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Evolutionary Theory

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Wize University Biology Textbook > Evolution

Evolution of Populations

7 Activities

Wize University Biology Textbook > Phylogenetic Trees

Phylogenetic Trees

5 Activities

Which of the following statements are TRUE regarding evolutionary theory?

1. The shared amino acid code for methionine, AUG, is an example of molecular homology
2. Speciation occurs as the result of a large extinction event occurring rapidly
3. Random mutations are only affecting evolution if they result in an altered phenotype
4. Large populations are more likely to undergo evolution faster than small populations
More Evolution of Populations Questions:
Carrying capacity refers to:
Carrying capacity refers to:
It was found that guppies (live-bearing fish), when raised in predator free waters, produce larger sized offspring that mature slowly. This is in comparison to guppies raised in the presence of predators whereby the progeny are smaller, mature quicker and reproduce earlier. What phenomena is occurring?
Evolution cannot occur within a generation.
Which form of natural selection acts against both extreme phenotypes and favours an intermediate variant?
Which of the following changes the genetic structure of a population due to immigration/emigration?
Imagine a new volcanic island is created off the coast of a mainland country. Somehow, a small population of marine lizard manages to swim to the island and start a new colony on the island. What is true about the fate of this new marine lizard population?
How do mutation and selection function together?
Could natural selection be influenced by global warming?
For the following scenarios, identify the type of selection/effect that may be operating
a) A local mining plant has produced extreme amounts of acid rain in the nearby forest. Some species of plants in this environment have been found to have significantly increased acid tolerance.
b) In the praying mantis population, the female invests heavily in finding her breeding nest and which mate she will choose.
What type of selection is occurring in each scenario?
a) Large cockroaches avoid predation by lizards while the medium and small kin do not.
b) Pansies (flowers) vary in colour. Bees search for the most common color and preferentially pollinate them.
Consider the following scenario:
A species of C. elegans produces gametes that have two copies of the gene noggin rather than one. Which of the following mechanisms is at play in each scenario?
a) Selection b) Migration c) Mutation d) Non random mating e) Genetic drift
Consider the following selection scenarios. State whether it is disruptive, directional or stabilizing.
a. Population of bats subject to selection where only bats with large wings or small wings survive:
b. Population of elephants in arid climate where only those with small ears are selected against since they cannot dissipate heat fast enough:
Practice: Selection/Effect
For the following scenarios, identify the type of selection/effect that may be operating.
Practice Problem 2
What type of selection is occurring in each scenario?
a) Large cockroaches avoid predation by lizards while the medium and small kin do not.
b) Pansies (flowers) vary in colour. Bees search for the most common color and preferentially pollinate them.
For the following scenarios, identify the type of selection/effect that may be operating
a) A local mining plant has produced extreme amounts of acid rain in the nearby forest. Some species of plants in this environment have been found to have significantly increased acid tolerance.
b) In the praying mantis population, the female invests heavily in finding her breeding nest and which mate she will choose.
How do mutation and selection function together?
Which of the following does not tend to promote speciation?
A certain community in rural Alberta was identified as being genetically unique at many loci from all neighbouring populations. Further assessment shows that this group is derived from a small group from “Chocoland” and that they do not outbreed. Which of the following likely explains their uniqueness?
If an allele becomes fixed, there is no opportunity for genetic variation to exist at that locus anymore.
What type of selection is occurring in each scenario?
a) Large cockroaches avoid predation by lizards while the medium and small kin do not.
b) Pansies (flowers) vary in colour. Bees search for the most common color and preferentially pollinate them.
It was found that guppies (live-bearing fish), when raised in predator free waters, produce larger sized offspring that mature slowly. This is in comparison to guppies raised in the presence of predators whereby the progeny are smaller, mature quicker and reproduce earlier. What phenomena is occurring?
Ecology Practice Problem 4
It was found that guppies (live-bearing fish), when raised in predator free waters, produce larger sized offspring that mature slowly. This is in comparison to guppies raised in the presence of predators whereby the progeny are smaller, mature quicker and reproduce earlier. What phenomena is occurring?
