Understanding Evolutionary Mechanisms

Which of the following is an example of genetic drift?

• A population of rabbits where the white fur allele becomes more common due to a sudden snowstorm.

• A population of birds where the beak size changes due to a change in available food sources.

• A population of fish where a new predator causes a shift in coloration.

• A population of insects where a rare allele becomes common after a natural disaster.

Which mechanism of evolution is primarily responsible for the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria?

• Genetic drift

• Natural selection

• Gene flow

• Mutation

Explain how gene flow can affect the genetic diversity of a population.

• It decreases genetic diversity by isolating populations.

• It increases genetic diversity by introducing new alleles.

• It has no effect on genetic diversity.

• It decreases genetic diversity by removing alleles.

A population of beetles has two color variations: green and brown. If a forest fire destroys most of the green beetles, what evolutionary mechanism is at play?

• Natural selection

• Genetic drift

• Gene flow

• Mutation

How does mutation contribute to evolution?

• It creates new alleles, which can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful.

• It always results in beneficial traits.

• It only occurs in response to environmental changes.

• It decreases genetic variation within a population.

Describe a scenario where natural selection might lead to a change in a population's traits over time.

• A population of moths becomes darker over generations due to industrial pollution darkening tree bark.

• A population of fish remains unchanged despite a new predator.

• A population of birds migrates to a new area but does not change.

• A population of plants experiences no change despite a drought.

What is the primary difference between natural selection and genetic drift?

• Natural selection is random, while genetic drift is not.

• Genetic drift is random, while natural selection is not.

• Both are random processes.

• Both are non-random processes.

Evaluate the impact of a bottleneck effect on a population's genetic variation.

• It increases genetic variation by introducing new alleles.

• It decreases genetic variation by reducing population size.

• It has no impact on genetic variation.

• It stabilizes genetic variation by maintaining allele frequencies.

Which of the following best describes the founder effect?

• A large population is reduced to a small size due to a natural disaster.

• A small group of individuals colonizes a new area, leading to reduced genetic diversity.

• A population experiences a sudden increase in size due to favorable conditions.

• A population remains stable over time with no change in genetic diversity.

Analyze how a change in the environment might lead to adaptive radiation in a species.

• A species remains unchanged despite environmental changes.

• A species evolves into multiple new species, each adapted to a different environment.

• A species goes extinct due to inability to adapt.

• A species migrates to a new environment but does not change.