Evolutionary Applications in Agriculture

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What is one way to slow the rate at which genes for pesticide resistance spread?

Providing refuges where non-resistant insects thrive (correct)

Increasing the genetic variation of pests

Providing a large amount of pesticides

Breeding pesticide-resistant insects

How does knowledge of genetic variation and evolutionary relationships help farmers?

By helping them improve crop disease resistance (correct)

By reducing the nutritional value of crops

By allowing them to breed pesticide-resistant pests

By increasing the use of pesticides

What is a consequence of inbreeding in small populations?

Improved population survival

Increased genetic variation

Inbreeding depression (correct)

Increased population size

Why do small populations face difficulties in recovering?

Due to inbreeding depression and low genetic variation Signup and view all the answers

What is one application of evolutionary theory in agriculture?

Improving crop disease resistance Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary challenge in agriculture despite the advancement of technology?

The evolution of insects and diseases Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the intentional selection of certain traits in a population of organisms?

Artificial selection Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of using selectable markers such as antibiotic resistance genes in genetic engineering?

To manipulate DNA in molecular biology Signup and view all the answers

What is the process of evolving proteins with particular properties through repeated rounds of mutation and selection?

Directed evolution Signup and view all the answers

Why is the study of evolution relevant in fields such as medicine and conservation?

Because it provides a framework for understanding how organisms adapt to changing environments Signup and view all the answers

What is the main advantage of using organisms with rapid generation times and small physical size in experimental evolution?

They allow for the observation of evolutionary processes that occur too slowly in larger organisms Signup and view all the answers

According to Garland and Rose (2009), what defines experimental evolution?

Research in which populations are studied across multiple generations under defined and reproducible conditions Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of an intentional 'field introduction' in experimental evolution?

The introduction of a predator into a population's habitat Signup and view all the answers

What is NOT an example of experimental evolution?

The genetic engineering of an organism for a specific trait Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential application of experimental evolution in conservation biology?

The study of the evolutionary response of endangered species to environmental change Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason why a population with low genetic variation may face an increased risk of extinction?

Because they lack the genetic variation necessary to respond to changing environmental variables Signup and view all the answers

Why do bacteria and viruses evolve rapidly?

Because they have a short generation time and reproduce rapidly Signup and view all the answers

What is the process that weeds out deleterious alleles from a population over time?

Natural selection Signup and view all the answers

What is the consequence of inbreeding depression in a population?

Higher proportions of stillborn and deformed offspring Signup and view all the answers

Why is genetic variation essential for a population's survival?

It enables the population to evolve in response to changing environmental variables Signup and view all the answers