BIO EVO EXAM 1

1.

1 point

Use the phylogeny and the aligned gene sequences below to answer question:

Character # 12345678
Platypus . . . GATCTTCA
Kangaroo . . . GATCTACA
Armadillo. . . GCTGGACA
Elephant . . . GCCGGTAT
Manatee . . . GCCCGTAA
Orangutan. . . GCCGGATA
Leopard . . . GCCGGATA

What is the sister taxon of the elephant?

Manatee

Armadillo

Orangutan

Leopard + Orangutan

2.

1 point

Use the phylogeny and the aligned gene sequences below to answer question:

Character # 12345678
Platypus . . . GATCTTCA
Kangaroo . . . GATCTACA
Armadillo. . . GCTGGACA
Elephant . . . GCCGGTAT
Manatee . . . GCCCGTAA
Orangutan. . . GCCGGATA
Leopard . . . GCCGGATA

Which of the following genetic traits is a synapomorphy for the group that includes elephants and manatees?

Character #5

Character #6

Character #7

Character #8

3.

1 point

A biological population is __________________________________
____________________________________________________

(EX.1)

a collection of organisms of different species all living in the same area and interacting with each other

all of the inorganic material an physical forces that help provide the environment to support life

a group of individual organisms of the same species among which there is gene flow

a way to define the type of plants that can be expected to grow in a defined ecosystem

4.

1 point

Which of the following differences is the best example of a physical constraint on evolution?

Frog species that live in a predator rich environment have much quieter mating calls than frog species that live in a predator poor environment.

There are far fewer dark colored mice in areas where the ground is a lighter color.

The largest land mammals are much smaller than the larges aquatic mammals.

There tends to me more genetic diversity in human populations that are concentrated, like in large cities.

5.

1 point

(Bonus) Using the genetic data provided for questions 27-31, what is the cost (length) of the phylogeny using a simple parsimony criterion?

6

7

9

11

10

6.

1 point

Which type of study could best help us understand the distribution of ratite species (large running birds such as the ostrich, cassowary and emu) on earth?

Paleogenetics

Phylogeographic

Bootstrapping

Population genetics

7.

1 point

Use the phylogeny and the aligned gene sequences below to answer question:

Character # 12345678
Platypus . . . GATCTTCA
Kangaroo . . . GATCTACA
Armadillo. . . GCTGGACA
Elephant . . . GCCGGTAT
Manatee . . . GCCCGTAA
Orangutan. . . GCCGGATA
Leopard . . . GCCGGATA

Which of the following genetic traits is homoplasious?

Character #1

Character #2

Character #3

Character #4

8.

1 point

Which of the following is not part of the explanations regarding the origin of complex traits such as the vertebrate eye?

Intermediate stages provide adaptive benefit

Release from ancestral function

New function for old traits

Genetic consolidation of cooperative traits

Role of serial homology (including gene duplication)

9.

1 point

________________ is a vestigial trait.

The small intestine of a bat

The forelimb of a horse

The eye socket of a cave salamander

The cranial suture of a human

10.

1 point

Which of the following analyses is least likely to exhibit tokogeny?

Phylogeny of ecologically important bacteria species

Genealogy of Abraham Lincoln

Phylogeny of modern rodent species

11.

1 point

What is the ultimate source of the genetic variation that can be measured in biological populations?

Mutation

Random Assortment of alleles

Natural Selection

Genetic Drift

12.

1 point

The diversity of life on earth today is due only to variational processes such as natural selection and genetic drift.

(EX 1)

True

False

13.

1 point

What are three components of a population that must be present for evolution via natural selection? (mark all three correct answers)

(EX 1)

Some genotypes must be more successful at reproducing than others

Variation between individuals in the population must have a genetic cause.

There must be variation between individuals in the population.

The population must reproduce sexually.

There must be mutation.

14.

1 point

For most sexually reproducing organisms what is the birth ratio of males to females?

(EX 1)

Roughly 50:50

Biased towards males

There is no predictable pattern for the majority of sexually reproducing species

Biased strongly females

15.

1 point

Briefly describe a manipulative (not purely observational) experiment that you could perform to provide data to help decide between Darwin’s ideas and Lamarck’s ideas.

Many possibilities here and they can be examples for either spontaneous generation/common descent or acquired traits/natural selection.

16.

