Evolutionary Biology Concepts Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is the founder effect?

A small group separating from a larger group.

What are the two main points of Darwin's theory of evolution?

  1. Species living today descended from ancestral species in what Darwin called "descent with modification." 2. Natural Selection is a mechanism for evolution.

What is Wallace's theory of evolution?

Over generations, natural selection of inherited traits could give rise to new species.

What is the Fossil Record?

<p>A chronological collection of life's remains in sedimentary rock layers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is biogeography?

<p>Study of past and present distribution of organisms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is convergent evolution?

<p>Process by which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is direct observation?

<p>observing phenomena using the five senses; capturing information by watching participants</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe the process of natural selection.

<p>A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is artificial selection?

<p>Breeding organisms with specific traits in order to produce offspring with identical traits.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are homologies?

<p>Similarities between organisms based on descent from a common ancestor.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe the mechanism of natural selection.

<p>Mutations create genetic diversity in a population where certain organisms have higher fitness than others. Descent with modification occurs which leads to the adaptation of the population to its environment</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is descent with modification?

<p>principle that each living species has descended, with changes, from other species over time</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is homology?

<p>similarity resulting from common ancestry</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a homologous structure?

<p>body part that is similar in structure on different organisms but performs different functions</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define a fossil.

<p>A trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a vestigial structure?

<p>remnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a species' ancestors, but has no clear function in the modern species.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an evolutionary tree?

<p>A branching diagram that reflects a hypothesis about evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an adaptation?

<p>A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define evolution.

<p>The gradual change in a species over time</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is the smallest unit of evolution a population?

<p>evolutionary changes occur through shifts in allele frequencies within a group of interbreeding individuals over generations</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does genetic variation arise in populations?

<p>shifts in allele frequencies</p> Signup and view all the answers

Explain why genetic variation is necessary for natural selection.

<p>provides diversity of traits to be selected</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the equations for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (allele and genotype frequency)?

<p>p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1 p + q = 1</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the five conditions needed for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

<p>Random mating (A), Large population (B), No selection (C), No mutations (E), No migration (F)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe directional selection.

<p>occurs when natural selection favors one of the extreme variations of a trait</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is disruptive selection?

<p>favors individuals at both extremes of the phenotypic range</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define stabilizing selection.

<p>Natural selection that favors intermediate variants by acting against extreme phenotypes</p> Signup and view all the answers

Explain balancing selection.

<p>natural selection that maintains two or more phenotypic forms in a population</p> Signup and view all the answers

Natural selection is goal oriented and can produce perfect organisms.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does genetic drift have a greater effect on smaller populations?

<p>It has a greater effect because it works faster in smaller populations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a gene pool?

<p>Combined genetic information of all the members of a particular population</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define a population.

<p>A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is MICROevolution?

<p>evolutionary change within a species or small group of organisms, especially over a short period.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the bottleneck effect?

<p>a reduction in the genetic diversity of a population caused by a reduction in its size usually due random environmental event killing its members.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is genetic drift?

<p>random change in allele frequencies that occurs in small populations</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is fitness?

<p>Ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is horizontal gene transfer?

<p>The transfer of genes from one genome to another through mechanisms such as transposable elements, plasmid exchange, viral activity, and perhaps fusions of different organisms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe the biological species concept.

<p>Species is a group of populations whose members have the potential to produce fertile offspring.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define the morphological species concept

<p>characterizes a species by body shape and other structural features</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the ecological species concept?

<p>views a species in terms of its ecological niche</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does a single species become two species?

<p>reproductive isolation</p> Signup and view all the answers

Explain why reproductive isolation is necessary for divergence in populations.

<p>prevents gene flow between populations, allowing them to accumulate genetic differences and evolve independently</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the eight mechanisms of reproductive isolation?

<p>Reduced hybrid viability (A), Hybrid breakdown (B), Behavioral isolation (C), Reduced hybrid fertility (D), Habitat isolation (E), Mechanical isolation (F), Temporal isolation (G), Gametic isolation (H)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does sympatric speciation occur?

<p>polyploidy, habitat differentiation, sexual selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe allopatric speciation.

<p>members of species become geographically separated</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is speciation?

<p>Formation of new species</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is reproductive isolation?

<p>Separation of species or populations so that they cannot interbreed and produce fertile offspring</p> Signup and view all the answers

Re-explain the biological species concept.

<p>Species is a group of populations whose members have the potential to produce fertile offspring.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a hybrid zone?

<p>a geographic region in which members of different species meet and mate, producing at least some offspring of mixed ancestry</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define polyploidy

<p>condition in which an organism has extra sets of chromosomes</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define intraspecific.

