BIO 3122 Final Review Questions with Correct Answers

BIO 3122 Final Review Questions with Correct
Answers
What is a complex adaptation

several traits that:

- are controlled by a large number of genetic elements: genes, proteins (repressors, enhnacers,

etc), RNA

- are under selection

- need to be co-expressed (not necessarily at the same time) to perform one function

How do novel traits arise?

mutations that are favoured by selection via gene recruitment, gene duplication, co-option of

promiscuous proteins, horizontal gene transfer

How do novel traits arise? gene recruitment

mutations occur in the regulatory regions leading to the reorganization of a preexisting

regulatory network: a gene acquires a new function (e.g. Crystallin as a heat shock protein

then used to focus the image)

How do novel traits arise? gene duplication

2 or more copies of the genes, divergence in the genes function: one copy may continue to

perform its original copy (or may become a pseudogene), the new copy (ies) acquires a new

specialized function (e.g. olfactory genes)

How do novel traits arise? co-option of promiscuous proteins