Evolutionary Biology Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is one of the mechanisms of biological evolution?

  • Inbreeding
  • Natural selection (correct)
  • Habitat fragmentation
  • Artificial selection

    • Which of the following is NOT a pillar of natural selection as proposed by Darwin?

  • Heritability
  • Competition
  • Mutation (correct)
  • Variation

    • What does the term 'sexual dimorphism' refer to?

  • Differences in size and shape between sexes (correct)
  • A type of genetic drift
  • The process of gene flow
  • Variations caused by mutations

    • What was one of the major questions posed by Darwin and Wallace regarding evolution?

    <p>Why do changes take place?</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do genes play in living organisms?

    <p>They code for proteins necessary for bodily functions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is genetic variation primarily achieved in organisms?

    <p>Through sexual reproduction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement regarding the heritability of variation is true?

    <p>Variation can lead to adaptive traits if heritable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'genotype' refer to?

    <p>The genetic makeup of an organism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is considered the unit of selection in biological evolution?

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

    What primarily drives sexual selection in intersexual selection?

    <p>Preferential mate choice</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT one of the principles of evolutionary psychology?

    <p>Each individual is designed for social interactions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common outcome of the evolutionary mismatch in diet?

    <p>Obesity and related health problems</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In evolutionary psychology, aggression is hypothesized to be a solution to what?

    <p>Social living adaptive problems</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor contributed to the egalitarian social structures of early human groups?

    <p>Division of labor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which evolutionary event occurred approximately 70,000 years ago?

    <p>The Cognitive Revolution</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptiveness (EEA)?

    <p>It represents ancestral conditions that shaped behaviors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement accurately represents a criticism of evolutionary psychology?

    <p>Backwards inferences are difficult to test empirically</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is NOT part of the brain's design according to evolutionary psychology?

    <p>It is exclusively responsible for language</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which behavior is seen as a solution to negotiating status and power hierarchies in evolutionary psychology?

    <p>Defending against outgroup attacks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the evolutionary perspective, which of the following best describes the mind?

    <p>A set of information processing machines</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is there a mismatch between modern diets and ancestral conditions?

    <p>Increased access to energy-dense foods</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes sexual selection's intrasexual component?

    <p>Competition among individuals of the same sex</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does comparative evolutionary psychology aim to achieve?

    <p>Understand human behavior through comparisons with species that share environmental traits</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary difference between natural selection and sexual selection?

    <p>Natural selection focuses on survival, while sexual selection focuses on reproductive success.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which hypothesis suggests that average or composite faces are viewed as more attractive?

    <p>Averageness hypothesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does parental investment theory suggest about mate selection?

    <p>Sex that invests less will compete for access to mates.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The preference for MHC-dissimilarity in mate selection is primarily influenced by which factor?

    <p>Olfactory cues signaling genetic compatibility</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In cross-cultural comparisons, what does a simpler developmental trajectory of a trait suggest?

    <p>It is less likely dependent on socio-cultural learning.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following significantly influences women's preferences for male contact?

    <p>MHC similarity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor generally decreases gender differences in mate preferences?

    <p>Increased gender parity in nations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In terms of sexual selection, inter-sexual selection is characterized by which behavior?

    <p>Criteria used by females to choose males for mating</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does socio-cultural learning influence traits that emerge later in developmental stages?

    <p>It makes later traits more dependent on socio-cultural contexts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the core argument made by the parasite theory in relation to sexual selection?

    <p>Females are drawn to males displaying traits indicative of strong immune systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What methodological perspectives does the comparative approach combine?

    <p>Developmental, phylogenetic, and cross-cultural</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does intra-sexual selection imply in terms of mating behavior?

    <p>Males compete against each other for access to females.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What main limitation does comparative evolutionary psychology address in evolutionary psychology?

    <p>Over-reliance on speculative reasoning about the environment of evolutionary adaptation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following accurately describes the sexual dimorphism in preferences observed in females?

    <p>Preferences can change based on hormonal cycles and context.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Diversity of Life

    • Earth is home to approximately 8.7 million species.
    • Explaining this vast biodiversity with a unified theory has been challenging.
    • Debates continue, with some theories challenging natural selection.

    Mechanisms of Evolution

    • Five fundamental mechanisms drive biological evolution:
      • Natural selection
      • Sexual selection
      • Genetic drift
      • Gene flow
      • Mutation

    Observations Before Darwin & Wallace

    • Change occurs over time.
    • Traits have a purpose.

    Darwin & Wallace's Explanatory Challenge

    • Understanding why changes occur.
    • Explaining how new species arise.
    • Defining the function of traits.

    The Origin of Species (Darwin 1859)

    • Natural selection hinges on three pillars:
      • Competition:
        • Unlimited resources lead to exponential population growth, resulting in a struggle for existence.
      • Variation:
        • Individuals differ in their competitive abilities.
        • Advantageous variations lead to selection.
        • Individuals best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive.
      • Heritability:
        • Variations are inheritable.
        • Differential reproductive success drives the evolution of particular populations.

