of these processes could be the explanation

gene flow is occurring that affects this gene

there is non-random mating with respect to this gene

Answer 37

any of these processes could be the explanation

Question 38

Which process typical makes allele frequencies in different populations more similar to each other?

trans-regulation

gene flow

non-random mating

natural selection

cis-regulation

Answer 38

gene flow

Question 39

Which process can best explain adaptation?
natural selection

genetic correlation

non-random mating

gene flow

genetic drift

Answer 39

genetic drift

Question 40

In some species of water strider, males forcibly copulate with females. In these species, males are often equipped with exaggerated grasping structures, while females have structures that obstruct the male’s grip. Such a situation could arise as a result of:

group selection

monogamy

sexual conflict

good genes sexual selection

Answer 40

sexual conflict

Question 41

Given the mating systems outlined below, which is most likely to produce sexual conflict:

reproduction is asexual
a male and a female partner for
life

females and males both mate
multiple times

these scenarios are all equally likely to generate sexual conflict

Answer 41

females and males both mate
multiple times

Question 42

Balancing selection typically results in

more than one allele for a gene persisting in a population

gene flow

whatever allele is least common
going to fixation

whatever allele is most common going to fixation

Answer 42

more than one allele for a gene persisting in a population

Question 43

In which scenario would you expect the highest heterozygosity, on average, for a gene with two alleles initially at frequencies of 50-50

Ferret population of initially 200 individuals, broken into 8 completely separate, equal sized subpopulations, allowed to reproduce for 50 generations

Ferret population of initially 200 individuals, broken into 10 completely separate, equal sized subpopulations, allowed to reproduce for 50 generations

Ferret population of 200 individuals split into two completely separate, equal sized subpopulations and allowed to reproduce for 50 generations

Ferret population of initially 200 individuals, broken into 20 completely separate, equal sized subpopulations, allowed to reproduce for 50 generations

The final average heterozygosity should be the same in all these scenarios

Answer 43

Ferret population of 200 individuals split into two completely separate, equal sized subpopulations and allowed to reproduce for 50 generations

Question 44

What process is very infrequent but ultimately responsible for all genetic variation?
natural selection

gene flow

genetic drift

mutation

dilithiumization

Answer 44

mutation

Question 45

Suppose that, owing to random fluctuations in mortality by sex, a population became 90% females for a generation. Based on our discussion of sex ratios in lecture, which statement would you expect to be true?

female survival rates would increase

males should have higher average reproductive success than females

males would display more reciprocal altruism

females should have higher average reproductive success than
males

positive frequency dependent selection would become more important

Answer 45

males should have higher average reproductive success than females

Question 46

Genetic drift:
none of these answers is correct

will always lead to higher fitness of individuals in the population

is stronger in larger populations

produces highly consistent outcomes

Answer 46

none of these answers is correct

Question 47

Kin selection is important because it helps explain an observation that challenged Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. What observation is that?

animals often prefer to mate with related individuals

animals often prefer to mate with unrelated individuals

animals often have higher body temperatures than the atmosphere
around them

animals sometimes sacrifice their own interests to help other individuals

Answer 47

animals sometimes sacrifice their own interests to help other individuals

Question 48

What is the effective population size of a population of 100 individuals in which there are 80 females and 20 males?
10
64
36
100
90

Answer 48

64

Question 49

Which is an example of balancing selection?

these are all examples of balancing selection

genetic drift

gene flow

none of these is an example of
balancing selection

directional selection

Answer 49

none of these is an example of
balancing selection

Question 50

If the Fisherian runaway process of sexual selection has contributed to the evolution of long eye stalks in stalk-eyed flies, the daughters of males with very long eye stalks should

have a relatively strong preference
for males with long eye stalks

have a relatively weak preference for males with long eye stalks

be healthier because their father did not transfer a disease to their mother during mating

