ch 11 review questions

18. Why do scientists consider vestigial structures evidence for evolution?

A Vestigal structure is an example of a homologous structure that has apparently been reduced through evolution to a non-functional state because its function is no longer utilized by the species exhibiting it.

10. Which situation would most likely lead to allopatric speciation? A. A flood causes the formation of a new lake. B. A storm causes several large trees to fall down. C. A mutation causes a new trait to develop. D. An injury causes an organism to seek out a new food source.

A is the correct answer

13. The word "theory" in theory of evolution is best replaced by ________. A. fact B. hypothesis C. idea D. alternate explanation

A is the correct answer

5. Population genetics is the study of ________. A. how allele frequencies in a population change over time B. populations of cells in an individual C. the rate of population growth D. how genes affect embryological development

A is the correct answer

11. What is the main difference between dispersal and vicariance? A. One leads to allopatric speciation, whereas the other leads to sympatric speciation. B. One involves the movement of the organism, whereas the other involves a change in the environment. C. One depends on a genetic mutation occurring, whereas the other does not. D. One involves closely related organisms, whereas the other involves only individuals of the same species.

B is the correct answer

12. Which variable increases the likelihood of allopatric speciation taking place more quickly? A. lower rate of mutation B. longer distance between divided groups C. increased instances of hybrid formation D. equivalent numbers of individuals in each population

B is the correct answer

14. Why are alternative scientific theories to evolution not taught in public school? A. more theories would confuse students B. there are no viable scientific alternatives C. it is against the law D. alternative scientific theories are suppressed by the science establishment

B is the correct answer

2. Which scientific concept did Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace independently discover? A. mutation B. natural selection C. overbreeding D. sexual reproduction

B is the correct answer

7. In which of the following pairs do both evolutionary processes introduce new genetic variation into a population? A. natural selection and genetic drift B. mutation and gene flow C. natural selection and gene flow D. gene flow and genetic drift

B is the correct answer

4. What is the difference between micro- and macroevolution? A. Microevolution describes the evolution of small organisms, such as insects, while macroevolution describes the evolution of large organisms, like people and elephants. B. Microevolution describes the evolution of microscopic entities, such as molecules and proteins, while macroevolution describes the evolution of whole organisms. C. Microevolution describes the evolution of populations, while macroevolution describes the emergence of new species over long periods of time. D. Microevolution describes the evolution of organisms over their lifetimes, while macroevolution describes the evolution of organisms over multiple generations.

C is the correct answer

6. Galápagos medium ground finches are found on Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal islands, which are separated by about 100 km of ocean. Occasionally, individuals from either island fly to the other island to stay. This can alter the allele frequencies of the population through which of the following mechanisms? A. natural selection B. genetic drift C. gene flow D. mutation

C is the correct answer

8. The wing of a bird and the arm of a human are examples of ________. A. vestigial structures B. molecular structures C. homologous structures D. analogous structures

C is the correct answer

3. Which of the following situations will lead to natural selection? A. The seeds of two plants land near each other and one grows larger than the other. B. Two types of fish eat the same kind of food, and one is better able to gather food than the other. C. Male lions compete for the right to mate with females, with only one possible winner. D. all of the above

D is correct

9. The fact that DNA sequences are more similar in more closely related organisms is evidence of what? A. optimal design in organisms B. adaptation C. mutation D. descent with modification

D is the correct answer

1. Figure 11.7 Do you think genetic drift would happen more quickly on an island or on the mainland?

I believe that genetic drift would happen faster on an island because there is a smaller population and with that smaller population the genes need to spread to less organisms

17. Describe natural selection and give an example of natural selection at work in a population.

The theory of natural selection stems from the observations that some individuals in a population survive longer and have more offspring than others, thus passing on more of their genes to the next generation. For example, a big, powerful male gorilla is much more likely than a smaller, weaker gorilla to become the populations silverback, pack leader. This silverback will have more mates and father more offspring sharing half of his genes. These offsprings will grow big and strong. Over time the genes for large size in the population will grow and the population will grow in size.

16. Explain the Hardy-Weinberg principle of equilibrium.

in a perfect population the alleles stay at a 50/50 balance

21. How does the scientific meaning of "theory" differ from the common, everyday meaning of the word?

in science a theory is a widely accepted and rigorously tested statement, to where the everyday use is more of a guess

19. Why do island chains provide ideal conditions for adaptive radiation to occur?

islands are great for adaptive radiation, because the species can arrive all together and slowly disperse through the chain of the island and then they can evolve and adapt to their new environment however different they may be form the original or even new sister species

15. If a person scatters a handful of plant seeds from one species in an area, how would natural selection work in this situation?

the plants that are able to use the resources in the area to be fullest will create more offspring and pass on the traits that allowed them to take full advantage of the area

20. Two species of fish had recently undergone sympatric speciation. The males of each species had a different coloring through which females could identify and choose a partner from her own species. After some time, pollution made the lake so cloudy it was hard for females to distinguish colors. What might take place in this situation?

the two species would begin to breed with each other and if they can produce good, strong, fertile offspring they would continue to mate but if not then the species would adapt to be able to tell he other species apart

22. Explain why the statement that a monkey is more evolved than a mouse is incorrect.

this statement is incorrect because the monkey and the mouse both are evolving to different goals and they need different things so you cannot compare them