Consider the following selection scenarios. State whether it is disruptive, directional or stabilizing.
a. Population of bats subject to selection where only bats with large wings or small wings survive:
b. Population of elephants in arid climate where only those with small ears are selected against since they cannot dissipate heat fast enough:
Why is phenotypic variation essential for evolution to occur?
Which of the following is not a source of genetic variation for evolution?
Evolution cannot occur within a generation.
It was found that guppies (live-bearing fish), when raised in predator free waters, produce larger sized offspring that mature slowly.
This is in comparison to guppies raised in the presence of predators whereby the progeny are smaller, mature quicker and reproduce earlier.
What phenomena is occurring?
Characteristics of life
Some scientists argue that having genetic material (e.g. RNA and DNA) make viruses living creatures. Which characteristic(s) of life does this criteria satisfy? Select all that apply
Practice: Selection Types
Consider the following selection scenarios. State whether it is disruptive, directional or stabilizing.
a. The population of bats subject to selection where only bats with large wings or small wings survive:
b. The population of elephants in an arid climate where only those with small ears are selected against since they cannot dissipate heat fast enough:
Evolution Mechanisms
Which of the following is not a source of genetic variation for evolution?
Practice: Phenotypic Variation
Why is phenotypic variation essential for evolution to occur?
Which of the following is a phenomenon in which allele frequencies change randomly.
Practice: Frog Evolution Scenario
Consider the following scenario. Answer all questions using key terminologies and justifications.
A tropical rainforest supports a species of poison dart frog which feeds primarily on a local tree beetle. Providing the weather is constant, and food is plentiful, this species continues to breed and populate the ecosystem. Further, the ratio of males and females is equal so no competitive mating is occurring and the entire species is phenotypically identical.
a) Providing the above situation is maintained, will these species evolve in the next 1000 years? Justify your answer.
A certain community in rural Alberta was identified as being genetically unique at many loci from all neighbouring populations. Further assessment shows that this group is derived from group of immigrants from a specific region of Ukraine that arrived in the early 1900's and that no outbreeding occurred until ~1995.
1. Which of the following likely explains the uniqueness in the Albertan population?
2. This population also has an elevated number of children born with Hemophilia, a disease caused by a recessive allele. Which of the follow explains this observation?
Which of the following is an event that causes the loss of allelic variation associated with start a new population with few individuals?
During historical glacial periods when large areas of land are covered by ice sheets (ice ages), species distributions are fragmented into small disjunct areas that remain ice free. These are known as glacial refugia.
1. What evolutionary phenomena are the populations in the glacial refugia likely experiencing?
2. As the glaciers melt and species reestablish their previous distribution, what phenomena will the refugial populations experience?
The population of squirrels in a forest has increased and there are no longer enough Maple trees to nest in. This is an example of:
Carrying capacity refers to:
Are the wings of birds and flies homologous or analogous traits?
Which of the following does not tend to promote speciation?
For the following scenarios, identify the type of selection/effect that may be operating. Choose from the following terms:
directional selection
bottleneck
Types of Selection
You are a graduate student studying a population of birds that was introduced to a small tropical island. You visit the island in year 2016 and measure the beak sizes of 100 birds in the population. You then return in 2018 and again measure the beak sizes of 100 birds in the population. You obtain the following data. What type of selection is occurring?
Selection types
In the amazon in 1986, a new species of non-poisonous frog was introduced. In the region, there are two species of snakes, one very large and one very small. These two snake species feed on frogs. Upon introduction into the region, scientists measured the size of the new frog species. In year 2000, the frogs were again measured. The following data was obtained. What kind of selection is this? Why do you think this type of selection was observed?
You are observing a population of pigs where the B locus controls pig colour with two alleles B1 and B2, there are so many pigs in this population that we can ignore the effects of genetic drift.You note that the starting frequencies of B1 and B2 are 0.7 and 0.3, respectively. Under which situation would B2 reach a frequency of 1 and B1 would disappear completely in the population?