grow faster and survive better than daughters of males with short eye stalks

Answer 50

have a relatively strong preference
for males with long eye stalks

Question 51

It has been argued that adaptive evolution in most genes should occur more often through changes in cis-regulatory sites than in DNA sequence that codes for amino acids because:

cis-regulatory sites experience
more mutations

cis-regulatory sites experience
more gene flow

cis-regulatory sites have narrow
effects and are less pleiotropic

cis-regulatory sites experience more sexual selection

Answer 51

cis-regulatory sites have narrow
effects and are less pleiotropic

Question 52

Consider several populations of earthworms, living in different environments, in which two alleles, A1 and A2, are each at a frequency of 0.5 when the worms are hatched. Now consider the genotype frequencies, as the worms reach maturity, for the various populations. In which population is selection least likely to be taking place?

fr(A1A1)=.4, fr(A1A2)=.2, fr(A2A2)=.4

fr(A1A1)=.2, fr(A1A2)=.5, fr(A2A2)=.3

fr(A1A1)=.1, fr(A1A2)=.8, fr(A2A2)=.1

fr(A1A1)=.25, fr(A1A2)=.5, fr(A2A2)=.25

Answer 52

fr(A1A1)=.25, fr(A1A2)=.5, fr(A2A2)=.25`

Question 53

Inbreeding
creates deleterious recessive alleles

increases homozygosity in populations

decreases homozygosity in populations

increases heterozygosity in populations

Answer 53

increases homozygosity in populations

Question 54

All else being equal, which population of songbirds would have the smallest effective population size?

10 males and 10 females, strong sexual selection resulting in about half the males getting all matings

7 males and 7 females, strong sexual selection resulting in about half the males getting all matings

10 males and 10 females, strictly monogamous mating

7 males and 7 females, strictly monogamous mating

Answer 54

7 males and 7 females, strong sexual selection resulting in about half the males getting all matings

Question 55

Imagine a finite population with two alleles, A and a, with A at a frequency of .7. What it the probablility that “A” will drift to fixation, a frequency of 1?
100%
70%
21%
30%

Answer 55

70%

Question 56

Which of the following conditions is necessary for evolution by natural selection on leg length in anole lizards
anole biological fitness varies

consistently with leg length
none of these conditions would be

important for natural selection
lizard population size is limited by food

lizard population size is sometimes very small

all are necessary

Answer 56

anole biological fitness varies

Question 57

Consider a population of lions with two alleles for a digestive enzyme, E and e. Assume the population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. If the frequency of the EE genotype is 0.64, what is the frequency of the e allele?
.64
.16
.8
.2
1

Answer 57

.2

Question 58

In galapagos medium ground finches, after a dry period the next generation of finches often have on average larger beaks. Why?

beak sizes are heritable

all of these answers are correct

birds with large beaks survive better during droughts

birds with large beaks can eat hard seeds, which may be the only food available at the end of a drought

Answer 58

all of these answers are correct

Question 59

In contrast to broad sense heritability, narrow sense heritability includes (in the numerator)
only additive effects of genes

only epistatic effects of genes

epistatic and dominance effects of genes

only dominance effects of genes

Answer 59

only additive effects of genes

Question 60

n several mosquitofish populations, larger, more aggressive males tend to win fights with other males and get more matings as a result. This is an example of

kin selection
intrasexual selection
radium selection
intersexual selection
natural selection

Answer 60

intrasexual selection

Question 61

A lethal recessive allele (selection coefficient = -1) is at a frequency of 0.5 in one population of badgers.

What will its frequency be after one generation of selection?

.25
.33
.2
.5
1

Answer 61

0.33

Question 62

Consider a lethal recessive (selection coefficient = -1) at a frequency of 0.1 in one population of snails, on Galiano island.

Now consider another population, on Saltspring island, where it is at a frequency of .4.

Assuming the two populations are the same size, in which population will the most individuals die, in the current generation, owing to the effects of the lethal recessive allele?

