Biology 1407Final Exam Review Questions with
Correct Answers
In evolutionary terms, an organism's fitness is measured by its _____.
Contribution to the gene pool of the next generation
What is the only evolutionary mechanism that consistently leads to adaptive evolution?
Natural selection
Within six months of effectively using methicillin to treat S. aureus infections in a
community, all new infections were caused by MRSA. How can this result best be
explained?
Some drug-resistant bacteria were present at the start of treatment, and natural selection
increased their frequency.
Soapberry bugs use needlelike "beaks" to feed on seeds within the fruits of various
plants. Bugs feed most successfully when their beak length matches the size of the fruit
on which they are feeding. For 25 years, populations of soapberry bugs in central
Florida have been feeding on small goldenrain tree fruits that were introduced to the
area, rather than on the larger native balloon vine fruits that serve as food for other
soapberry bug populations. Beak lengths of soapberry bugs are variable, but the
average beak length is shorter in soapberry bug populations that feed on goldenrain
tree fruits than in populations that feed on balloon vine fruits, as shown in the graph.
How does natural selection act on beak length in soapberry bug populations?
The action of natural selection on beak length in soapberry bug populations varies with the
environment.
Charles Darwin _____.
,Proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution
The largest unit within which gene flow can readily occur is a
Species
Males of different species of the fruit fly Drosophila that live in the same parts of the
Hawaiian Islands have different elaborate courtship rituals. These rituals involve
fighting other males and making stylized movements that attract females. What type of
reproductive isolation does this represent?
Behavioral isolation
According to the punctuated equilibria model,
Most new species accumulate their unique features relatively rapidly as they come into
existence, then change little for the rest of their duration as a species.
Select the correct statement describing sympatric speciation.
- Sympatric speciation has never been observed in nature.
- Sympatric speciation can occur in a single generation.
- Sympatric speciation is always initiated by geographic isolation of two populations.
Sympatric speciation can occur in a single generation.
Which of these is an example of temporal isolation?
- One species performs a specific courtship dance. the other species does not.
- The average weight of the individuals in one species is 45 kg; in the other species the
average is 290 kg.
, - One is a type of primate, the other is a type of marsupial.
- One species is found only in New York, the other only in London.
- One species is nocturnal, and the other species is not.
One species is nocturnal, and the other species is not.
Adaptive radiations can be a direct consequence of four of the following five factors.
SELECT THE EXCEPTION.
- evolutionary innovation
-an adaptive radiation in a group of organisms (such as plants) that another group uses
as food
-genetic drift
-colonization of an isolated region that contains suitable habitat and few competitor
species
-vacant ecological niches
Genetic drift
The oldest fossils usually _____.
Are found in the deepest strata
Which of the following taxonomic categories contains all the others listed here?
-order
-class
-species
Correct Answers
In evolutionary terms, an organism's fitness is measured by its _____.
Contribution to the gene pool of the next generation
What is the only evolutionary mechanism that consistently leads to adaptive evolution?
Natural selection
Within six months of effectively using methicillin to treat S. aureus infections in a
community, all new infections were caused by MRSA. How can this result best be
explained?
Some drug-resistant bacteria were present at the start of treatment, and natural selection
increased their frequency.
Soapberry bugs use needlelike "beaks" to feed on seeds within the fruits of various
plants. Bugs feed most successfully when their beak length matches the size of the fruit
on which they are feeding. For 25 years, populations of soapberry bugs in central
Florida have been feeding on small goldenrain tree fruits that were introduced to the
area, rather than on the larger native balloon vine fruits that serve as food for other
soapberry bug populations. Beak lengths of soapberry bugs are variable, but the
average beak length is shorter in soapberry bug populations that feed on goldenrain
tree fruits than in populations that feed on balloon vine fruits, as shown in the graph.
How does natural selection act on beak length in soapberry bug populations?
The action of natural selection on beak length in soapberry bug populations varies with the
environment.
Charles Darwin _____.
,Proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution
The largest unit within which gene flow can readily occur is a
Species
Males of different species of the fruit fly Drosophila that live in the same parts of the
Hawaiian Islands have different elaborate courtship rituals. These rituals involve
fighting other males and making stylized movements that attract females. What type of
reproductive isolation does this represent?
Behavioral isolation
According to the punctuated equilibria model,
Most new species accumulate their unique features relatively rapidly as they come into
existence, then change little for the rest of their duration as a species.
Select the correct statement describing sympatric speciation.
- Sympatric speciation has never been observed in nature.
- Sympatric speciation can occur in a single generation.
- Sympatric speciation is always initiated by geographic isolation of two populations.
Sympatric speciation can occur in a single generation.
Which of these is an example of temporal isolation?
- One species performs a specific courtship dance. the other species does not.
- The average weight of the individuals in one species is 45 kg; in the other species the
average is 290 kg.
, - One is a type of primate, the other is a type of marsupial.
- One species is found only in New York, the other only in London.
- One species is nocturnal, and the other species is not.
One species is nocturnal, and the other species is not.
Adaptive radiations can be a direct consequence of four of the following five factors.
SELECT THE EXCEPTION.
- evolutionary innovation
-an adaptive radiation in a group of organisms (such as plants) that another group uses
as food
-genetic drift
-colonization of an isolated region that contains suitable habitat and few competitor
species
-vacant ecological niches
Genetic drift
The oldest fossils usually _____.
Are found in the deepest strata
Which of the following taxonomic categories contains all the others listed here?
-order
-class
-species
