Contemporary Evolutionary Theory Verified Test Bank Ch.4

Biological Anthropology: Concepts and Connections, 3e (Fuentes)

Chapter 4 Contemporary Evolutionary Theory

1) Changes to the nucleotide sequence in the DNA are called:

A) variations.

B) mutations.

C) deviations.

D) derivations.

2) ________ occurs when individuals seek out mates within the same population but in a different group or subpopulation.

A) Inbreeding

B) Outbreeding

C) Assortative mating

D) Genetic drift

3) Specific traits that assist a phenotype in doing better in a given environment are called:

A) exaptations.

B) adaptations.

C) phenotypic variations.

D) fitness traits.

4) ________ selection is bimodal; that is, it favors more than one form of the trait's variation, usually those at opposite ends of the spectrum.

A) Directional

B) Natural

C) Stabilizing

D) Disruptive

5) Novel genetic complexes arise only via:

A) variation.

B) mutation.

C) deviation.

D) derivation.

6) The processes of evolution are:

A) stabilizing selection, directional selection, and disruptive selection.

B) mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, and natural selection.

C) genetic variation, phenotypic variation, adaptation, and exaptation.

D) natural selection, directional selection, and stabilizing selection.

7) "Success" in an evolutionary sense means:

A) being able to mate successfully with multiple individuals.

B) leaving more successful offspring, on average, per generation.

C) being successful in arranging for food and shelter.

D) adapting successfully to environmental changes.

8) Identify a characteristic of natural selection.

A) It is a life-or-death battle between individuals in a population.

B) It is the result of phenotype-environment interactions.

C) It is a short series of interactions.

D) It is capable of introducing new variations.

9) ________ selection favors one of the extreme ends of a trait's variation.

A) Directional

B) Natural

C) Stabilizing

D) Disruptive

10) Morphological, temporal, geographic, and inferred ecological similarities are used when attempting to:

A) classify biological species.

B) measure genetic variations among generations.

C) decide whether two living organisms belong to the same or different species.

D) decide whether two paleospecies' fossils belong to the same or different species.

11) ________ is seen when species share phenotypic characteristics due to recent common ancestry.

A) Convergent evolution

B) Parallel evolution

C) Divergent evolution

D) Natural evolution

12) ________ occurs when a random event alters the allele frequencies in a population such that subsequent generations have allele frequencies different from their parental generations.

A) Inbreeding

B) Outbreeding

C) Assortative mating

D) Genetic drift

13) The distinctness of a subspecies:

A) is not biological.

B) can be measured by clear genetic differences.

C) is because of feeding on different resources over an extended period of time.

D) is because of mating with different individuals over an extended period of time.

14) Convergent evolution occurs when similarities in traits are because of:

A) a close common ancestry.

B) similar genotypic characteristics.

C) similar adaptations.

D) a close evolutionary relationship.

15) ________ consists of small changes over dramatically long periods of time, slowly adding up to significant change and, potentially, speciation.

A) Punctuated equilibrium

B) Speciation

C) Allopatric speciation

D) Phyletic gradualism

16) In the context of evolution, a feature of stabilizing selection is that:

A) it favors one of the extreme ends of a trait's variation.

B) it favors more than one form of a trait's variation.

C) it reduces variation in a trait over time.

D) it promotes variation at opposite ends of a spectrum.

17) ________ selection favors the variation on a trait that occurs in the middle of the distribution.

A) Directional

B) Natural

C) Stabilizing

D) Disruptive

18) Paleospecies are:

A) subunits of a species.

B) irregular subpopulations.

C) species that are now extinct.

D) species that share a distinct evolutionary trajectory.

19) ________ is seen when two distantly related forms exhibit similar phenotypes.

A) Convergent evolution

B) Parallel evolution

C) Divergent evolution

D) Natural evolution

20) ________ occurs when individuals seek mates with traits similar to their own or different from their own.

A) Inbreeding

B) Outbreeding

C) Assortative mating

D) Genetic drift

21) ________ involves a separation and isolation of populations of the parent species.

A) Punctuated equilibrium

B) Speciation

C) Allopatric speciation

D) Phyletic gradualism

22) Rapid biological changes in organisms followed by long, relatively static periods during which little biological change occurs is known as:

A) punctuated equilibrium.

B) speciation.

C) allopatric speciation.

D) phyletic gradualism.

23) The process by which organisms simultaneously shape and are shaped by their ecologies is known as:

A) natural selection.

B) convergent evolution.

C) parallel evolution.

D) niche construction.

24) If we measure frequencies of alleles and find that they have changed, then we would do all of the following EXCEPT:

A) attempt to determine the affecting process.

B) check for mutations.

C) extrapolate derivations.

D) see if gene flow occurred.

25) ________ occurs when individuals within a small subunit of a population mate more with each other than with individuals from any other subunit.

A) Inbreeding

B) Outbreeding

C) Assortative mating

D) Genetic drift

26) Which of the following is true of the epigenetic system?

A) It is the system of learning by which behavior passes from generation to generation.

B) It is a system whereby knowledge is passed down based on symbol and language.

C) It helps the information in the DNA actually get expressed.

D) It impacts genes rather than the whole body.

27) Which of the following statements is true?