Saltspring island population

none will die in either population

Galiano Island population

mortality will be the same on the two islands

Answer 62

Saltspring island population

Question 63

Which of the following would probably maintain or increase the amount of beak size variation present in a population?

in a population of grackles, rare individuals with especially small beaks tend to have high mortality and die very young

in a population of grackles, individuals with whichever size of beak is least common in the population tend to have low mortality and live to great ages

in a population of grackles, individuals with especially large beaks always have high mortality and die very young

in a population of grackles, individuals with the most common size of beak tend to have low mortality and live to great ages

Answer 63

in a population of grackles, individuals with whichever size of beak is least common in the population tend to have low mortality and live to great ages

Question 64

Which type of bacterium would you expect to evolve the highest virulence?
One that experiences high competition within a host and is difficult to transmit between hosts, requiring prolonged close contact

One that experiences high competition within a host and is easily transmitted, for example by mosquitoes

One that experiences low competition within a host and is difficult to transmit between hosts, requiring prolonged close contact

all of these scenarios should lead to similar levels of virulence

Answer 64

One that experiences high competition within a host and is easily transmitted, for example by mosquitoes

Question 65

A population of 5000 individuals has been broken into 100 equal size subpopulations for a few hundred generations, with no movement of individuals between them. You take a random sample of individuals from across all 100 subpopulations, thinking you are dealing with a single continuous population. For one locus with two alleles, both at a frequency of .5, do you expect your sample to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

Yes

Impossible to predict

No, excess of heterozygotes

No, excess of homozygote

Answer 65

No, excess of homozygote

Question 66

An example of antagonistic pleiotropy (an evolutionary explanation for senescence) is

a gene that produces a protein that can enhance female egg production early in life but increases likelihood of liver failure later in life.

a gene with two alleles: one that increases susceptibility to cancer and one that decreases it.
You Answered

a gene with two alleles: one that increases susceptibility to kidney disease and one that decreases it.

a mutation that produces a protein that reduces susceptibility to kidney disease both early and later in life.

Answer 66

a gene that produces a protein that can enhance female egg production early in life but increases likelihood of liver failure later in life.

Question 67

You are studying a gene in sticklebacks in which you suspect a common allele has recently experienced strong selection and risen dramatically in frequency. What other pattern do you expect to see in the genes near to it on the same chromosome?

Those genes will exhibit reduced variation compared to other parts of the genome

Those genes will exhibit similar variation compared to other parts of the genome

we can not make any prediction based on population genetics

Those genes will exhibit elevated variation compared to other parts of the genome

Answer 67

Those genes will exhibit reduced variation compared to other parts of the genome

Question 68

In Austad’s study of aging in oppossums, the island population showed later onset of a physiological marker of aging because of

gene flow from the a different island

evolution in response to higher extrinsic mortality rates (such as predation) on the island

evolution through higher mutation rates on the island

evolution in response to lower extrinsic mortality rates (such as predation) on the island

evolution in response to lower intrinsic mortality rates on the mainland

Answer 68

evolution in response to lower extrinsic mortality rates (such as predation) on the island

Question 69

How are genetic drift and natural selection similar?

Both involve consistent patterns of differential survival by genotype

none of the other answers is correct
Both are more effective in large populations

Both require millions of years to have any effect

Both are more effective in small populations

Answer 69

None of the other answer is correct

Question 70

Below are some different scenarios for the heritability of a trait and the selection differential in a population. Which scenario will produce the largest response to selection?

h2=0.8; S=0.2
h2=0.2; S=0.8
h2=0.9; S=0.8
h2=0.2; S=0.9

Answer 70

h2=0.9; S=0.8

Question 71

In a population of finches undergoing roughly stabilizing selection on the gene “A” (suppose the heterozygote has intermediate beak size), the fitness of A1A1 individuals is 0.8, A1A2 individuals is 1, and A2A2 individuals is 0.7.

The frequency of each allele is 0.5.

What is the new frequency of A2 after one generation of selection?