WB1B1 > WB1B2 < WB2B2
WB1B1 < WB1B2 < WB2B2
Which of the following statements are TRUE?
Natural selection is the only cause of evolution
Evolution is the result of individual organisms acquiring traits over their lifetime that they then pass on to their offspring
Falsifiable Statements
Which of the following statements are falsifiable?
1. All mammals have a vestigial structure relating us to reptiles
2. Mice are evolutionarily more closely related to chimpanzees than humans
Evolutionary Theory
Box turtles (Terrapene carolina) and the Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor) live in North America where winters cause freezing to sub-freezing temperatures. Although these two species are not closely related to each other, they both can undergo a process called freeze avoidance where circulating sugar molecules protect their organs while more than 50% of their body water content is frozen. This process is common in other North American frog species but not in turtle species.
Which of the following is highlighted in the given information?
1. Freeze tolerance resulted from homology
How does stabilizing selection affect the genetic and phenotypic variation within a
population?
What are the major sources of genetic variation resulting from sexual reproduction?
i. Recombination during prophase I
ii. Recombination during prophase II
The Pennsylvania Amish have a high frequency of polydactyly, a genetic disorder that gives rise to more than ten digits. Why is this?
Imagine a new volcanic island is created off the coast of a mainland country. Somehow, a small population of marine lizard manages to swim to the island and start a new colony on the island. What is true about the fate of this new marine lizard population?
Under what conditions do populations evolve?
What is the relationship between evolution and natural selection?
How does stabilizing selection affect the genetic and phenotypic variation within a
population?
What is the relationship between evolution and natural selection?
Under what conditions do individuals evolve?
Imagine a new volcanic island is created off the coast of a mainland country. Somehow, a small population of marine lizard manages to swim to the island and start a new colony on the island. What is true about the fate of this new marine lizard population?
Sympatric speciation can result from:
Which of the following is a source of genetic variability?
Which of the following contribute to the reasoning that peripheral isolates are the sort of population from which new species usually develop?
Which of the following drivers of evolution is least likely to be maladaptive?
Stabilizing selection is acting on which of the following examples?
Which of the following is not a method for enhancing genetic diversity?
Which form of natural selection acts against both extreme phenotypes and favours an intermediate variant?
Which of the following changes the genetic structure of a population due to immigration/emigration?
A diploid plant species growing in Mystic Vale was is infected by a plant virus that wipes out 90% of the population. Which mechanism(s) of evolutionary change are immediately acting on these plants?
What is the difference between natural and artificial selection?
Which of the following is “theoretical” about evolution?
Which of the following is always adaptive?
Based on fossil records, over the course of centuries, the American black bear population has significantly increased in number, but the average size of each individual bear has significantly decreased. What type of selection does this indicate?
Humans hunted buffalo to near extinction in the 1800's. Which of the following is most relevant to the effect of this on buffalo genetics?
Which of the following cannot evolve?
The most simple definition of evolution is:
Which of the following does not tend to promote speciation?
The theory of uniformitarianism states that geological processes operate today as they did in the past helped us understand and interpret what?
In convergent evolution, species share characteristics that are similar because of
An organisms relative fitness is measure by
More Phylogenetic Trees Questions:
Practice: Using Trait Tables to Build Phylogenetic Trees
Which of the following phylogenies best represents the below trait table:
Match the following terms with their definitions
The human arm, bat wing and dolphin flipper contain similar bones that developed through similar embryonic tissues. How would you interpret these similarities? select all that apply
Using the following sample data matrix. Draw the phylogeny with maximum parsimony.
Are the wings of birds and flies homologous or analogous traits?
Applying the principle of parsimony, the ability to fly is most likely to have went according to which tree?
In the following diagrams which taxon represents a monophyletic group?
Match the following terms with their definitions
Taxa Group that includes common ancestor with
