Evolution and Adaptation
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Questions and Answers

What is a characteristic of the volcano rabbit?

  • It is an example of maladaptation
  • It is a result of antagonistic evolution
  • It is a byproduct of a selected trait
  • It is well-adapted to its own habitat (correct)

    • What is the term used to describe a gap left by an arch in architecture?

  • Pseudogene
  • Genetic drift
  • Spandrel (correct)
  • Maladaptation

    • Why have human efforts to alter sex ratios been surprisingly ineffective?

  • Lack of genetic variation (correct)
  • Genetic drift
  • Maladaptation
  • Antagonistic evolution

    • What is the reason humans, unlike most other mammals, can get scurvy?

    <p>We don't make our own vitamin C</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is genetic drift?

    <p>The effect of random processes on genes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a term used to describe a gene that is mutated and ineffective?

    <p>Pseudogene</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why was there little selection against the mutation that destroyed the ability to make vitamin C?

    <p>Because these animals have lived with fresh food for most of our evolutionary history</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a spandrel in biology?

    <p>The redness of blood</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is antagonistic evolution?

    <p>A type of evolution that causes behaviours/other phenotypes that look like maladaptation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is maladaptation?

    <p>Suboptimality</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a prerequisite for genetic drift to cause maladaptation?

    <p>Very small population sizes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a historical constraint in the evolution of the eye?

    <p>The direction of the retina in mammals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the enzyme that catalyses the first stage of photosynthesis?

    <p>Rubisco</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do moths fly towards lightbulbs?

    <p>Because they interpret the light as the sun or moon</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do humans tend to crave salt, fat, and sugar?

    <p>Because they were scarce in our evolutionary past</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a trade-off in the evolution of antelopes?

    <p>Their long legs are adapted for running, but break easily</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is pleiotrophy?

    <p>When a gene has more than one effect</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a domesticated animal that was selected for sociability towards humans?

    <p>Foxes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is allometry?

    <p>A type of pleiotrophy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the longest-lived human on record?

    <p>Jeanne Calment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a possible reason for the lack of adaptation to a changing environment?

    <p>Limited genetic variation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a byproduct of another trait?

    <p>The redness of blood</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a constraint on the evolution of a trait?

    <p>Lack of genetic variation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an effect of genetic drift on a population?

    <p>Decreased genetic variation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a possible explanation for the loss of the ability to make vitamin C?

    <p>Genetic mutation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of antagonistic evolution?

    <p>Co-evolution of two species</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a possible reason for the lack of adaptation to a changing environment in the volcano rabbit?

    <p>Evolution has no foresight</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a historical constraint?

    <p>The inability to make vitamin C</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a possible explanation for the presence of maladaptation in nature?

    <p>Antagonistic evolution</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of maladaptation?

    <p>Decreased fitness of a population</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason why Rubisco, the most abundant protein in the world, has not improved its efficiency over time?

    <p>Because it evolved when carbon dioxide was more abundant and oxygen less, and has not had to adapt to new conditions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between the retinas of mammals and squids?

    <p>Squids have their retinas in the correct direction, while mammals have them in the opposite direction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the reason why moths are often attracted to lightbulbs?

    <p>Because they are trying to navigate using the light as a reference point</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the phenomenon where a gene has more than one effect?

    <p>Pleiotrophy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main reason why humans tend to crave salt, fat, and sugar?

    <p>Because we have evolved to seek out these substances when they were scarce in our environment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a trade-off in the evolution of antelopes?

    <p>The development of long legs for fast running at the cost of increased vulnerability to tripping</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the phenomenon where a trait is not adaptive in a new environment?

    <p>Maladaptation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary way in which natural selection can act on a population?

    <p>By accumulating small, probable strokes of luck</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a historical constraint in the evolution of a particular trait?

    <p>The evolution of the eye in mammals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason why the domesticated fox has characteristics such as a distinctive color pattern and a shortened snout?

    <p>Because they are correlated with the selected trait of sociability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Maladaptation in Nature

    • Maladaptation can be seen in nature, but it is less common and less noticeable.
    • Examples of what is not maladaptation include adaptation to a disappearing habitat, such as the volcano rabbit, and antagonistic evolution.

