BIOLOGY EXAM #1QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
We are conducting a population genetic study on Grey Squirrels on the campus of
Hampton University; where the majority of the squirrels are grey, but some
specimens are black with white tails. Preliminary genetic screening suggests the
homozygous recessive gg genotype is 4%. Given the preliminary genotype ry results
answer the following:
What proportion of the squirrel population is grey? - ANSWER-96%
A farmer uses triazine (a chemical herbicide) to control pigweed in his cotton flield.
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, no matter how often he
applies triazine. Which of these actions is most likely to solve the farmer's problem/ -
ANSWER-Trying a different herbicide
You are confronted with a box of preserved grasshoppers of various species that are
new to sciences and have not been described. Your assignment is to separate them
into species. There is no accompanying information as to where or when they were
collected. Which species concept will you have to use? - ANSWER-morphological
An adaptation is - ANSWER-a trait that gives an organism a reproductive advantage
in current environment
Parasitic species tend to have simple morphologies. Which of the following
statements best explains this observation? - ANSWER-Simple morphologies convey
some advantage in most parasites
Why are humans and chimpanzees DNA 96 percent similar? - ANSWER-These two
species descended from a recent common ancestor.
What is true of microevolution? - ANSWER-It is the kind of evolution that can change
the relative abundance of a particular allele in a gene pool over the course of
generations.
Genetic variation is required for evolution, the source of this variation comes from -
ANSWER-mutations, crossing over, independent assortment, and outbreeding
What is the process that Darwin described as "descent with modification?" -
ANSWER-The characteristics of a species may chance from generation to
generation.
Varieties of Staphylococcus aureus that are resistant to the drug methicillin -
ANSWER-already existed in the population before methicillin was developed and
were strongly selected for as methicillin became widely used to treat bacterial
infections
, About thirteen different species of finches inhabit the Galapagos Islands today, all
descendants of a common ancestor from the South American mainland that arrived
a few million years ago. Genetically, there are four distinct lineages, but the thirteen
species are currently classifies among three genera. The first lineage to diverge from
the ancestral lineage was the warbler finch (genus Certhidea). Next to diverge was
the vegetarian finch (genus Camarhynchus), followed by five tree finches (also in
genus Camarhynchus) and six ground inch species. If the six ground finch species
have evolved most recently, then which of these is the most logical predation? -
ANSWER-Their genomes should be more similar to each other than are to the
genomes of the five tree finch species.
You sample a population of butterflies and find that 56% are heterozygous at a
particular locus. What should be the frequency of the recessive allele in this
population? - ANSWER-Allele frequency cannot be determined from this information.
How do autopolyploidy and allopolyploidy differ? - ANSWER-The chromosomes of
an autopolyploid individual come from the same species, while an allopolyploid
individual has sets of chromosomes from different species.
Frequently in nature there is the influence of evolutionary trends in species that are
"directed" or influences by other lineages, we can set the interplay between predator
and prey as an example concept, what is (are) a good example(s) that supports out
line of thinking? - ANSWER-Crypsis, Aposematism, Batesian Mimicry, Mullerian
Mimicry
Scientists have observed white (not albino) deer mice living on coastal beaches in
Florida and white deer mice living in white sands area of New Mexico. A researcher
examines the mtnDNA and nuclear DNA and finds that the two populations of mice
are highly divergent and should be considered to belong to separate genera. This
coloration pattern is most likely a results of ... - ANSWER-similar selective pressures
resulting in convergences or parallelism
Which is the best definition of adaptive radiation? - ANSWER-An adaptive radiation
occurs when a single lineage produces many ecologically diverse descendant
species in a relatively short period of time
A city was intensively sprayed with DDT to control houseflies. The number of
houseflies was immediately greatly reduced. Each year thereafter, the city was
sprayed again, but the flies gradually increased in numbers until 10 years later, when
they were almost as abundant as they were when the control program began. Which
of the following most likely explains this? - ANSWER-The DDT killed most flies. The
few that were already naturally resistant survived and passed this resistance on to
their offspring.