1 point

Beyond giving us a better understanding of the historical relationships of living organisms there is little use for phylogenies

(EX 1)

True

False

17.

1 point

What was the main insight of Mendelian genetics and what major “problem” of natural selection did it explain?

How traits are passed done from one generation to the next (particulate inheritance, we now call these genes). This helped to explain why we don’t lose diversity due to a mixing effect of matings.

18.

1 point

What two things determine the phenotype of an organism?

Environment and Genotype

19.

1 point

What is convergence? What causes it?

When two species have similar traits that were derived from separate ancestors. This is due to very similar selection pressures acting on the species with the convergent traits.

20.

1 point

Which of the following differences is the best example of an adaptive trade off?

Frog species that live in a predator rich environment have much quieter mating calls than frog species that live in a predator poor environment.

There are far fewer dark colored mice in areas where the ground is a lighter color.

There tends to me more genetic diversity in human populations that are concentrated, like in large cities.

The largest land mammals are much smaller than the larges aquatic mammals.

21.

1 point

What is the difference between artificial selection and natural selection?

The agent of selection in natural selection is the environmental conditions. Artificial selection refers to any instance where humans actively decide fitness and so direct the evolution of a population.

22.

1 point

Prior to Darwin’s work on the role natural selection in evolution, Lamarck proposed a very different idea about how evolution worked. What are the two main differences between Darwin’s and Lamarck’s ideas about how evolution has led to the great diversity of life on earth?

Lamark thought that all species originated from a separate unique ancestor and that physical changes that happened to an organism during its life were somehow passed on to its offspring. Darwin postulated a common origin for all life on earth and explained how natural selection caused changes in populations over time.

23.

1 point

Why are some relationships on phylogenies depicted as polytomies? (mark all answers that apply)

Because the data supporting any one clear relationship among the descendants is ambiguous

Because it is a representation of the actual simultaneous divergence of more than three lineages

Because there are an overabundance of synapomorphies for one set of sister taxa

Because there is not enough taxon sampling to include an outgroup

24.

1 point

Define systematics

The discipline of using phylogenetic theories to classify and name biological levels of organization, such as species, genera, etc.

25.

1 point

Use the phylogeny and the aligned gene sequences below to answer question:

Character # 12345678
Platypus . . . GATCTTCA
Kangaroo . . . GATCTACA
Armadillo. . . GCTGGACA
Elephant . . . GCCGGTAT
Manatee . . . GCCCGTAA
Orangutan. . . GCCGGATA
Leopard . . . GCCGGATA

Which of the following genetic traits provides no data as to the relationships of the organisms in the phylogeny?

Character #1

Character #2

Character #3

Character #4

26.

1 point

Is biological evolution a theory or a hypothesis? Defend your answer.

A hypothesis, there are many different ways to defend this answer. One good way would be to cite some of the many examples of evolution and evidence of evolution that we discussed in class.

27.

1 point

Which of the following is the best definition of heritability?

(EX 1)

Tendency of separate behaviors to have a beneficial effect on the survival rate of offspring

Tendency of a phenotypic trait to be passed down to offspring

Tendency of workers in eusocial organisms to sacrifice themselves for the survival of the colony

Tendency of males to compete to provide resources for another male’s offspring

28.

1 point

Even very small fitness advantages can cause large shifts in phenotype given enough time.

True

False

29.

1 point

Define Homoplasy:

A character that can be mapped onto a single branch of a phylogeny.

A character that has to be inferred to have a more complex origin than the simplest one possible (it has to be mapped onto a tree in more than one spot).

A character that is only caused by the genotype of the organism that carries it.

A condition that causes the number of possible phylogenies for a set number of species to increase exponentially.

30.

1 point

The Earth was created by a supernatural being 6024 years ago and the process took six days. The preceding description best fits which type of creationism?

(EX.1)

Young Earth Creationism

Gap Creationism

Day Age Creationism

Intelligent Design

31.

1 point

Match the scientist on the left with their contribution to ideas about evolution on the left.

James Hutton

(EX 1)

Natural Selection

Scala Naturae and the idea that we can classify organisms based on their physical characteristics

An early idea about change in biological organisms that included an integration of evolution and Mendelian genetics

Uniformitarianism

32.

1 point

Match the scientist on the left with their contribution to ideas about evolution on the left.