.514
.55
.486
.5
.25
.6

Answer 71

.486

Question 72

In the cross between freshwater (stream) resident sticklebacks from British Columbia and Japan, it appears the same gene was involved in controlling body plates in each population. As a consequence
all the offspring were low plated

all the offspring were high plated

some offspring had low plate
counts and some had high plate counts

the offspring exhibited ventral and dorsal plates but no lateral plates

Answer 72

all the offspring were low plated

Question 73

On a family cruise, your sister falls overboard during a storm. Fortunately there is a small boat handy but time is short and you have limited boating experience. You can definitely save your sister, but there is a 20% chance that you will drown while saving her. According to Hamilton’s rule, should you save her?
No
Yes
Hamilton’s rule cannot be used to calculate a prediction here

Answer 73

yes

Question 74

Many butterflies in the genus Heliconius are mimetic, which means that they closely
mimic the wing patterning and color of highly poisonous species even though they
themselves are not poisonous. This is a benefit because many predators (such as
birds) learn to avoid poisonous species by identifying their wing patterns/colors. Some
closely related Heliconius species mimic different poisonous species. Although they
can successfully hybridize and produce viable/fertile offspring that have high fitness in
the laboratory, the hybrids are intermediate in wing patterning/color and are not good
mimics. Consequently, they have low fitness in nature. This is an example of:
(a) Intrinsic postzygotic isolation
(b) Haldane’s rule
(c) Extrinsic postzygotic isolation
(d) Habitat isolation
(e) Prezygotic isolation

Answer 74

C

Question 75

Proponents of the Neutral theory of molecular evolution argue that most substitutions
are fixed by _______.
(a) sexual selection
(b) natural selection
(c) genetic drift
(d) none of the above

Answer 75

c

Question 76

The ratio of the rate of nonsynonymous to synonymous mutations (dN/dS) is equal to
one if a gene is evolving ________. A dN/dS ratio greater than one indicates that the
gene is evolving _______.
(a) neutrally; under purifying selection
(b) under positive selection; neutrally
(c) neutrally; under positive selection
(d) under purifying selection; neutrally
(e) under purifying selection; under positive selection

Answer 76

c

Question 77

Some evolutionary biologists argue that changes in the regulation of genes rather
than changes in the coding sequence are more likely to be involved in adaptation.
Which of the following statements forms part of the basis for this argument:
(a) coding sequence changes are constrained because most genes perform multiple
functions
(b) regulatory mutations are more likely to occur than coding sequence mutations
(c) regulatory changes likely affect all processes that a gene is involved in
(d) all of the above

Answer 77

a

Question 78

Gene duplication:
(a) decreases heterozygosity
(b) is considered important because it facilitates evolution by clan selection
(c) results from inbreeding
(d) all of the above
(e) none of the above

Answer 78

e

Question 79

You are comparing rates of evolution at synonymous and nonsynonymous sites in a
sperm protein gene, among a group of snakes that have radiated across several
islands. Your analyses suggest that there have been 2 nonsynonymous substitutions in
this gene and 10 synonymous substitutions. What sort of selection appears to be
operating on this gene?
(a) directional
(b) positive
x(c) purifying
(d) all of the above forms of selection appear to be occurring

Answer 79

c

Question 80

Which of the following probably did not evolved because it has a positive effect on the
indirect component of inclusive fitness?
(a) a female wasp helps an unrelated dominant female reproduce so that she will take over the
reproductive role when the dominant female dies
(b) a bird remains on its natal territory, helping to rear brothers and sisters
(c) a human female loses fertility in middle age, but helps in rearing grandchildren
(d) All of the above would evolve through positive effects on indirect fitness

Answer 80

a

Question 81

In phylogenetic and comparative analyses, parsimony works best (i.e. is most appropriate)
when
(a) evolutionary change is frequent
(b) natural selection is weak
(c) natural selection is strong
(d) evolutionary change is infrequent

