Download Practice Problems 1 1. Which of the following pieces of

Practice Problems 1
1.
Which of the following pieces of evidence disproved the hypothesis that life can arise
spontaneously from a non-living system? Briefly explain your reasoning.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The Miller and Urey experiment
Louis Pasteur’s experiments boiling media in gooseneck flasks
Discovery of organic molecules such as amino acids and sugars in samples from meteors
Francesco Redi’s experiments putting meat into jars
Polymerization of nucleotides on clay surfaces
2.
What are two pieces of evidence to support the hypothesis that a likely progression from
prebiotic chemistry to life on earth involved an “RNA world”?
3.
How did the early “proto-cells” found in the RNA world differ from those that exist
today?
4.
Distinguish between the process by which membrane-bound organelles such as
lysosomes and the nucleus formed, and the process by which mitochondria and
chloroplasts arose.
5*.
The following statement refers to one of the foundational experiments in origin-of-life
research.
The Miller-Urey experiment was flawed, and so chemical evolution in an abiotic
environment is an implausible explanation for how life originated.
A.
B.
Briefly explain the evidence that supports this statement.
Briefly explain the evidence that this statement is an oversimplification, and that in fact
chemical evolution may provide a plausible explanation for the origin of life.
6.
Next-generation sequencing reveals six new mutations have occurred in the coding
regions of genes in an individual diploid fly. If the coding regions of this fly comprise
100 million nucleotides per haploid genome, what is the mutation rate per nucleotide?
7.
In a hypothetical population of gazelles, 28 individuals are homozygous for the d2 allele,
72 individuals are heterozygous for the d2 allele, and 100 individuals lack the d2 allele.
What are the frequencies of the d1 and d2 alleles?
8.
In a hypothetical population of sawflies, 20 percent of the population is homozygous for
allele A and 45 percent is homozygous for allele a. Assuming that A and a are the only
alleles at this locus, what percent of the population is heterozygous?
9.
Indicate if you would expect Hardy-Weinberg equlibrium to be evident under the
following conditions:
Random mating
Founder population
No migration
Inbreeding
10*.
There are two isolated populations (“A” and “B”) of an endangered plant species.
Population A has had a constant size of 2,000 plants and population B has had a constant
size of 250 plants.
A.
We most expect to see the most significant increase in the frequency of deleterious alleles
in population _____ due to _____.
At a particular locus, two alleles are possible: M and m. In population A, the frequency
of the M allele is 0.3. If Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is in effect, what is the frequency
of the m allele in this population?
What is the expected frequency of the MM, Mm, and mm genotypes in this population?
In population B, the frequency of the M allele is 0.8 and the frequency of the m allele is
0.2. What are two possible explanations for this difference in allele frequencies between
the two populations?
Which of the following would you expect to cause the most rapid change in the
frequencies of the m and M alleles in population B? Briefly explain your reasoning.
• Regular migration of individuals between population A and population B.
• Mutation of the M allele into the m allele.
• Mutation of the m allele into the M allele.
• Nonrandom mating.
B.
C.
D.
E.
11.
A.
B.
12.
A.
B.
C.
Suppose that in a population of diploid organisms, a certain gene has only two alleles and
mating is random (with respect to this gene, at least).
Draw a graph showing how the frequency of heterozygotes in the population would vary
depending on the frequency of the alleles in the population, assuming Hardy–Weinberg
equilibrium. Hint: On the y-axis, plot the frequencies of heterozygotes as the frequency of
one allele (on the x-axis) increases from 0 to 1 in intervals of 0.1 (0, 0.1, 0.2, etc.).
At what allele frequency is the proportion of heterozygotes at a maximum? What is the
frequency of heterozygotes at this frequency?
A population of mice has been monitored for change over several generations. Following
are five different bones and the changes to their means and extent of variation:
Tibia: Mean increased 0.14 units, variation decreased
Femur: Mean increased 0.08 units, variation increased
Ulna: Mean did not change, variation increased
Clavicle: Mean did not change, variation decreased
Radius: Mean decreased 0.12 units, variation decreased
Which is most likely to be under stabilizing selection?
Which is most likely to be under disruptive selection?