    Natural Selection Scrutinized

    • Populations generally exhibit exponential growth.
    • Sufficient time has elapsed for evolution to occur.
    • Variation is indeed heritable.
    • Some traits, like sexual dimorphism, appear to have no survival benefit; their function likely lies in mating/reproductive advantage

    Genes

    • Genes dictate physical appearance and bodily functions.
    • They contain instructions for protein production.
    • Proteins are essential for bodily structure and various life processes.
    • Genes reside on strands of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).
    • Gregor Mendel (1865): Organisms possess two versions of each gene (alleles), one from each parent.
    • DNA replicates and transmits to offspring.
    • Genotype (genetic makeup) vs. phenotype (observable traits)
    • Genetic variation arises from:
      • Sexual reproduction
      • Mutation
      • Genetic drift
      • Gene flow

    The Selfish Gene

    • Genes are the units of selection in biological evolution, not individuals or traits.
    • Genes are inherently self-interested.
    • Biological fitness is measured by the number of gene copies passed on.

    Sexual Selection

    • Intersexual selection:
      • Preferential mate choice, often driven by female choice and gametic investment.
    • Intrasexual selection:
      • Competition among members of the same sex for access to mates (e.g., status, combat, resource control).

    Evolution of the Human Species

    • Homo sapiens span 200,000 years.
    • Cognitive revolution (70,000 years ago).
    • Industrial revolution (200 years ago).
    • Digital revolution (20 years ago).
    • Hunter-gatherer societies (small, family-based groups; likely egalitarian).
    • Division of labor. High child mortality, but potentially long lifespan.

    Evolution and Human Behavior

    • Evolution and psychology are intertwined.
    • Genes influence cognition, behavior, learning, and culture.
    • Physical and behavioral traits are gene-dependent; the forces shaping the body also shape the mind.

    Evolutionary Psychology (EP)

    • EP aims to understand the mind's design through natural selection.
    • Not a specific area of study, rather, it's a method applicable to many areas.
    • The mind is specialized for information processing.
    • Its design reflects adaptations to ancestral hunter-gatherer environments.

    Five Principles of Evolutionary Psychology

    • 1. Physical System: The brain operates under physical laws
    • 2. Natural Selection's Design: Neural circuits evolved to solve ancestral problems.
    • 3. Hidden Mental Processes: Much mental activity is unconscious.
    • 4. Specialized Circuits: Circuits for specific adaptive needs.
    • 5. Stone Age Minds: Our minds are products of our evolutionary history.

    Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA)

    • Modern environments often mismatch the adaptive solutions forged in the EEA.
    • Mismatch example 1 (fear): Fears of ancestral threats (e.g., snakes, spiders) are more common than modern ones.
    • Mismatch example 2 (diet): Modern diet mismatches the EEA; cravings for energy-dense foods are maladaptive in a world of abundant, processed food.

    Evolutionary Psychology Example: Aggression

    • Aggression as a context-sensitive solution to various adaptive problems (resource acquisition, intrasexual competition, mate defense, etc.).
    • Seven evolutionary arguments for aggression.

    Criticism of Evolutionary Psychology

    • Challenges to Methodology: Difficulties in testing backwards inferences and reliance on "just so stories."
    • Ambiguity about EEA pressures.
    • Gender bias, potential for misinterpretations, non-adaptive explanations, and more.

    Comparative Evolutionary Psychology

    • It addresses the limitations of EP's dependence on EEA speculation by focusing on evolutionary theory in comparisons.
    • It uses comparisons with other species and development studies.
    • It combines perspectives from developmental psychology, phylogeny, and cross-cultural studies.
    • Unveiling the relationship between universal behaviors and behavioral variation.

    Intersexual and Intrasexual Selection

    • Natural selection prioritizes survival, while sexual selection focuses on mating success.
    • Intrasexual selection: Competition between same-sex individuals for access to the opposite sex.
    • Intersexual selection: Mate choice based on preferences for specific attributes.

    Parasite Theory

    • Parasites are a significant mortality factor.
    • Sexual selection pressures: attractiveness as a signal of strong immune system.

    Averageness Hypothesis

    • Composite/average faces are generally perceived as more attractive than non-average faces.

    Parental Investment Theory (Trivers 1972)

    • Parental investment is any investment increasing offspring survival that comes at a cost to the parent's investment in other offspring.
    • Mating and rearing investments.
    • Relative gamete size (eggs larger than sperm).
    • The sex investing more in offspring is often more selective.
    • The sex investing less often competes for mates.

    Mate Preferences

    • Significant sex differences in mate preferences observed across a wide range of cultures and societies.
    • Males often prioritize fertility, while females prioritize resources.

    Problems With EP Approach

    • Intra-cultural variation.
    • Biased samples.
    • Socially desirable responses.
    • Contributions from other disciplines (e.g., social psychology).

    Mate Preferences: Facial and Odor Preferences

    • Masculinity preferences.
    • MHC (major histocompatibility complex) compatibility preference, particularly in ovulating women.

    Social Roles & Evolutionary/Social Psychology

    • Evolutionary vs. social psychology arguments for mate preferences.
    • Social structure as an influential determinant.
    • Gender equality and its effect on mate preference differences.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge on the principles of evolution, the mechanisms driving biological change, and the contributions of Darwin and Wallace. This quiz covers important concepts related to the diversity of life and the challenges of explaining evolution.

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