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Mechanisms of Evolution

Total questions: 61

Worksheet time: 54mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

After a long time in isolation, Island fruit flies and mainland fruit flies meet. They do not produce viable eggs due to genetic differences. The flies have resulted in two seperate lineages due to:

a)

Gene Pool

b)

Genetic Drift

c)

Gene Frequency

d)

Speciation

2.

According to the theory of natural selection, why are some individuals more likely than others to survive and reproduce?

a)

Some individuals pass on to their offspring new characteristics they have acquired during their lifetimes.

b)

Some individuals are better adapted to exist in their environment than others are.

c)

Some individuals do not pass on to their offspring new characteristics they have acquired during their lifetimes.

d)

Some individuals tend to produce fewer offspring than others in the same environment.

3.
In natural selection, the selective agent is the
a)
humans
b)
mutations
c)
breeders
d)
environment
4.

Mutations are important because they bring about

a)

death of the organism in which they develop

b)

genetic variation needed for a population to evolve

c)

benefits for the individual, not for the population

d)

Hardey-Weinberg equilibrium within a population

5.
Which of the following is a term for a group of similar organisms that can reproduce fertile offspring?
a)
individual
b)
population
c)
species
d)
fossil
6.

Genetic drift is change in the allele frequency of a population due to...

a)

random chance

b)

natural selection

c)

non-random mating (sexual selection)

d)

artificial selection

7.

A(n)________ is a measure of how common a certain allele is in a population.

a)

Allele Frequency

b)

Gene Pool

c)

Genotypical Number

d)

Genetic Drift

8.

Which word means the formation of new species?

a)

speciation

b)

specialization

c)

founder effect

d)

sexual selection

9.

When members of two populations cannot successfully reproduce.

a)

reproductive isolation

b)

lonely isolation

c)

convergent isolation

d)

genetic drift

10.
Wolves from the Arizona mesa were transferred to the Colorado Rockies after a forest fire destroyed their habitat. They quickly became part of the local pack and had offspring.
a)
Mutation
b)
Natural Selection
c)
Genetic Drift
d)
Gene Flow
11.

Which of the following best describes gene pool?

a)

The alleles only in the immediate family members

b)

A total set of different alleles in a population

c)

A frequency of given alleles in a population

d)

Half the number of the alleles within the population

12.

Which of the following is an example of the bottleneck effect?

a)

Cheetah populations reach their lowest levels with reduced diversity and as they rebound are so genetically similar they appear to be inbred.

b)

Affected individuals with blue skin can trace their ancestry back to one of the first settlers in the region.

c)

The environment of a fox population changes and over time foxes who are white survive and pass on their genes to their offspring.

d)

Humans choose two dogs they like the characteristics of and breed them together.

13.
Which of the following is an example of the founder effect?
a)
Bald Eagles are hunted until near extinction, population recovers.
b)
Small group of iguanas floats to an island, starts a new population.
c)
Red fox pups are more likely to survive in a snowy environment if they are born white.
d)
Farmer chooses seeds from largest apples to plant next year.  This results in larger apples from year to year.
14.

_______ are two sources of genetic variation in a population

a)

Bottleneck and Bacteria

b)

Small Population and Viruses

c)

Mutations and Recombination

d)

