Questions and Correct
Answers | New Update
From lecture 3.1. What were the experiences that Darwin had during the
'Voyage of the Beagle' that subsequently may have influenced his
development of his theory of evolution by natural selection? -
ANSWER ✔✔Visited Galapagos Islands
Encountered a range of human societies - including slave-holding
cultures, Native South American tribes, and others.
Observed fossils somewhat similar (but with notable differences)to
creatures living in the present day.
,From lecture 3.1: Why did Darwin himself collect a range of pigeon
breeds and communicate closely with pigeon breeders? - ANSWER
✔✔Darwin was interested in the question of artificial selection and how it
might be similar to natural selection in its effects.
From module 3.2a and 3.2b: Which researcher scooped Darwin by
independently developing his own take on evolution by natural
selection? This forced Darwin to publish his ideas much sooner than he
had planned. - ANSWER ✔✔Alfred Russel Wallace
From lecture 3.2. Which of the following issues raised by Darwin's book
continue to resonate today? - ANSWER ✔✔It is still an ongoing
discussion as societies attempt to reconcile religious belief with the
ideas of Darwin and Wallace.
Evolutionary theory is still a useful science that continues to develop.
Geological records and fossil data continue to add depth to our
understanding.
From lecture 3.3 (Evolution as a practical idea): Which of the following
below are examples of evolution relevant to human
health and agriculture? - ANSWER ✔✔The spread of antibiotic
bacteria through overuse of antibiotics
,The advance of metastatic cancer (resistance to chemotherapy) within
an individual
The development and spread of infectious viruses
The appearance and challenge of 'super weeds' - plants that herbicides
cannot contain
The development of resistance in insects to insecticide chemicals
From lecture 3.3 (including the lab tour of the Huijben lab): Which of the
following are evolutionary challenges represented by the infectious
disease malaria? - ANSWER ✔✔Mosquitoes (the vector by which
malaria spreads) evolve resistance against insecticide.
The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has evolved resistance to
anti-malaria drugs.
Population Genetics - ANSWER ✔✔Field of biology that examines
the causes and consequences of genetic variation within a population
Mutation and Recombination - ANSWER ✔✔The two main sources of
genetic variability in a population.
Genetic Polymorphism - ANSWER ✔✔When within a population, a
single gene has more than one allele
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, Genetic Drift - ANSWER ✔✔Allele frequency change over time due to
random fluctuations
Natural Selection - ANSWER ✔✔If genotypes have unequal fitness,
then allele frequencies will change over time. This process was first
described by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.
Migration - ANSWER ✔✔Movement between populations by
individuals - resulting in changes in allele frequency
Mutation - ANSWER ✔✔Changes in the genetic code (between
generations) that result from alterations to DNA.
Hardy-Weinburg Equilibrium - ANSWER ✔✔A state of equilibrium in
allele frequencies - in circumstances with no migration, mutation, natural
selection, or genetic drift. Starting point for an examination of a
population's population genetics.
Founder Effect - ANSWER ✔✔A case of genetic drift - where a small
random sampling of isolated individuals starts a new population.
From lecture 3.4: For a population with the following genotype
breakdown:
AA Aa aa
20 10 10