Alfred Wallace

(EX 1)

Natural Selection

Scala Naturae and the idea that we can classify organisms based on their physical characteristics

An early idea about change in biological organisms that included an integration of evolution and Mendelian genetics

Uniformitarianism

33.

1 point

Most natural populations have high levels of diversity (variation between individuals in the population).

True

False

34.

1 point

An ambush predator found int he Tethys Sea 48 million years ago. It was a member of the group of mammals that would become modern whales and most likely was an ambush predator filling a niche similar to that of a crocodile.

(EX 1)

Basiolosaurus

Creodont

Ambulocetus

Pakicetus

35.

1 point

What would happen if we were able to "hit the rewind button" and observe multiple instances of the origin and evolution of life on earth?

There would be very little similarity between any two different instances.

Everything would be roughly similar except there would be different classes of molecules that encoded the genetic information of each instance.

Each one of these instances would be nearly identical.

No one is sure, but there would probably be some amount of difference between instances and perhaps large amounts of similarity due to convergence

The universe would explode due to the inconsistent causal loop paradox.

36.

1 point

Match the scientist on the left with their contribution to ideas about evolution on the left.

Aristotle

(EX 1)

Scala Naturae and the idea that we can classify organisms based on their physical characteristics

An early idea about change in biological organisms that included an integration of evolution and Mendelian genetics

Uniformitarianism

Natural Selection

37.

1 point

What is the effect of pleiotropy on the evolution of a gene?

It increases the impact of epistatic interactions with other genes.

It adds constraint to the types of mutations in the gene that provide an adaptive advantage.

It causes it to mutate at a faster rate.

It greatly increase the number of alleles present in the population for that gene.

It causes pressure for a consolidation of transcriptional regions near that gene.

38.

1 point

Match the terms on their left with their definition on the right

15. Exaptation
16. Polygeny
17. Pleiotropy
18. Polytomy

a. A node on a phylogeny that has more than two descendent branches.

b. A condition where one gene influences two or more traits.

c. A condition where a single phenotypic trait is controlled by two or more genes.

d. A trait that confers no additional fitness on an organism until there is a change in the environment, then it provides a strong fitness advantage.

(EX 1)

Exaptation C; Polygeny B, Pleiotropy A; Polytomy A

Exaptation D; Polygeny C; Pleiotropy A; Polytomy B

Exaptation C; Polygeny D; Pleiotropy A; Polytomy B

Exaptation D; Polygeny C; Pleiotropy B; Polytomy A

39.

1 point

Use the phylogeny and the aligned gene sequences below to answer question:

Character # 12345678
Platypus . . . GATCTTCA
Kangaroo . . . GATCTACA
Armadillo. . . GCTGGACA
Elephant . . . GCCGGTAT
Manatee . . . GCCCGTAA
Orangutan. . . GCCGGATA
Leopard . . . GCCGGATA

Which of the following is not a valid classification

Armadillo + Elephant + Manatee: a group called Neoventralis

Elephant + Manatee: a group called Afrotheria

Orangutan + Leopard: a group called Eucentalia

Elephant + Manatee + Orangutan + Leopard: a group called Epitheria

40.

1 point

Which of the following are the two major arguments in the legal battles regarding the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in US Public Schools? (mark both answers)
(EX.1)

Expiration of statutes of limitation

Separation of Church and State

The non-sceinctific nature of the subject

Not enough instruction time

41.

1 point

Explain the difference between a scientific theory and a scientific hypothesis.

A hypothesis is a guess or an idea to explain an observation. A theory is a group of related scientific hypotheses that have been tested and for which there is a large amount of supporting data.

42.

1 point

Why did the modern synthesis take place about 80 years after the work of Darwin and Mendel?

It took that long to develop the complex mathematical models that were necessary to integrate these two disparate ideas.

The scientific community didn’t recognize the significance of Mendel’s work for a very long time.

Darwin’s ideas were dismissed by most of the scientific community.

Modern computers were necessary to provide an analytical resource that could combine both the theory of evolution via natural selection and Mendelian genetics.

43.

1 point

For a study including 200 species how many possible phylogenies are there? How might this answer affect how you would find the best phylogeny?

The actual number is (2n-3)!/[2n-2*(n-2)!]. I don’t expect you to know this, but you should tell me it is an astronomically high number and that this would necessitate search strategies that can search areas of promise for the best trees, but not search every tree, because there just isn’t enough time or computational power.