Midterm Study Guide

During a severe winter, a small population of island foxes is drastically reduced. This sudden decrease in population size due to an environmental event is an example of which concept?

• Gene Flow; The introduction of new genes into a population from another population

• Genetic Drift; Random changes in the gene pool of a small population

• Bottleneck Effect; Population is severely reduced due to natural events

• Founders Effect; A new colony is started by a few members of the original population

What evolutionary process is illustrated by the diverse beak shapes of finches on the Galápagos Islands, which evolved to exploit different food sources?

• Natural Selection; The finches' beak shapes evolved over generations to better suit the available food sources, demonstrating survival of the fittest

• Convergent Evolution; Different species of finches developed similar beak shapes due to living in similar habitats

• Genetic Mutation; Random mutations in the finches' DNA led to varied beak shapes, without the influence of environmental factors

• Artificial Selection; Humans selectively bred the finches to produce a variety of beak shapes for scientific study

A white caribou leaves his population and moves to an existing population to mate with a blue caribou even though they are from different herds. What type of evolution is being displayed?

• Genetic Drift; Movement of a small population from their original population

• Mutation; Change in the DNA made them more desirable towards each other

• Gene Flow; Movement of genes from one population to another

• Natural Selection; The environment selects for the most fit individuals

True or False: Founders Effect is the movement of genes/members from one population to another.

• True

• False

Which scenario MOST LIKELY represents genetic drift and why?

• bottleneck effect; When a flood randomly eliminates most of the population, leaving a small population of the original population

• gene flow; When a new predator prefers to hunt a specific color of beetle, significantly reducing their numbers over generations

• founders effect; When beetles develop a mutation that allows them to digest a new type of leaf, leading to a population increase

• None of the above

A kitten was found and two families say the kitten belongs to them, claiming they also own the kitten's parents. The vet wants to know the real parents through DNA. Who are the actual parents according to the DNA test?

• Parent A&B

• Parent C&D

• Parent E&F

• Parent G&H

Which question below directly corresponds to whether Lamarck or Darwin are correct about their theories of the mechanisms of evolution?

• Why don't the shorter neck giraffes feed on grasses and lower vegetation?

• How would the shorter necked giraffes in Lamarck’s theory survive to reproduce and pass on the “need” for longer necks if they were unable to reach food?

• Why won’t the taller necked giraffes in Darwin’s theory provide assistance to the shorter giraffes since they are the same species?

The images below represent structures that have evolved from a common ancestor. What type of relationship do these structures have?

• They are analogous to one another.

• They are homologous to one another.

• They are vestigial to one another.

• They do not share any relationship.

Based on the evidence from the DNA fingerprints, which suspect hair sample MOST closely matches that of the crime scene hair sample?

• Hair Sample 1

• Hair Sample 2

• Hair Sample 3

• Hair Sample 4

Why is Gene Therapy considered an effective (helpful) method to treat genetic disorders?

• It increases the likelihood (chance) of passing genetic mutations to offspring

• It enables a diseased cell to self-correct and fix its own defective (non-working) gene

• It replaces a defective gene with a healthy gene

• It enhances the expression of non-defective genes to compensate for defective ones