Topic Test 1

Question 1

Trait

Answer 1

Any observable characteristic of an individual

Question 2

Phenotype

Answer 2

Refers to what value of trait is observed used to generally refer to a number of different trait values

Question 3

Quantitative trait

Answer 3

Phenotype can be measured on a continuous scale ex. Height

Question 4

Qualitative trait

Answer 4

Phenotype is measured in a categorical scale ex. Dwarfism Have it or not

Question 5

Morphological trait

Answer 5

Phenotype has to do with the shape, structure, colour, pattern or size of an individual/species

Question 6

Behavioural trait

Answer 6

Phenotype had to do with the behaviour of individual/species

Question 7

Life history trait

Answer 7

Related to timing of development and reproduction of offspring; number/size of offspring

Question 8

Traits with no genetic component

Answer 8

Phenotypes determined only by the environment

Question 9

Heritable trait

Answer 9

Traits with phenotypes that are genetically inherited from biological parents (DNA)

Question 10

Heritability

Answer 10

A measure of how important genetics are to determining a trait
Phenotypes for traits that are highly heritable will be more likely to look like the phenotype of biological parents- regardless of environment

Question 11

Phenotypic plasticity

Answer 11

When the exact same genotype produces different phenotypes under different environments
Ex. 2 plants with same genotypes but ones in dark is short and other is in light is tall

Question 12

Sexual dimorphism

Answer 12

Traits are sexually dimorphic if they vary between biological sexed in species, usually specific to certain traits
Ex. Deer 🦌 (antlers for males and nine for females), angler fish
Only relevant for dioecious species

Question 13

Dioecious species

Answer 13

Species that have separate males and females

Question 14

Taxonomic hierarchy

Answer 14

Based on ancestry
Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

Question 15

Biological units of organization

Answer 15

Another way of classifying organisms: Biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, organism, organ system, etc.

Question 16

Biodiversity

Answer 16

Usually refers to the total number of different species

Question 17

Evolution

Answer 17

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

Question 18

4 mechanisms of evolution

Answer 18

1. Natural selection
2. Mutation
3. Genetic drift
4. Gene flow
   (All are simultaneously and continuously acting in every population of living organism)

Question 19

Natural selection

Answer 19

Evolutionary mechanism
Only mechanism that leads to adaptions

Question 20

Adaptions

Answer 20

Traits that provide a fit between an organism and the environment

Question 21

Darwin’s postulates

Answer 21

1.phenotypic variation exists within a population
2. Different reproduction/survival occurs based on that phenotypic variation
3. That variation is genetically heritable
When these postulates are true, natural selection is occurring

Question 22

Fitness

Answer 22

Reproductive success
A measure of how many surviving offspring an organism produces
The fittest organisms are most successful at passing in their genes

Question 23

Directional selection

Answer 23

Distribution of a trait in a single direction (ex. Finches in drought +beak depth increasing)

Question 24

Stabilizing selection

Answer 24

Genetic variants that lead to extremes becoming less common in the population over time

Question 25

Disruptive selection

Answer 25

Selection favours genetic variants that lead to the extremes
This can happen when it’s beneficial to be a specialist

Question 26

Gene

Answer 26

A sequence of DNA with information that encodes for a functional product

Question 27

Alleles

Answer 27

Different versions of information that could be encoded for a given gene
Evolution occurs if allelic frequencies are changing over generational time

Question 28

Mutations

Answer 28

Random errors in the DNA, usually occurring during DNA replication
Most mutations do not lead to new phenotypes
A primary source of genetic variation, alongside recombination

Question 29

To influence evolution, mutations must occur in the

Answer 29

Gametes

Question 30

Genetic drift

Answer 30

Change in allele frequencies that happens through random chance
Always happening
Smaller populations are more affected by genetic drift than larger populations

Question 31

Gene flow (migration)

Answer 31

The flow of individuals in the same species from one population into another can alter allelic frequencies and introduce new genetic variation
Two populations that maintain a lot of gene flow will become more genetically similar over time

Question 32

Speciation

Answer 32

Formation of a new species
Happens at the nodes of phylogenetic trees
Requires maintaining no gene flow between two populations (ex. Making dog breeds)