Which is most likely to be under directional selection to be smaller?
13.
Refer to the graph below showing beak size for a population of a species of Darwin’s
finches.
A.
Draw a graph showing what the resulting population would most likely look like after a
generation of stronger stabilizing selection.
Draw a graph showing what the resulting population would most likely look like after a
generation of directional selection for smaller beak size.
Draw a graph showing what the resulting population would most likely look like after a
generation of strong disruptive selection.
B.
C.
14.
Below is a table of the results of a study of grasshoppers showing frequencies of different
size classes, along with the average number of offspring these individuals produce.
Assuming that size is a heritable trait, what type of selection is operating in this
population?
Size (cm)
2.5−0.9
3.0−3.4
3.5−3.9
4.0−4.4
4.5−5.0
Frequency
0.19
0.26
0.28
0.21
0.06
Offspring
37
29
24
19
7
15.
Fill in the blanks to complete the hypotheses depicted by the tree below.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Humans share their most recent common ancestor with mice at node ____
Lizards share their most recent common ancestor with humans at node ____
Frogs share their most recent common ancestor with lizards at node ____
Fish share their most recent common ancestor with humans at node ____
16.
Which of the four trees in each of the following sets depicts a different pattern of
relationships than the others?
Set A:
Set B:
17.
Which of the following is an accurate statement of
the relationships depicted in the tree on the right?
A.
Crocodile is more closely related to a lizard than
crocodile to a bird.
Crocodile is more closely related to a bird than
crocodile to a lizard.
Crocodile is equally related to lizard and bird
Crocodile is related to a lizard, but is not related to
a bird.
B.
C.
D.
18*.
Use the diagram below to answer the questions that follow.
A.
Which of the three phylogenetic trees of
the Drosophila species is different from the other
two?
B.
Based on Tree 1, indicate if the following
statements are true or false. If false, correct the
statement to make it true.
D. simulans is more closely related to D.
melanogaster than it is to D. pseudobscura.
D. pseudobscura is more closely related to D.
melanogaster than to D. sechella.
D. melanogaster is an ancestor of D. sechella.
19.
Two species of crickets have partially overlapping ranges. Hybrids are never found in the
areas where the species meet. Individuals taken either from areas where they meet or
areas where they do not meet will rarely mate in the lab because the females reject the
songs sung by males of the other species. Of the few hybrids that are produced in lab
crosses, all have low viability. What type of reproductive isolation so these crickets
exhibit?
20.
A.
B.
21*.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
You decide to conduct a mark-recapture experiment to estimate the population size of
mosquitofish in a small pond near your home. In the first catch, you mark 45 individuals.
Two weeks later, you catch 62 individuals, of which 8 were marked.
What is the estimated size of the population based on these data?
What is one factor that could cause your estimate to be flawed?
Predict the pattern in which each of the following species would most likely be
distributed in space:
Fiddler crabs, each of which defends its territory from other fiddler crabs.
Ragweed seeds, which disperse by wind and grow where they land.
Coconuts, which float in the ocean from one island to another.
Sunflowers, which grow faster when not overcrowded.
Ants, which live in colonies.
For D and E, identify one specific factor for each that could cause it to adopt the strategy
that it does.
22.
The graphs below show the age distributions of male and female humans in Rwanda,
Australia, Germany, and the United States.
A.
If conditions remain stable, which country is likely to experience the greatest growth in
population over the next fifty years?
If conditions remain stable, which country is likely to experience the greatest decrease in
population over the next fifty years?
B.
23*.
A.
You are studying a population of salamanders in a local pond. In a starting population of
400 salamanders, there are 80 new salamanders hatched and 40 salamanders that die in
the span of one month.
What is the size of the population at the end of the month during which you tracked it?
B.
C.
D.
E.
What is the per capita birth rate for these salamanders per month?
What is the per capita death rate for these salamanders per month?
What is the per capita growth rate for these salamanders per month?
If the per capita growth rate remains the same, how many salamanders would you expect
to find if you return one month later?
24.
For a long time, the Great Lakes in the United States supported large populations of many
freshwater mussel species. Between 1960 and 2000, the populations of many of these
species experienced a significant drop in size. What are two factors that could have
contributed to this decline?