Answer 81

d

Question 82

Suppose we know the DNA sequences of 5 species of beetle. We are confident that the
sequence for the common ancestor of all 5 species is ATTG, which is the sequence present in the
outgroup. We are also confident that the ancestral (the most recent common ancestor) sequence
for the two most closely related species is ATCG. The DNA sequence for one of these species is
ATTG. This is an example of
(a) heteroplasy
(b) reversal
(c) all of the above
(d) none of the above

Answer 82

b

Question 83

Feeding habits are indicated on the phylogeny shown below for each species in a clade of
birds. The outgroup species eats fruit. According to parsimony, which feeding habit was
probably present in the ancestor at node 3?
(a) fruit
(b) insects
(c) no prediction possible using parsimony

Answer 83

b

Question 84

You are analyzing a set of DNA sequences from several genes for a group of lice. You
discover that the DNA is evolving faster than you had initially assumed, and the rate also varies
between different genes. Which analytical approach will allow you to adjust for faster and
varying evolutionary rates and give you a good chance of arriving at the correct phylogeny?
(a) maximum parsimony (cladistics)
(b) maximum likelihood
(c) each of the above should be equally suitable and informative

Answer 84

b

Question 84

As predicted by kin selection and reciprocal altruism theory, female vampire bats
regurgitate blood preferentially toward:
(a) related individuals
(b) individuals with whom they frequently associate
(c) all of the above
(d) n

Answer 84

c

Question 84

. Which of the following mass extinctions was the most severe:
(a) Permian
(b) Cretaceous
(c) Ordovician
(d) Triassic
(e) Devonian

Answer 84

a

Question 84

Which is true?
(a) viruses and other pathogens have moved from animals to humans many times
(b) viruses and other pathogens have moved from animals to humans just three times
(c) viruses always evolve toward lower virulence
(d) viruses always evolve toward higher virulence

Answer 84

a

Question 84

Which sequence of appearance is correct?
(a) prokaryotes, eukaryotes, photosynthesis, cell phones
(b) prokaryotes, photosynthesis, eukaryotes, cell phones
(c) dinosaurs, birds, Neanderthals, apes
(d) birds, dinosaurs, Neanderthals, apes

Answer 84

b

Question 85

Based on analysis of the Neanderthal genome and our own, which would you
expect to be true:
(a) some Neanderthal alleles are more closely related to modern human alleles from
Africa than to those from Europe and Asia
(b) some Neanderthal alleles are more closely related to modern human alleles from
Europe and Asia than to those from Africa
(c) Neanderthal alleles are always equally closely related to modern human alleles
from Africa, Europe and Asia

Answer 85

b

Question 86

Which statement(s) below is/are accurate regarding hominins (e.g. Homo erectus)
that first left Africa ~1.8 million years ago:
(a) they colonized much of the globe including the Americas
(b) the new populations resulting from migration were the direct ancestors of modern
day humans
(c) they all belong to the genus Australopithecus
(d) None of the above are accurate

Answer 86

d

Question 87

The oldest hominin fossils are found where?
(a) Africa
(b) Asia
(c) Europe
(d) The Americas

Answer 87

a

Question 88

An example of antagonistic pleiotropy is
(a) a gene that produces a protein that can stop cells from turning cancerous early in
life but damages tissues, which often become become cancerous later in life.
(b) a gene with two alleles: one that increases susceptibility to cancer and one that
decreases it
(c) a developmental gene that is influenced by the environment
(d) a mutation that produces a protein that can enhance development both early and
later in life

Answer 88

a

Question 89

Tumor cells
(a) evolve rapidly owing to high gene flow
(b) can evolve resistance to chemotherapies owing to selection
(c) experience genetic drift but no selection
(d) sometimes develop resistance to chemotherapy as part of a preexisting norm of
reaction

Answer 89

b

Question 90

Pathogens (disease causing organisms)
(a) evolve at about the same rate as their hosts
(b) can sometimes evolve evolve within individual hosts
(c) show extensive evolution but it is always a result of genetic drift

Answer 90

B