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Questions and Answers
How does the size preference in female marine iguanas impact their survival under scarce food conditions?
How does the size preference in female marine iguanas impact their survival under scarce food conditions?
Female marine iguanas prefer larger sizes, which may enhance their mating success, but this larger size can also increase vulnerability to starvation when food is scarce.
What role does the average $2pq$ play in assessing reproductive strategies among marine iguana subpopulations?
What role does the average $2pq$ play in assessing reproductive strategies among marine iguana subpopulations?
The average $2pq$ for individual subpopulations reflects genetic diversity and mating success, influencing reproductive strategies across different groups.
Explain how fecundity limits female reproductive success in relation to mate quality.
Explain how fecundity limits female reproductive success in relation to mate quality.
Fecundity restricts female reproductive success because a higher quality mate can result in fewer but more viable offspring, influencing overall reproductive outcomes.
What is the difference between polygyny and polyandry in the context of marine iguanas?
What is the difference between polygyny and polyandry in the context of marine iguanas?
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How does the value of FST indicate genetic variation within marine iguana populations?
How does the value of FST indicate genetic variation within marine iguana populations?
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What are reproductive isolating mechanisms (RIMs) and how do they contribute to speciation?
What are reproductive isolating mechanisms (RIMs) and how do they contribute to speciation?
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What distinguishes allopatric speciation from sympatric speciation?
What distinguishes allopatric speciation from sympatric speciation?
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Explain the concept of homoplasy in phylogenetics.
Explain the concept of homoplasy in phylogenetics.
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What is a phylogenetic tree and what does it represent?
What is a phylogenetic tree and what does it represent?
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How do qualitative and quantitative measures contribute to constructing phylogenetic trees?
How do qualitative and quantitative measures contribute to constructing phylogenetic trees?
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What is disruptive selection and how does it affect genetic variation?
What is disruptive selection and how does it affect genetic variation?
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What does the harmonic mean formula for effective population size, $N_e$, encompass?
What does the harmonic mean formula for effective population size, $N_e$, encompass?
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How is loss of heterozygosity calculated in a random mating population?
How is loss of heterozygosity calculated in a random mating population?
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What is the difference between disassortative and assortative mating?
What is the difference between disassortative and assortative mating?
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What is inbreeding depression and what causes it?
What is inbreeding depression and what causes it?
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How does gene flow influence a population's genetic diversity?
How does gene flow influence a population's genetic diversity?
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Explain how intrasexual and intersexual selection function in sexual selection.
Explain how intrasexual and intersexual selection function in sexual selection.
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What does the term 'homozygous' mean in genetic context?
What does the term 'homozygous' mean in genetic context?
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What is meant by 'effective population size' and its significance in conservation biology?
What is meant by 'effective population size' and its significance in conservation biology?
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Discuss the role of female choice in sexual selection.
Discuss the role of female choice in sexual selection.
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What are transitional fossils and why are they significant in understanding evolution?
What are transitional fossils and why are they significant in understanding evolution?
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How does the lack of change in genotype frequencies not imply that evolution has not occurred?
How does the lack of change in genotype frequencies not imply that evolution has not occurred?
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Define the role of heritability in the response to selection.
Define the role of heritability in the response to selection.
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What is the expected response to selection (R) influenced by strength of selection (S) and heritability (h2)?
What is the expected response to selection (R) influenced by strength of selection (S) and heritability (h2)?
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Explain how balancing selection can maintain genotype diversity within a population.
Explain how balancing selection can maintain genotype diversity within a population.
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What limitations arise from the effective population size (Ne) being less than the actual population size (Nc)?
What limitations arise from the effective population size (Ne) being less than the actual population size (Nc)?
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How does genetic variation contribute to the process of natural selection?
How does genetic variation contribute to the process of natural selection?
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What conditions must be met for genotype frequencies to remain stable in a population?
What conditions must be met for genotype frequencies to remain stable in a population?
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Describe how the strength of directional selection (S) impacts the evolutionary trajectory of a trait.
Describe how the strength of directional selection (S) impacts the evolutionary trajectory of a trait.
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Why is it important to consider both the strength of selection and heritability in understanding evolutionary changes?
Why is it important to consider both the strength of selection and heritability in understanding evolutionary changes?
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What type of variation is typically observed in polygenic traits, such as the coloration of the Peppered Moth?
What type of variation is typically observed in polygenic traits, such as the coloration of the Peppered Moth?
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How does natural selection influence the color morph frequencies of the Peppered Moth in urban versus rural environments?
How does natural selection influence the color morph frequencies of the Peppered Moth in urban versus rural environments?
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What is the role of multiple genes in the expression of polygenic traits?
What is the role of multiple genes in the expression of polygenic traits?
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In the Peppered Moth, which allele is responsible for the black coloration and what is its genetic representation?
In the Peppered Moth, which allele is responsible for the black coloration and what is its genetic representation?
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What type of genetic variance is caused by epistatic deviations and how does it relate to traits in polygenic inheritance?
What type of genetic variance is caused by epistatic deviations and how does it relate to traits in polygenic inheritance?
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What might be a possible physiological advantage of black coloration in certain species, such as lizards?
What might be a possible physiological advantage of black coloration in certain species, such as lizards?