    Spandrels

    • A spandrel is an architectural term for a gap left by an arch and is not necessarily an adaptation itself.
    • Example: The redness of blood is a byproduct of other selected traits and is not an adaptation in itself.

    Genetic Drift

    • Genetic drift is the effect of random processes on genes and can cause maladaptation in small populations.
    • Humans have a high risk of maladaptation due to genetic drift because of small population sizes throughout history.
    • Vitamin C mutation is an example of genetic drift, as it is a mutated and ineffective gene in great apes and some other primates.

    Pleiotrophy

    • Pleiotrophy occurs when a gene has more than one effect, such as the selection for sociability towards humans in domesticated foxes.
    • Characteristics like color patterns and shortened snouts are correlated with the selected characteristic.

    Allometry

    • Allometry is a kind of pleiotrophy, where a gene has multiple effects, and can cause non-adaptive or maladaptive features.
    • Example: A bat's long toes might be an adaptation for hanging upside down or a side effect of having extremely long fingers.

    Historical Constraints

    • Historical constraints are evolutionary limitations imposed by past adaptations.
    • Example: The eye's structure in mammals, where the light passes through the membrane, nerve fibers, and ganglion cells before reaching the rods and cones, is a historical constraint.
    • Squids' eyes have a more efficient structure, with their retinas in the right way round.

    Rubisco

    • Rubisco (ribulose 1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is the most abundant protein in the world and catalyzes the first stage in photosynthesis.
    • However, it is hundreds or thousands of times slower than other enzymes due to historical constraints and has not improved since its evolution.

    Time Lags and Novel Environments

    • Maladaptation can occur when there is a time lag between environmental change and adaptation, such as with moths navigating electric light.

    Trade-Offs

    • Trade-offs can result in maladaptation, such as with antelopes' long legs, which are adaptive for fast running but have disadvantages like tripping and breaking easily.
    • Ageing may be a trade-off against another trait.

    Maladaptation in Nature

    • Maladaptation can be seen in nature, but it is less common and less noticeable.
    • Examples of what is not maladaptation include adaptation to a disappearing habitat, such as the volcano rabbit, and antagonistic evolution.

    Spandrels

    • A spandrel is an architectural term for a gap left by an arch and is not necessarily an adaptation itself.
    • Example: The redness of blood is a byproduct of other selected traits and is not an adaptation in itself.

    Genetic Drift

    • Genetic drift is the effect of random processes on genes and can cause maladaptation in small populations.
    • Humans have a high risk of maladaptation due to genetic drift because of small population sizes throughout history.
    • Vitamin C mutation is an example of genetic drift, as it is a mutated and ineffective gene in great apes and some other primates.

    Pleiotrophy

    • Pleiotrophy occurs when a gene has more than one effect, such as the selection for sociability towards humans in domesticated foxes.
    • Characteristics like color patterns and shortened snouts are correlated with the selected characteristic.

    Allometry

    • Allometry is a kind of pleiotrophy, where a gene has multiple effects, and can cause non-adaptive or maladaptive features.
    • Example: A bat's long toes might be an adaptation for hanging upside down or a side effect of having extremely long fingers.

    Historical Constraints

    • Historical constraints are evolutionary limitations imposed by past adaptations.
    • Example: The eye's structure in mammals, where the light passes through the membrane, nerve fibers, and ganglion cells before reaching the rods and cones, is a historical constraint.
    • Squids' eyes have a more efficient structure, with their retinas in the right way round.

    Rubisco

    • Rubisco (ribulose 1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is the most abundant protein in the world and catalyzes the first stage in photosynthesis.
    • However, it is hundreds or thousands of times slower than other enzymes due to historical constraints and has not improved since its evolution.

    Time Lags and Novel Environments

    • Maladaptation can occur when there is a time lag between environmental change and adaptation, such as with moths navigating electric light.

    Trade-Offs

    • Trade-offs can result in maladaptation, such as with antelopes' long legs, which are adaptive for fast running but have disadvantages like tripping and breaking easily.
    • Ageing may be a trade-off against another trait.

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    Description

    Understanding maladaptation and its differences from adaptation in nature, including examples of disappearing habitats and antagonistic evolution.

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