some, but not all, its descendants
Are the wings of birds and flies homologous or analogous traits?
Applying the principle of parsimony, the ability to fly is most likely to have went according to which tree?
In a given clade, which of the following is true?
Phylogenetic trees are:
In the following diagrams which taxon represents a monophyletic group?
1. Which algae group did the land plants evolve from?
2. What is the name of the monophyletic group that contains this taxa of algae and all the land plants?
3. What chlorophyll is unique do this monophyletic group?
The common ancestor of which clade evolved the derived trait?
The unique types of junctions found in animal cells are good evidence that the animal kingdom is monophyletic.
Name the junction type and answer the questions below.
Practice: Phylogenetics 2
The tree above is one possible phylogeny of the Homo clade. Use this diagram to answer the following questions
1. What does Australopithecus africanus do for this tree?
2. What is happening on the tree where the blue circle is located?
Practice: Mosquitoes
Species ranges:
Anopheles americana: South and Central America and all Caribbean islands
Anopheles equatori: Columbia, Venezuela and Equador.
Practice: Tree relationships
Consider the following tree
Label the follow statements True or False
A. Species B is more closely related to Species D and E than Species F and G
Which of the following would represent a postzygotic barrier to gene flow?
You are studying speciation in crickets. You find that males and females from different populations will mate, but few eggs get fertilized. This is an example of what type of reproductive isolating barrier:
Which species concept can be applied to all organisms/populations?
The human arm, bat wing and dolphin flipper contain similar bones that developed through similar embryonic tissues. How would you interpret these similarities?
Which of the following statements is false?
All the following sources of data are used for constructing phylogenetic trees except:
What characteristics are useful when constructing a phylogenetic tree
Phylogeny
Phylogenetic trees are:
Trees
Which of the following trees has a monophyletic group circle on it?
True or false: Protists are a clade.
Which of the following statements is false regarding the groupings in cladistics analysis?
You want to build a phylogeny that includes humans, E. coli, and a plant species known as Arabidopsis. Which of the following proteins coding genes would you use to help you form this phylogeny?
From Term Test 2 Prep: Which of the following is an example of a homology?
i. All life on Earth using DNA as its genetic storage system
ii. Human tail bones
The first few days of vertebrate development are nearly identical in cell division events and differentiation fates. This is evidence for evolution. Which of the following does this signify?
Three species X, Y and Z share a common ancestor, T. extinct spcies U and V also share T
as a common ancestor. A grouping that includes species T, X Y and Z makes up a…
The first few days of vertebrate development are nearly identical in cell division events
and differentiation fates. This is evidence for evolution. Which of the following does this
signify?
Which of the following statements about the below phylogeny is not correct?
Based on the below phylogeny, which of the traits within the phylogeny would you classify as the following terms:
Which of the following phylogenies best represents the below trait table:
Which of the following statements best describes the parsimony principle?
Which of the following statements given the phylogeny are correct?
A phylogeny containing species C, D and E as well as their common ancestor would be classified as monophyletic
Trait #4 would be classified as an anapomorphy
Using the given table, select the most parsimonious phylogeny:
Which of these groups of organisms is monophyletic?
What is a paraphyletic group?
Concerning the phylogeny, which species is most distantly related to N?
In this phylogeny, of how many clades is species T a member?
Which of the following describes a scenario analogous to the endosymbiont theory?
Which of the following is best described by “a similarity beyond functional necessity”?
What is the best way to build a monophyletic clade?
Which species is most distantly related to “P”?
How many clades is species “P” a member of?
If two animals shared a similar trait, which of the following statements is most accurate?
Which of the following statements is false regarding the groupings in cladistics analysis?
What is the difference between phylogeny and systematics?
Which of the following are the least homologous structures?
What structure is analogous to the human vertebrae?
Practice: Phylogenetic Trees and Taxonomy
Consider the following phylogeny:
How many clades is species "S" a member of?
Phylogenetic trees are:
Which of the following statements is false?
The human arm, bat wing and dolphin flipper contain similar bones that developed through similar embryonic tissues. How would you interpret these similarities?