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What does the presence of several genotypes producing the same phenotype indicate in terms of genetic diversity?
What does the presence of several genotypes producing the same phenotype indicate in terms of genetic diversity?
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How does the concept of dominance alleles differ between the black and pepper coloration in Peppered Moths?
How does the concept of dominance alleles differ between the black and pepper coloration in Peppered Moths?
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What does narrow-sense heritability (h2) indicate in a population?
What does narrow-sense heritability (h2) indicate in a population?
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How is the directional selection differential (s) calculated?
How is the directional selection differential (s) calculated?
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What relationship does the equation ℎ2 = 𝑟/𝑠 illustrate?
What relationship does the equation ℎ2 = 𝑟/𝑠 illustrate?
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What does the term 'ontogeny' refer to in the context of evolutionary biology?
What does the term 'ontogeny' refer to in the context of evolutionary biology?
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Describe the significance of the hourglass-like metazoan phylotypic stage in embryonic development.
Describe the significance of the hourglass-like metazoan phylotypic stage in embryonic development.
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What role do highly conserved genes play in metazoan development?
What role do highly conserved genes play in metazoan development?
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How does phenotypic variation relate to evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-devo)?
How does phenotypic variation relate to evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-devo)?
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What does the progression of embryonic forms suggest about evolutionary history?
What does the progression of embryonic forms suggest about evolutionary history?
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Study Notes
L1-2 Overview
- Evolution is crucial for understanding health, natural products, agriculture, environmental management, and ourselves.
- Historical evolutionary ideas, including those of Buffon and Lamarck, predated Darwin's theory.
- Darwin's theory posited descent from a common ancestor, survival of the fittest variants, and differential reproduction.
- Evidence for evolution includes shared DNA and ATP, similar genetics in closely related organisms, anatomical similarities, homologous structures, vestigial structures, the fossil record, and transitional fossils.
L3-4 Genetic Diversity & Mutation
- Variation in traits exists, differentiating individuals within a species.
- Phenotype is determined by genotype plus environmental influences and interactions.
- Mutations are copying errors that cause changes in alleles found on homologous chromosomes.
- Natural selection favors organisms adapted to their environments, enhancing their ability to survive and reproduce. Genetic drift is random fluctuation of allele frequencies, mainly impactful in smaller populations.
L5-6 Selection & Drift
- Evolution is a genetic change in population phenotype over time.
- If genotypes aren't randomly distributed in environments, lack of change in mean phenotype doesn't imply lack of evolution.
- Mutation rates are low, therefore mutations alone do not drive evolution, but are crucial for providing diversity from which selection acts.
- Inbreeding in small populations leads to a greater accumulation of harmful mutations.
L7-8 Populations & Gene Flow
- Genotype frequencies remain constant under specific conditions: large population size, no gene flow, no mutations, random mating, and no natural selection.
- Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium describes a population where genetic variation remains constant across generations, in the absence of disturbing factors.
- Genotype frequencies are affected by the influx of new alleles into a gene pool due to migration.
L9 Sexual Selection
- Sexual selection, distinct from natural selection, favors traits that improve mating success.
- Intrasexual selection occurs through competition between individuals of the same sex, while intersexual selection involves preference for specific traits by the opposite sex.
- Female choice may promote traits that aren't beneficial for survival but enhance mate attraction.
- Mating strategies such as monogamy, polygamy, and polyandry vary depending on species.
L10 Speciation
- Species are reproductively isolated groups of populations.
- Reproductive isolation mechanisms can be prezygotic (before fertilization) or postzygotic (after fertilization).
- Speciation mechanisms include ecological, genetic conflict, sexual selection, polyploidy, and hybridization.
- Geographic isolation (allopatric speciation) or lack of it (sympatric speciation) can also contribute to the separation of species.
L11-12 Phylogeography & Phylogenetics
- Phylogeny is a hypothesis of evolutionary relationships.
- Phylogenetic trees display these relationships graphically (branching patterns).
- Homoplasy (similar traits evolving independently) should be distinguished from homology (similar traits due to common ancestry).
L13-14 Polygenic Inheritance
- Polygenic traits, influenced by multiple genes, exhibit continuous variation, such as height.
- The interaction of multiple genes affects traits through additive or non-additive effects.
- Polygenic traits vary along a bell curve.
L15-16 Evolutionary Developmental Biology
- Evo-devo compares development patterns in different organisms to understand evolutionary processes.
- Similar genetic regulatory mechanisms may explain shared developmental stages despite divergent taxa.
- Recapitulation (ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny) idea, although not completely accurate, highlights the evolutionary connection between developmental stages.
L17-18 Genome Evolution
- Genome organization and size vary significantly among species.
- Non-coding DNA, introns, and transposons make up significant parts of many eukaryotic genomes.
- Retrotransposons replicate through an RNA intermediate.
L19-20 Biodiversity Conservation
- Neutral genetic diversity is not directly linked to fitness, driven by mutation and drift.
- Adaptive genetic diversity enhances fitness in given environments; natural selection impacts frequencies.
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Description
Test your knowledge on marine iguana ecology, reproductive strategies, and evolutionary concepts. Explore topics such as size preference, genetic variation, and speciation mechanisms that impact these unique reptiles. Answer questions designed to enhance your understanding of marine iguana survival and adaptation in their environment.