Founder Effect and Artificial Mating

15.
During a study session about evolution, one of your fellow students remarks, "The giraffe stretched its neck while reaching for higher leaves; its offspring inherited longer necks as a result." Which statement is most likely to be helpful in correcting this student's misconception?
a)
Disuse of an organ may lead to its eventual disappearance.
b)
Spontaneous mutations can result in the appearance of new traits.
c)
Only favorable adaptations have survival value.
d)
Characteristics acquired during an organism's life are generally not passed on through genes.
16.
Which of the following represents an idea that Darwin learned from the writings of Thomas Malthus?
a)
Populations tend to increase at a faster rate than their food supply normally allows.
b)
Earth changed over the years through a series of catastrophic upheavals.
c)
The environment is responsible for natural selection.
d)
Technological innovation in agricultural practices will permit exponential growth of the human population into the foreseeable future.
17.
Which of the following must exist in a population before natural selection can act upon that population?
a)
variation among individuals caused by environmental factors
b)
sexual reproduction
c)
genetic variation among individuals
d)
Two of the responses are correct.
18.
Which of the following would an animal breeder use to increase the number of cows that give the most milk?
a)
overproduction
b)
genetic isolation
c)
acquired characteristics
d)
artificial selection
19.
Genetic variation can arise from a random change in the DNA of a gene.  The change is called a(n)
a)
mutation
b)
gene flow
c)
gene pool
d)
allele
20.
What is genetic drift?
a)
The movement of genes in/out of a population
b)
A small, random change in the DNA
c)
Any change in the allelic frequencies in a population that is due to chance
d)
›The process in which humans select for or against particular features in organisms
21.
What type of selection is this?
a)
Directional Selection
b)
Stabilizing Selection
c)
Disruptive Selection
d)
Natural Selection
22.
What type of selection is this?
a)
Directional Selection
b)
Stabilizing Selection
c)
Disruptive Selection
d)
Natural Selection
23.
What type of selection is this?
a)
Directional Selection
b)
Stabilizing Selection
c)
Disruptive Selection
d)
Natural Selection
24.
Which of the following is a true statement about natural selection?
a)
it is goal directed
b)
individuals evolve
c)
variation exists in a population
d)
acquired characteristics
25.
The population of peppered moths in England changed from white to black in 50 years
a)
stabilizing selection
b)
sexual selection
c)
directional selection
d)
disruptive selection
26.
The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial that resembles the North America wolf, which is a placental mammal.
a)
adaptive radiation
b)
divergent evolution
c)
founder effect
d)
convergent evolution
27.
a bird that can easily outcompete other birds for food and that can produce many eggs has a high
a)
sexuality
b)
mutation rate
c)
fitness
d)
adaptability
28.
Mutations are important because they bring about
a)
death of the organism in which they develop
b)
genetic variation needed for a population to evolve
c)
benefits for the individual, not for the population
d)
Hardey-Weinberg equilibrium within a population
29.
Which of the following is an example of gene flow?
a)
A subordinate wolf successfully challenges the alpha male and mates with pack females
b)
A deer picks up spores from a plant as it grazes and deposits them next to that plant.
c)
A young stallion is driven out of its herd by the alpha stallion and begins its own herd in another location
d)
All of these answers
30.
A common ancestor for both C and E could be at position __.
a)
1
b)
2
c)
3
d)
4
31.
Animals are able to pick and choose their adaptations.
a)
True
b)
False
32.
Animals are born with their adaptations due to genes.
a)
True
b)
False
33.
Gene flow occurs...
a)
...when natural forces act on existing variation
b)
...when two populations mix, but do not mate
c)
...when new individuals are added to a population
d)
...when a population is split
34.
Populations do not necessarily consist of the individuals best adapted to survive and reproduce. Theoretically, the most fit individuals in a population will survive longest and reproduce the most, however chance plays a role in who survives, Reproduces, and whose offsprings survive to reproduce as well. In a population, where the allele frequency shifts by random chance, the mechanism of evolution at work is___.
a)
Natural selection
b)
Genetic drift
c)
Migration
d)
Mutation
35.
Do organisms "decide" to evolve and change?
a)
Yes, they know they need to change to survive 
b)
No, they change because of natural selection
36.
Why are advantageous traits more likely to be passed onto offspring?
a)
Because they are more likely to survive and reproduce.
b)
Because they come from dominant alleles.
c)
Because they come from recessive alleles.
d)
Because the trait is an acquired phenotype.
37.
Which of these conditions are always true of populations evolving due to natural selection?
Condition 1: The population must vary in traits that are heritable.
Condition 2: Some heritable traits must increase reproductive success.
Condition 3: Individuals pass on most traits that they acquire during their lifetime.
a)
Condition 1 only
b)
Condition 2 only
c)
Conditions 1 and 2
d)
Conditions 2 and 3
38.
A farmer uses triazine herbicide to control pigweed in his field. For the first few years, the triazine works well and almost all the pigweed dies; but after several years, the farmer sees more and more pigweed. Which of these explanations best explains what happened?
a)
The herbicide company lost its triazine formula and started selling poor-quality triazine.
b)
Natural selection caused the pigweed to mutate, creating a new triazine-resistant species.
c)
Triazine-resistant pigweed has less-efficient photosynthesis metabolism.
d)
Triazine-resistant weeds were more likely to survive and reproduce.
39.
When an organism completely dies out, it is called.....
a)
Adaption
b)
Extinction
c)
Fossilization
d)
Mutation
40.
Which species’ DNA is most similar to the DNA of the toothed whale? 
a)
Hippopotamus 
b)
Baleen Whale
c)
Grazing Mammals
d)
Camels
41.

A fire has wiped out the vegetation that produces medium sized seeds. As a result, the finches left can feed on seed that are available in two sizes: small and large. What type of selection is likely to take place in this population?

a)

directional selection

b)

disruptive selection

c)

stabilizing selection

d)

artificial selection

42.

In Canada, the people have overfished the salmon in a particular river. They catch the larger salmon and throw the smaller salmon back into the river. Over time, what type of selection is likely to take place?

a)

directional selection

b)

disruptive selection

c)

stabilizing selection

d)

artificial selection

43.

