Evolution Review Quiz

Which of the following is required for natural selection to occur in a population?

Genetic variation

Which of the following is necessary for a population to evolve?

Genetic variation Changes in allele frequencies Heritable variation

Which of the following is FALSE about genetic variation in a population of long-lived mammals?

Genetic variation can be increased in a population by genetic drift.

Which of the following sets of phrases are CORRECTLY matched?

Increases fitness: natural selection only.

Which of the following is NOT included in the evolutionary concept of fitness?

Length of lifespan after reproduction

Which of the following is NOT necessary for body size to evolve in a population of crickets by natural selection?

Migration into the population of individuals with body size variation

Which of the following is most correctly stated in scientific terms of evolutionary biologists?

Milkweeds evolved toxin-production because ancestors producing toxins tended to survive better than those that did not produce toxins

When a new mutation occurs in a gamete and the individual that develops from the zygote bearing that mutation dies because the mutation causes a problem in development, this is the result of

Natural selection

Which of the following is NOT necessary for a population to evolve?

Natural selection

Which of the statements (1-10 below) are WRONG?

Natural selection does NOT require environmental change. 3. Natural selection is the only mechanism of evolution. 4. Natural selection tries to improve the fit between phenotype and location. 5. Individuals and populations can genetically adapt to environmental change. 6. Adaptation refers to the biological process by which all members of a population gradually adjust to environmental conditions. 7. Biological fitness refers to healthy, strong, large, and sexy individuals . 8. Not using traits for many generations will cause them to be lost. 9. The need to survive causes life to change through time.

Increases the average fitness of a population

Natural selection only

Which of the following statements is TRUE? Natural selection has a random component but genetic drift does not. Recessive alleles cannot be removed from the population by natural selection. Genetic drift usually results in adaptation of a population to its environment. An individual's phenotype determines whether it will survive genetic drift.

None of the above statements are true.

Evaluate the following two statements about fish swimming speed: 1) The fastest members of a fish population are most likely to escape from a new predator and reproduce. 2) A fish evolves faster muscles in its body in order to escape from a new predator in its habitat. Do these statements accurately represent the process of evolution?

Only the first statement is accurate.

Which of the following would NOT be explained by the existence of sexual selection?

Protective coloration in male and female beetles that helps them to avoid predation

The diagram above shows the genotypes of the parents at three gene loci on chromosome 11. These parents will produce a large number of offspring. Which of the following statements about the offspring is FALSE? (Assume that no new mutations take place).

Some offspring will not inherit an advantageous allele

Which of the following phrases best describes the process of evolution?

The genetic change of populations through time

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

The sorting phase of natural selection is usually a random process

Which of the following is generally non-random?

The survival of individuals under natural selection

Decreases genetic variation in a population

both

Results in changes in allele frequency

both

Evolution is:

change in allele frequency over time

Natural selection is non-random, but what necessary component of this process is random?

mutation

The origin of all new genetic variation is:

mutation

Natural selection can do all of the following EXCEPT:

result in the evolution of phenotypes that decrease fitness

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

"Natural selection, by itself, cannot produce new traits"

Which of the following statements about genetic drift is TRUE?

"The smaller the population size, the more likely genetic drift is to occur"

Fitness is a term often used by biologists to explain the evolutionary success of certain organisms. Above are descriptions of five female robins (a type of bird). Which one would a biologist say has the HIGHEST fitness?

4

How might natural selection result in the inheritance of deleterious alleles?

A parent with high fitness due to a beneficial allele may also have deleterious mutations which are also passed on to offspring

Cases of observed differences in human lactose tolerance in different places, and cases of observed differences in wasps in different places are best described as (select all):

A pattern An association

Which of the following best describes a gene?

A piece of DNA that encodes amino acids

What is natural selection?

A process by which alleles increase or decrease in frequency in a population due to their impact on individual fitness

Select all TRUE statements about mutations A. Mutations are extremely rare in living things. B. Mutations can be neutral (not positive or negative) for an organism. C. Healthy organisms typically lack mutations D. Mutations occur more often during natural environmental change or natural disasters. E. The most common cause of mutation is radiation. F. Most mutations are harmful. G. Most mutations are inherited (passed on to offspring). H. Individual mutations occur randomly (cannot be predicted)

B. Mutations can be neutral (not positive or negative) for an organism. H. Individual mutations occur randomly (cannot be predicted)

Which statement best represents the meaning, in biology, of the term evolution?

Changes in allele frequencies in populations over time

Which of the following is most correctly stated in the scientific terms of evolutionary biologists?

Dandelions evolved toxin production because ancestors producing toxins tended to survive better than those that did not produce toxins.

Which of the following is most likely to increase the strength of genetic drift in a population of mice?

Decreasing the population size

Which of the following is both a pattern and a process?

Evolution

Which statement most accurately reflects what evolutionary biologists refer to as fitness?

Fitness is a measure of the survival and reproductive success of an individual