25.
The African Black Rhinoceros is a large herbivore that is native to eastern and central
Africa.
Would you expect these rhinoceroses to exhibit the characteristics of an r-selected or a kselected species?
What are two other characteristics that you would expect these rhinoceroses to exhibit,
based on this selective regime?
A.
B.
26.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
27.
Characterize each of the following interactions as commensalism, parasitism, herbivory,
mutualism (trophic, defensive, or dispersive, if applicable), predation, exploitation
competition, interference competition, or amensalism.
The relationship between flowering plants and the caterpillars that eat them.
Orchids, a type of plant, require tree limbs for support but do not harm the trees.
Oxpeckers, birds that ride on the backs of grazing mammals, have long been thought to
provide benefits to African mammal hosts because they remove and feed on ticks (a
parasite that embeds itself into the skin of the grazers). An experimental study in 2000
suggested that the oxpeckers actually drink the blood from the mammals and result in
wounds that heal less quickly than if the tick were simply removed.
In this type of relationship, the most common result is the death of one of the two
interacting organisms.
At some water bird breeding colonies, the large quantities of excrement from the birds
may result in the death of vegetation underneath the trees in which their nests are built.
The birds received no benefit or harm from the damage caused to the plants.
Evidence suggests that some grasses benefit from being grazed.
Termites live on cellulose, mostly derived from the dead wood they chew. They depend
on protozoa in the gut to provide the enzymes that allow digestion of the wood. The
protozoa would die outside of the termite, and the termite would starve without the
protozoa to aid in digestion.
Two species of birds feed on similar types of insects and nest in the same type of tree.
Some plants contain compounds that, when mixed with the saliva of particular
caterpillars species, creates an odor that attracts parasitoid wasps. Unlike true parasites,
parasitoids like these wasps kill their hosts. The parasitoid wasps kill the caterpillars,
often laying their eggs within their carcasses. This system is an example of _______
between the plant and the wasp, and the parasitoid could be considered a _______.
Identify the strategy or strategies that each of the following species has used in the
evolutionary arms race.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
28.
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Geometridae caterpillar avoids detection by predators while eating leaves by
nibbling a pattern similar to the leaf’s own patterning, matching the leaf in color, and
being shaped like a leaf spine
The anglerfish is an example of a predator that uses both _______ and _______ to help
catch its prey. Blending into its dark background, it waggles its head that has a fleshy,
shimmering protuberance resembling a worm, which unsuspecting fish find irresistible.
In trying to eat the fake worm, the fish finds itself the one being eaten.
The distinctly recognizable black-and-white markings of a skunk, which can squirt foulsmelling spray onto a would-be predator.
Coral snakes are brightly striped neotropical species whose fangs are venomous,
dispensing a neurotoxin into their prey. The bright and distinctive color pattern on the
snake, consisting of red, yellow, and black stripes, also acts as a warning to would-be
predators. Another snake that is not venomous benefits from closely resembling the coral
snake in terms of its coloration.
Many species of bees and wasps have similar coloration, typically yellow and black. All
species benefit from being recognized as potential stingers.
Determine if each of the following traits illustrates coevolution.
Some bats use sonar to detect and catch their prey. Some moth species preyed on by bats
have evolved sensitivity to the bats’ high-pitched call sounds. Trait to consider: moth
sensitivity to sounds
Cheetahs are the fastest known land animal, but can only maintain their maximum speed
for short periods of time. The gazelles on which they prey are thus sometimes able to
escape predation. Trait to consider: cheetah’s inability to maintain their speed for long
Some bats use sonar to detect and catch their prey. Some species of moth have evolved
the behavior of diving down to avoid being caught. Bats, in turn, have evolved the
strategy of catching moths over water because the moths get stuck on the water surface if
they try to dive away. Trait to consider: bats hunting over water
The Old World Swallowtail caterpillar feeds on the Fringed Rue plant. The plant
produces certain oils that deter herbivores, but the caterpillar has evolved an insensitivity
to these oils. Trait: Caterpillar’s insensitivity to oils.