Evolutionary Biology 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?

  • Species change over time because of the use or disuse of organs
  • Species evolve by acquiring characteristics from their environment
  • Species living today descended from ancestral species in what Darwin called "descent with modification." (correct)
  • Natural Selection is a mechanism for evolution (correct)
  • What did Wallace propose about 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>The study of past and present distribution of organisms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is convergent evolution?

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

    What are direct observations?

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

    What is 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

    What is 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>The 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

    What is 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

    What is 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

    Why is genetic variation necessary for natural selection?

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

    What is the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

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

    What are the 5 conditions needed for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

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

    What is 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

    What is stabilizing selection?

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

    What is 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

    What is 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 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

    What is a biological species?

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

    Why is reproductive isolation necessary for divergence in populations?

    <p>It 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: Fertilized egg cannot develop past an early embryo (A), Hybrid breakdown: Hybrids viable and fertile but subsequent generations have genetic abnormalities (B), Behavioral isolation: courtship rituals and other behaviors unique to a species are effective barriers (C), Mechanical isolation: incompatible to mate (D), Habitat isolation: species occupy different area (E), Reduced hybrid fertility: Fertilized egg cannot develop past an early embryo (F), Gametic isolation: Fertilization unsuccessful due to gamete incompatibility. (G), Temporal isolation: reproduce at different times (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

    What is 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

    What is 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

    What is Polyploidy?

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

    What is Intraspecific?

    <p>Variations within a single 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

    How did eukaryotic cells evolve 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 some of the biases in the fossil record?

    <p>The fossil record is biased toward organisms with hard parts, such as bones, shells, and teeth. It is also biased geographically, favoring organisms that lived in environments where fossils are likely to form. Additionally, the fossil record is biased temporally, favoring organisms that lived in the recent past.</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

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

    What is 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

    What are 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

    What is 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

    What is a prokaryote?

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

    What is a 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

    What is 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 can 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

    What is 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

    What are 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

    What is paraphyletic?

    <p>Pertaining to a group of taxa that consists of a common ancestor and some, but not all, of its descendants.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Flashcards

    Founder effect

    Small group separating from a larger group.

    Darwin theory of evolution

    Species descended from ancestral species via "descent with modification"; Natural selection is a mechanism.

    Fossil Record

    Chronological collection of life's remains in sedimentary rock layers.

    Natural selection

    Process where individuals with certain inherited traits survive and reproduce more successfully.

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    Artificial selection

    Breeding organisms with specific traits to produce offspring with those identical traits.

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    Homologies

    Similarities between organisms due to common ancestry.

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    Adaptation

    A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce.

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    Bottleneck effect

    Reduction in genetic diversity due to a population size decrease, often from an event.

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    Gene pool

    Combined genetic information of all members of a population.

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    Evolutionary tree

    A branching diagram showing evolutionary relationships among organisms.

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    Gene flow

    Movement of alleles from one population to another.

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    Directional selection

    Natural selection favors one extreme variation of a trait.

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    Disruptive selection

    Natural selection favors both extremes of a trait.

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    Stabilizing selection

    Natural selection favors intermediate variants and against extremes.

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    Reproductive isolation

    Separation of species or populations that prevents interbreeding.

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    Speciation

    Formation of new species.

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    Polyploidy

    Condition where an organism has extra sets of chromosomes.

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    Cambrian explosion

    A period marked by a rapid increase in diversity of animal species.

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    Horizontal gene transfer

    The transfer of genes between organisms, not through parent to offspring.

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    Monophyletic group

    A group consisting of an ancestor and all its descendants, excluding others.

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    Morphological species

    Defined by body shape and structural features.

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    Taxon

    A group of organisms in a classification system.

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    Sister taxa

    Groups that share an immediate common ancestor.

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    Biological species concept

    Species as a group of populations capable of fertile offspring production.

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    Gene drift

    Random changes in allele frequencies that occur in small populations.

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    Evolutionary relationships

    Connections among organisms based on shared ancestry and traits.

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    Intraspecific competition

    Competition within a single species.

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    Interfpecific competition

    Competition between members of different species.

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    Fitness

    Organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.

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    Study Notes

    Founder Effect

    • A small group separates from a larger group.

    Darwin's Theory of Evolution

    • Species today descend from ancestral species.
    • Natural selection is a mechanism for evolution.

    Wallace's Theory of Evolution

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

    Fossil Record

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

    Biogeography

    • Study of the past and present distribution of organisms.

    Convergent Evolution

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

    Direct Observations

    • Observing phenomena using the five senses.

    Natural Selection

    • Individuals with advantageous inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce more.

    Artificial Selection

    • Breeding organisms with desired traits to produce offspring with identical traits.

    Homologies

    • Similarities between organisms due to shared ancestry.

    Mechanism of Natural Selection

    • Mutations create genetic diversity.
    • Organisms with higher fitness have a greater chance of survival and reproduction.
    • Leads to adaptation over time.

    Descent with Modification

    • Species change over time, inheriting traits from earlier species.

    Homology (2)

    • Similarity from common ancestry.

    Homologous Structure

    • Similar structures in different organisms with different functions, demonstrating shared ancestry.

    Analogous Structure

    • Structures with similar functions but different structures, demonstrating independent adaptation.

    Fossil

    • Preserved trace of an ancient organism.

    Vestigial Structure

    • Remnants of structures with a function in ancestors, but have lost their function.

    Evolutionary Tree

    • Diagram representing hypotheses about evolutionary relationships between organisms.

    Adaptation

    • Trait that enhances survival and reproduction in a specific environment.