In a forest in Germany, there is a rat who has three fur coat colors: a light creamy color, a medium tan color, and a dark brown color. In this particular forest, the floor is a medium brown and the intermediate tan color mouse is better camouflaged.

a)

directional selection

b)

disruptive selection

c)

stabilizing selection

d)

artificial selection

44.
Scientists find that most feral cats in a neighborhood have whiskers about 12 cm long. After about 15 generations of stabilizing selection, what would you expect to see?
a)
even more cats with 12 cm long whiskers
b)
most cats with less than 12 cm long whiskers
c)
most cats with more than 12 cm long whiskers
d)
most cats with whiskers either less than or more than 12 cm long, very few with whiskers 12 cms 
45.
Describes a patter of long, stable periods interrupted by brief periods of more rapid change
a)
convergent evolution
b)
coevolution
c)
punctuated equilibrium
d)
adaptive radiation
46.
The hypothesis that evolution of a species occurs gradually over time as a slow and constant process is known as
a)
speciation
b)
punctuated equilibrium
c)
gradualism
d)
microevolution
47.
The hypothesis that evolution of a species occurs in periods of rapid change separated by periods of little or no change is called
a)
divergence
b)
gradualism
c)
punctuated equilibrium
d)
isolation
48.
What is convergent evolution?
a)
evolution toward similar traits in unrelated species
b)
evolution toward different traits in closely related species
c)
elimination of a species from Earth
d)
the rise of two or more species from one existing species
49.
Sharks and dolphins both have streamlined bodies that allow them to move through water efficiently, this is an example of which type of evolution?
a)
Divergent
b)
Coevolution
c)
Convergent
d)
Artificial
50.
In convergent evolution, organisms share physical similarities because they 
a)
have a common ancestor
b)
live in similar environments
c)
develop homologous structures
d)
are closely related 
51.
 What type of evolution is demonstrated in this photo?
a)
Coevolution
b)
Convergent evolution
c)
Punctuated evolution
d)
Gradualistic evolution
52.

Cichlid fishes in lakes of the East African Rift. The lakes in this area are believed to support and sustain about 2,000 different species of these fish, each with different ecological and morphological characteristics such as body size. These lakes form a fragmented landscape that bio-geographically isolates the different species of cichlid fish from one another, allowing them, and many of the organisms they live with, to evolve separately.

a)

Phyletic Speciation

b)

Adaptive Radiation

c)

Convergent Evoltion

d)

Co-evolution

53.

When change in allelic frequency is based on the ability to attract a mate.

a)

natural selection

b)

artificial selection

c)

sexual selection

54.
Gene flow involves
a)
Natural disasters killing most of the members of a population
b)
Individuals moving into and out of the population
c)
Selective mating
d)
Small changes because of the environment
55.
A virus killed most of the seals in the North Sea (e.g. dropped the population from    8000 to 800).  In an effort to help preserve the species, scientists caught 20 of the   remaining seals and used them to start a new population in the northwest Pacific   Ocean.  Which of the following statements would accurately describe the new   population?  
a)
The new seal population is genetically less diverse than the original population 
b)
The new seal population is genetically more diverse than the original population
c)
There is equal genetic variety compared  to the original population 
d)
None of the answers
56.

What is the common ancestor of Letters A, B, C, D, E?

a)

1

b)

2

c)

3

d)

4

57.
Based on the phylogenic tree, which of these shows a correct ancestral lineage?
a)
E is an ancestor to F and G
b)
C is an ancestor to D and E
c)
B is an ancestor to A
d)
E is an ancestor to H and I
58.

Which group of animals on this tree are most closely related to birds?

a)

Saurischian dinosaurs

b)

Ornithischian dinosaurs

c)

Crocodiles

d)

None of these are related to birds

59.
 Reproductive isolation results in...
a)
reduction of gene flow
b)
adaptation
c)
natural selection
d)
mutation
60.
What is speciation?
a)
combining of tow species to form one with different traits
b)
isolation that affects mating behaviors
c)
timing of mating that prevents normal sexual selection
d)
divergence of two or more species from an existing one
61.
On island chains like the one shown below, animal populations that spread from the main island to the other islands can evolve into separate species. Which of the following best explains why speciation is favored in such a situation? 
a)
Predators on the main island can easily migrate to follow the populations to the other islands.
b)
The physical separation of the islands from the main island limits gene flow and interbreeding between the populations.
c)
Lack of disease on the other island enables the populations to grow and change without limits.
d)
The climatic conditions of the islands allow the populations to breed all year long and produce several generations.

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