<p>Variations within a single species</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is interspecific?

<p>competition between members of different species</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is adaptive radiation?

<p>single species evolves into array of descendants</p> Signup and view all the answers

Explain how eukaryotic cells evolved from prokaryotic cells.

<p>endosymbiosis where one prokaryotic cell engulfed another, forming a symbiotic relationship that eventually led to the evolution of organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are biases in the fossil record?

<p>Some organisms are more likely to fossilize than others, and geological changes can destroy or distort fossils. This can lead to gaps in the fossil record and make it difficult to reconstruct the complete evolutionary history of life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the main steps for the evolution of life on earth?

<p>Origin of self-replicating molecules (A), Polymers became enclosed in membranes, forming protocells (B), Nucleotides and amino acids produced prior to the existence of cells (C), Polymerization into larger molecules (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the age of the Earth?

<p>4.6 billion years</p> Signup and view all the answers

When did prokaryotes appear?

<p>3.5 BYA</p> Signup and view all the answers

When did multicellular eukaryotes appear?

<p>1 bya</p> Signup and view all the answers

When did animals appear?

<p>.8 bya</p> Signup and view all the answers

When did land plants appear?

<p>.5 bya</p> Signup and view all the answers

How has Earth's environment changed over history and affected living organisms?

<p>Affect on environment Climate/temperature Atmosphere Land masses Flood Glaciation Volcanic eruptions Meteoric</p> <p>Affect on living organisms</p> <ul> <li>genetic changes</li> </ul> Signup and view all the answers

Define radiometric dating.

<p>the process of measuring the absolute age of geologic material by measuring the concentrations of radioactive isotopes and their decay products</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the depth of a fossil help us understand its relative age?

<p>The deeper the strata found in, the older the fossil.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where did the first living cells evolve?

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

How does the spatial expression of genes affect pattern formation?

<p>it affects phenotypes</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does early development of an organism help us understand evolutionary relationships?

<p>by revealing shared embryonic features and developmental processes that reflect common ancestry, highlighting similarities between species that may not be apparent in their adult forms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are protocells?

<p>simple vesicle-like structures that harbor nucleic acids</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define hydrothermal vents.

<p>an opening in the sea floor out of which heated mineral-rich water flows.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are alkaline vents?

<p>deep sea vents that release water that has a high pH (9-11) and is warm (40-90ºC) rather than hot</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are ribozymes?

<p>catalytic RNA molecules that function as enzymes and can splice RNA</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define an endosymbiont.

<p>a cell that lives within a host cell</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the Cambrian explosion?

<p>earliest part of the Paleozoic era, when a huge diversity of animal species evolved</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does unicellular mean?

<p>one cell</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define a prokaryote.

<p>A cell without a nucleus</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a eukaryote?

<p>A cell that contains a nucleus and membrane bound organelles</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define half-life.

<p>The time required for one half of the atoms of a radioisotope to emit radiation an decay products</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a monophyletic group?

<p>group that consists of a single ancestral species and all its descendants and excludes any organisms that are not descended from that common ancestor</p> Signup and view all the answers

How can neutral mutations spread through populations?

<p>genetic drift, where random changes in allele frequencies occur over generations, allowing these mutations to become more common even though they don't affect an organism's fitness.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the principle of parsimony?

<p>favors the hypothesis that requires the fewest assumptions</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define a molecular clock.

<p>Model that uses DNA comparisons to estimate the length of time that two species have been evolving independently</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does horizontal gene transfer and convergent evolution complicate drawing phylogenetic trees?

<p>genes can jump between different species or unrelated species can evolve similar traits, confusing the true evolutionary paths</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is binomial nomenclature?

<p>Classification system in which each species is assigned a two-part scientific name</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe the hierarchy of taxonomic grouping.

<p>Kingdom phylum class ordernfamily genus species</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a taxon?

<p>a group of organisms in a classification system</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define sister taxa.

<p>Groups of organisms that share an immediate common ancestor and hence are each other's closest relatives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an analogy?

<p>A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define a clade.

<p>A group of species that includes an ancestral species and all its descendants.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Founder effect

small group separating from larger group

Darwin theory of evolution

Species descended from ancestral species by natural selection.

Fossil Record

Collection of life's remains in sedimentary rock layers.

Natural selection

Individuals with inherited traits survive and reproduce better.

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Homologies

Similarities between organisms from a common ancestor.

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Convergent evolution

Unrelated organisms evolve similar traits in similar environments.

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Mutation

Change in a DNA sequence affecting genetic information.

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Gene flow

Movement of alleles between populations.