A) Biological communities that have less diversity are resilient enough to sustain environmental challenges without disappearing.

B) Biological communities that maintain diversity are less resilient in sustaining environmental challenges without disappearing.

C) Biological communities that maintain diversity are resilient enough to sustain environmental challenges without disappearing.

D) Biological communities that maintain diversity are resilient enough to sustain environmental challenges but still disappear.

28) Which of the following is NOT part of the set of basic requirements that are necessary if natural selection is to effect evolutionary change in a population?

A) differential reproductive success

B) genetic shift

C) phenotypic variations

D) heritable traits

29) Gene flow is:

A) the process by which allele frequencies are changed, largely through migration and nonrandom mating.

B) the process by which allele frequencies remain the same, largely through migration and nonrandom mating.

C) the process by which allele frequencies are changed, largely through natural selection.

D) the process by which allele frequencies remain the same, flowing back and forth between populations.

30) An evolutionary process in which a small group of individuals account for all of the genetic variation in a large population is called a(n):

A) originator effect.

B) chance effect.

C) founder effect.

D) random effect.

31) The expanded description of evolution put forward by scientists since Darwin's and Wallace's research is referred to as:

A) the new evolutionary theory.

B) new synthesis.

C) the punctuated equilibrium theory.

D) fitness fusion.

32) A trait that is currently serving a function other than that for which it originally arose is called a(n):

A) exaptation.

B) adaptation.

C) phenotypic variation.

D) fitness trait.

33) Developmental Systems Theory (DST) views evolutionary change as all of the following EXCEPT:

A) genotype change occurring through phenotype-environment interaction.

B) more than genotype change occurring through phenotype-environment interaction.

C) a complex organism-environment system.

D) a system in which organisms can influence their ecologies and thus the selection pressures on themselves.

34) A true statement about the behavioral inheritance system is that:

A) it includes all the biological factors in the body that work in combination with the genes and their protein product.

B) it helps the information in the genes actually get expressed.

C) it refers to the types of mannerisms that adults pass on to young members of their group through their learning.

D) it impacts genes as well as the whole body.

35) The movement of alleles in and out of populations is called:

A) migration.

B) assortative mating.

C) genetic shift.

D) genetic drift.

36) Which of the following is NOT part of the definition of the biological species concept used in this text?

A) a group of interbreeding natural populations

B) a group that is reproductively isolated from other such groups

C) a group that is reproductively isolated from other groups but can interbreed

D) a set of populations that can mate with one another

37) Which of the following interacts directly with the environment?

A) genotypes

B) phenotypes

C) DNA

D) alleles

38) The process by which an organism undergoes genetic change in response to environmental pressures is called:

A) exaptation.

B) adaptation.

C) speciation.

D) transcription.

39) A population can be defined as:

A) a cluster of individuals of the same species who share a common geographical area and find their mates more often in their own cluster than in others.

B) a cluster of individuals of similar species who share a common geographical area and find their mates more often in their own cluster than in others.

C) a cluster of individuals of the same species who live in different geographical areas and find their mates more often in their own cluster than in others.

D) a cluster of individuals of the same species who share a common geographical area and find their mates more often outside their own cluster than in their own.

40) A subspecies is:

A) a population within a species that is not biologically distinct from other populations of that species and engages in little or no gene flow with other populations.

B) a population within a species that is somehow biologically distinct from other populations of that species and engages in little or no gene flow with other populations.

C) a population within a species that is somehow biologically distinct from other species and engages in little or no gene flow with other populations.

D) a population within a species that is somehow biologically distinct from other populations of that species and engages in gene flow with other populations.

41) A bottleneck is when:

A) there is a dramatic reduction in population numbers, followed by a further decrease in population such that the resulting small population has only the limited variation from the original population that made it through the bottleneck.

B) there is a dramatic reduction in population numbers, followed by an increase in population such that the resulting large population has only the limited variation from the founding population that made it through the bottleneck.

C) there is a dramatic increase in population numbers, followed by a further increase in population such that the resulting large population varies from the original population that made it through the bottleneck.

D) there is a dramatic increase in population numbers, followed by a decrease in population such that the resulting population has only the limited variation from the original population that made it through the bottleneck.

42) The passing down of knowledge based on signs or marks and language is called:

A) independent assortment.

B) symbolic inheritance.

C) foraging.

D) crossing over.

43) Diversity in organisms occurs because of all of the following EXCEPT:

A) the complexity of environments.

B) environments changing over time.

C) organismal change in response to mutation.

D) organismal change in response to genetic shifts.

44) Which of the following statements is false?

A) All characteristics of an organism are adaptations.

B) Traits may arise by default because of structural or physical processes.

C) Some traits have lost any current function.

D) Some traits are the result of adaptation but are currently co-opted to function in a different way.

45) The percentage of the individuals in a population with a given allele is known as a:

A) band.

B) phoneme.

C) moiety.

D) frequency.

46) Define four ways in which evolutionary change occurs in populations.

47) Define gene flow, and describe two main ways in which it occurs. Your answer should include at least four definitions.

48) Using Mendel's pea plants as an example, describe three ways in which natural selection affects the distribution of traits.

49) What is the pace of evolution? Describe the two most common ideas about the pace of evolutionary change.

50) Define speciation and three ways in which it occurs.