Mutation is the only evolutionary mechanism that ____ - ANSWER-does little to
change allele frequency
We are conducting a population genetic study on Grey Squirrels on the campus of
Hampton University; where the majority of the squirrels are grey, but some
specimens are black with white tails. Preliminary genetic screening suggests the
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
We are conducting a population genetic study on Grey Squirrels on the campus of
Hampton University; where the majority of the squirrels are grey, but some
specimens are black with white tails. Preliminary genetic screening suggests the
homozygous recessive gg genotype is 4%. Given the preliminary genotype ry results
answer the following:
What proportion of the squirrel population is grey? - ANSWER-96%
A farmer uses triazine (a chemical herbicide) to control pigweed in his cotton flield.
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, no matter how often he
applies triazine. Which of these actions is most likely to solve the farmer's problem/ -
ANSWER-Trying a different herbicide
You are confronted with a box of preserved grasshoppers of various species that are
new to sciences and have not been described. Your assignment is to separate them
into species. There is no accompanying information as to where or when they were
collected. Which species concept will you have to use? - ANSWER-morphological
An adaptation is - ANSWER-a trait that gives an organism a reproductive advantage
in current environment
Parasitic species tend to have simple morphologies. Which of the following
statements best explains this observation? - ANSWER-Simple morphologies convey
some advantage in most parasites
Why are humans and chimpanzees DNA 96 percent similar? - ANSWER-These two
species descended from a recent common ancestor.
What is true of microevolution? - ANSWER-It is the kind of evolution that can change
the relative abundance of a particular allele in a gene pool over the course of
generations.
Genetic variation is required for evolution, the source of this variation comes from -
ANSWER-mutations, crossing over, independent assortment, and outbreeding
What is the process that Darwin described as "descent with modification?" -
ANSWER-The characteristics of a species may chance from generation to
generation.
Varieties of Staphylococcus aureus that are resistant to the drug methicillin -
ANSWER-already existed in the population before methicillin was developed and
were strongly selected for as methicillin became widely used to treat bacterial
infections
, About thirteen different species of finches inhabit the Galapagos Islands today, all
descendants of a common ancestor from the South American mainland that arrived
a few million years ago. Genetically, there are four distinct lineages, but the thirteen
species are currently classifies among three genera. The first lineage to diverge from
the ancestral lineage was the warbler finch (genus Certhidea). Next to diverge was
the vegetarian finch (genus Camarhynchus), followed by five tree finches (also in
genus Camarhynchus) and six ground inch species. If the six ground finch species
have evolved most recently, then which of these is the most logical predation? -
ANSWER-Their genomes should be more similar to each other than are to the
genomes of the five tree finch species.
You sample a population of butterflies and find that 56% are heterozygous at a
particular locus. What should be the frequency of the recessive allele in this
population? - ANSWER-Allele frequency cannot be determined from this information.
How do autopolyploidy and allopolyploidy differ? - ANSWER-The chromosomes of
an autopolyploid individual come from the same species, while an allopolyploid
individual has sets of chromosomes from different species.
Frequently in nature there is the influence of evolutionary trends in species that are
"directed" or influences by other lineages, we can set the interplay between predator
and prey as an example concept, what is (are) a good example(s) that supports out
line of thinking? - ANSWER-Crypsis, Aposematism, Batesian Mimicry, Mullerian
Mimicry
Scientists have observed white (not albino) deer mice living on coastal beaches in
Florida and white deer mice living in white sands area of New Mexico. A researcher
examines the mtnDNA and nuclear DNA and finds that the two populations of mice
are highly divergent and should be considered to belong to separate genera. This
coloration pattern is most likely a results of ... - ANSWER-similar selective pressures
resulting in convergences or parallelism
Which is the best definition of adaptive radiation? - ANSWER-An adaptive radiation
occurs when a single lineage produces many ecologically diverse descendant
species in a relatively short period of time
A city was intensively sprayed with DDT to control houseflies. The number of
houseflies was immediately greatly reduced. Each year thereafter, the city was
sprayed again, but the flies gradually increased in numbers until 10 years later, when
they were almost as abundant as they were when the control program began. Which
of the following most likely explains this? - ANSWER-The DDT killed most flies. The
few that were already naturally resistant survived and passed this resistance on to
their offspring.
Mutation is the only evolutionary mechanism that ____ - ANSWER-does little to
change allele frequency
We are conducting a population genetic study on Grey Squirrels on the campus of
Hampton University; where the majority of the squirrels are grey, but some
specimens are black with white tails. Preliminary genetic screening suggests the