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Speciation

Formation of new species.

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Adaptive radiation

Single species evolves into diverse descendants.

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Gene pool

Combined genetic information of a population.

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Macroevolution

Large-scale evolutionary changes over time.

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Directional selection

Natural selection favors one extreme phenotype.

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Bottleneck effect

Reduction in genetic diversity due to population size drop.

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Hybrid zone

Region where different species meet and mate.

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Biological species concept

Group of populations capable of fertile offspring.

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Reproductive isolation

Separation preventing interbreeding between populations.

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Horizontal gene transfer

Gene transfer between organisms, not through reproduction.

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Interspecific competition

Competition between individuals of different species.

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Molecular clock

Uses DNA comparisons to estimate evolutionary time.

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Clade

Group including an ancestral species and all its descendants.

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Paraphyletic

Group with a common ancestor, but some descendants are missing.

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Polyphyletic

Group derived from multiple ancestors.

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Half-life

Time for half of a radioactive isotope to decay.

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Directional selection

Natural selection that favors one extreme variation.

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Disruptive selection

Favors individuals at both extremes of a trait range.

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Stabilizing selection

Favors intermediate variants, acting against extremes.

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Vestigial structure

Remnant structure with no clear function in modern species.

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Study Notes

Founder Effect

  • A small group separates from a larger group.

Darwin's Theory of Evolution

  • Species today are descended from ancestral species, called "descent with modification".
  • Natural selection is a mechanism for evolution.

Wallace's Theory of Evolution

  • Natural selection of inherited traits over generations can create new species.

Fossil Record

  • Chronological record of life's remains in sedimentary rock layers.

Biogeography

  • Study of the distribution of organisms, past and present.

Convergent Evolution

  • Unrelated organisms evolve similar traits when adapting to similar environments.

Direct Observations

  • Using the five senses to observe phenomena; capturing information by watching.

Natural Selection

  • Individuals with inheritable traits better suited for survival and reproduction pass those traits.

Artificial Selection

  • Breeding organisms with desired traits to produce offspring with those same traits.

Homologies

  • Similarities in organisms due to common ancestry.

Mechanism of Natural Selection

  • Mutations introduce genetic variation. Organisms with higher fitness survive. Descent with modification leads to better adaptation.

Descent with Modification

  • Species change over time.

Homology (general)

  • Similarity due to shared ancestry.

Homologous Structure

  • Similar structure, different function in different organisms, due to shared ancestry.

Analogous Structure

  • Similar function, different structure in different organisms, due to similar environmental pressures, not shared ancestry.

Fossils

  • Preserved traces or remains of ancient organisms.

Vestigial Structure

  • Remnants of structures useful in ancestors, but not useful today.

Evolutionary Tree

  • Diagram reflecting hypotheses on evolutionary relationships.

Adaptation

  • Trait that increases survival and reproduction in a particular environment.

Evolution

  • Gradual change in species over time.

Population as the Smallest Unit of Evolution

  • Evolutionary change happens in allele frequencies within interbreeding groups over generations.

Genetic Variation in Populations

  • Changes in allele frequencies.

Genetic Variation's Role in Natural Selection

  • Provides the diversity of traits that is necessary for selection to act.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

  • p² + 2pq + q² = 1
  • p + q = 1

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Conditions

  • No selection
  • No mutations
  • No migration
  • Large population
  • Random mating

Directional Selection

  • Natural selection favors one extreme variation of a trait.

Disruptive Selection

  • Natural selection favors both extreme variations of a trait.

Stabilizing Selection

  • Natural selection favors intermediate variations, against extremes.

Balancing Selection

  • Natural selection maintains multiple phenotypic forms.

Natural Selection is Not Goal-Oriented

  • Natural selection cannot create perfect organisms.

Genetic Drift's Effect on Small Populations

  • Faster and more impactful in smaller populations.

Gene Pool

  • Combined genetic information of a population's members.

Population

  • Group of individuals of the same species in the same area.

Microevolution

  • Evolutionary change within a species or small group over a short period.

Macroevolution

  • Large-scale evolutionary changes over long periods.

Bottleneck Effect

  • Reduction in genetic diversity due to a population size reduction (usually random, environmental).

Genetic Drift

  • Random change in allele frequencies in smaller populations.

Gene Flow

  • Movement of genes between populations.

Migration (genetic perspective)

  • Gene movement between populations.

Fitness

  • Ability of an organism to survive and reproduce.

Mutation

  • Change in DNA sequence.

Horizontal Gene Transfer

  • Genes transferred between genomes.

Biological Species

  • Groups of populations with potential for interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.