    Evolution (2)

    • Gradual change in a species over time.

    Population as the Unit of Evolution

    • Evolutionary changes in allele frequencies within interbreeding populations over time.

    Genetic Variation in Populations

    • Arises from shifts in allele frequencies.

    Genetic Variation and Natural Selection

    • Necessary for natural selection to act upon.

    Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

    • p² + 2pq + q² = 1
    • p + q = 1

    Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Conditions

    • No selection, mutations, migration, genetic drift, or nonrandom mating.

    Directional Selection

    • Favors one extreme variation of a trait.

    Disruptive Selection

    • Favors individuals at both extremes of a trait's range.

    Stabilizing Selection

    • Favors intermediate variants, acting against extreme traits.

    Balancing Selection

    • Maintains two or more phenotypic forms in a population.

    Natural Selection's Limitations

    • Not goal-oriented.
    • Cannot produce perfect organisms.

    Genetic Drift in Small Populations

    • More pronounced effect in smaller populations due to speed of change.

    Gene Pool

    • Combined genetic information of all members of a population.

    Population

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

    Microevolution

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

    Macroevolution

    • Large-scale evolutionary changes over long periods, resulting in new species or major evolutionary trends.

    Bottleneck Effect

    • Genetic diversity reduced by a drastic decrease in population size, usually due to a random event.

    Genetic Drift (2)

    • Random changes in allele frequencies in small populations.

    Gene Flow

    • Movement of alleles between populations.

    Migration

    • Form of relocation diffusion involving permanent move to a new location.

    Fitness

    • Ability of an organism to survive and reproduce.

    Mutation

    • Change in DNA sequence.

    Horizontal Gene Transfer

    • Transfer of genes between genomes (not parent to offspring)

    Biological Species Concept

    • Species is a group of populations with the potential for interbreeding.

    Hybrid Zone

    • Region where different species meet and interbreed, occasionally producing offspring.

    Polyploidy

    • Having extra sets of chromosomes.

    Hybrid

    • Offspring from crosses between parents of different traits.

    Intraspecific Variation

    • Variations within a single species.

    Interspecific Competition

    • Competition between different species.

    Adaptive Radiation

    • Single species evolves into many descendants with diverse traits.

    Eukaryotic Evolution from Prokaryotes

    • Endosymbiosis: One prokaryotic cell engulfed another, leading to organelles (mitochondria, chloroplasts).

    Biases in the Fossil Record

    • Incomplete record.

    Main Steps for Evolution of Life:

    • Formation of nucleotides and amino acids.
    • Polymerization of molecules.
    • Enclosing polymers in membranes.
    • Origin of self-replicating molecules.

    Age of Earth

    • 4.6 billion years.

    Prokaryotic Appearance

    • 3.5 billion years ago

    Eukaryotic Appearance

    • 1.8 billion years ago

    Multicellular Eukaryotes Appearance

    • 1 billion years ago

    Animal Appearance

    • 600 million years ago

    Human Appearance

    • 2.5 million years ago

    Land Plants Appearance

    • 500 million years ago

    Environmental Changes and Organisms

    • Environmental changes (climate, atmosphere, landmasses, etc) affect genetic changes in living organisms

    Radiometric Dating

    • Measures absolute age using radioactive isotopes and decay products.

    Fossil Age and Depth

    • Deeper strata = Older fossils

    First Living Cell Location

    • Oceans

    Spatial Gene Expression

    • Affects phenotypes

    Early Development and Evolutionary Relationships

    • Reveals shared ancestry evidenced by similar embryonic features.

    Protocells

    • Vesicle-like structures containing nucleic acids.

    Hydrothermal Vents

    • Seafloor openings emitting heated mineral-rich water.

    Alkaline Vents

    • Deep-sea vents with high pH and warm water.

    Ribozymes

    • Catalytic RNA molecules acting as enzymes.

    Endosymbiont (2)

    • Cell living within another cell.

    Cambrian Explosion

    • Rapid diversification of animal species at the start of the Paleozoic era.

    Unicellular

    • One-celled organism.

    Multicellular

    • Many-celled organism.

    Prokaryote (2)

    • Cell without a nucleus.

    Eukaryote (2)

    • Cell with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

    Half-Life

    • Time for half of a radioisotope to decay into its products.

    Monophyletic Group

    • Group containing a common ancestor and all its descendants

    Neutral Mutations and Population Spread

    • Genetic drift helps them spread even if not affecting organism fitness

    Principle of Parsimony

    • Simplest explanation favored, requiring fewest assumptions.

    Molecular Clock

    • Uses DNA comparisons to estimate time since divergence.

    Horizontal Gene Transfer/Convergent Evolution Complication in Phylogenetic Trees

    • Gene transfer and convergent evolution muddy true evolutionary paths.

    Binomial Nomenclature

    • Two-part naming system for species.

    Taxonomic Hierarchy

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

    Taxon (2)

    • Group of organisms in a classification system.

    Sister Taxa

    • Groups sharing an immediate common ancestor.

    Analogy (2)

    • Similarity due to convergent evolution, not shared ancestry.

    Homology (3)

    • Similarity due to common ancestry.

    Clade (2)

    • Group including an ancestor and all its descendants.

    Paraphyletic Group

    • Group containing a common ancestor and some, but not all, descendants.

    Polyphyletic Group

    • Group with members from multiple lineages without a common ancestor.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge on key concepts of evolutionary biology, including Darwin's and Wallace's theories, natural and artificial selection, and the significance of the fossil record. This quiz will explore the mechanisms and principles that lead to the evolution of species over time.

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