Morphological Species

  • Species defined by body shape and structural features.
  • Limitation: Degree of dissimilarity is subjective.

Ecological Species

  • Species defined by ecological niche.
  • Limitation: Similar ecology doesn't always mean species relationship.

Speciation: Single Species Becoming Two

  • Reproductive isolation.

Reproductive Isolation's Role in Population Divergence

  • Prevents gene flow, allows genetic differences to accumulate.

Mechanisms of Reproductive Isolation

  • Habitat isolation
  • Temporal isolation
  • Behavioral isolation
  • Mechanical isolation
  • Gametic isolation
  • Reduced hybrid viability
  • Reduced hybrid fertility
  • Hybrid breakdown

Sympatric Speciation

  • Speciation within a population without geographic isolation.
  • (Polyploidy, habitat differentiation, sexual selection)

Allopatric Speciation

  • Geographic isolation leads to speciation.
    • Most common mode of speciation.

Speciation

  • Formation of new species.

Reproductive Isolation (general)

  • Separation preventing interbreeding and fertile offspring.

Biological Species Concept

  • Species defined by interbreeding potential.

Hybrid Zone

  • Region where species meet and interbreed.

Polyploidy

  • Extra chromosome sets in an organism.

Hybrid

  • Offspring from crosses between different species.

Intraspecific

  • Variation within a single species.

Interspecific

  • Competition between different species.

Adaptive Radiation

  • Single species evolving into many descendants.

Eukaryotic Cell Evolution from Prokaryotic Cells

  • Endosymbiosis (one prokaryotic cell engulfing another).

Biases in the Fossil Record

  • [Information omitted as per instructions]

Steps in Life's Evolution

  • Nucleotide/amino acid production
  • Polymerization (into larger molecules)
  • Protocell formation (containing polymers)
  • Self-replicating molecules

Age of Earth

  • 4.6 billion years.

Appearance of Prokaryotes

  • 3.5 billion years ago.

Appearance of Eukaryotes

  • 1.8 billion years ago.

Appearance of Multicellular Eukaryotes

  • 1 billion years ago.

Appearance of Animals

  • ~0.8 billion years ago.

Appearance of Humans

  • 2.5 million years ago.

Appearance of Land Plants

  • ~0.5 billion years ago.

Effects of Environmental Change on Organisms

  • Climate/temperature, atmosphere, landmasses, floods, glaciation, volcanism, meteorites affect organisms through genetic changes.

Radiometric Dating

  • Determining absolute age of rock material using radioactive isotopes.

Fossil's Depth and Relative Age

  • Deeper strata contain older fossils.

First Living Cells: Location

  • Oceans.

Spatial Gene Expression and Pattern Formation

  • Affects phenotypes.

Early Development and Evolutionary Relationships

  • Reveals shared embryonic features and processes, reflecting common ancestry.

Protocells

  • Simple vesicle-like structures.

Hydrothermal Vents

  • Heated mineral-rich water openings in the sea floor.

Alkaline Vents

  • Deep sea vents with high pH and warm water.

Ribozymes

  • Catalytic RNA molecules.

Endosymbiont

  • Cell living within a host cell.

Cambrian Explosion

  • Rapid diversification of animal species.

Unicellular

  • One-celled organisms.

Multicellular

  • Organisms with many cells.

Prokaryote

  • Cell without a nucleus.

Eukaryote

  • Cell with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

Half-Life

  • Time for half of a radioisotope to decay.

Monophyletic Group

  • Group containing a common ancestor and all descendants.

Neutral Mutations and Population Spread

  • Genetic drift can increase the frequency of neutral mutations in populations, even if not affecting organismal fitness.

Principle of Parsimony

  • Favors the simplest explanation.

Molecular Clock

  • Model estimating evolutionary divergence time using DNA comparisons.

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Phylogenetic Trees

  • Complicate drawing phylogenetic trees.

Binomial Nomenclature

  • Two-part scientific naming system.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

  • Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

Taxon

  • Group of organisms in a classification system.

Sister Taxa

  • Groups sharing an immediate common ancestor.

Analogy

  • Similarity of function, not shared ancestry.

Homology (repeated)

  • Similarity due to shared ancestry.

Clade

  • Group of species with a common ancestor and all its descendants.

Paraphyletic Group

  • Group with common ancestor but not all its descendants (some are excluded).

Polyphyletic Group

  • Group derived from two or more different ancestors.

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Test your knowledge on key concepts of evolutionary biology, including the founder effect, natural selection, and fossil records. This quiz covers essential theories of Darwin and Wallace, as well as important observations in biogeography and convergent evolution.

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