Ch 11 Natural Selection & Adaptation

Front 1

Meiotic drive, or segregation distortion, is an example of
a. sexual selection.
b. kin selection.
c. group selection.
d. genic selection.
e. inclusive fitness.

Back 1

d. genic selection.

Front 2

A feature that may have evolved not because it conferred an adaptive advantage, but because it was correlated with another feature that did have an adaptive advantage, is an example of
a. preadaptation.
b. exaptation.
c. hitchhiking.
d. adaptation.
e. selfish genes.

Back 2

c. hitchhiking.

Front 3

Wings used for swimming in alcids are an example of
a. an adaptation.
b. an exaptation.
c. a preadaptation.
d. natural selection.
e. group selection.

Back 3

b. an exaptation.

Front 4

Which of the following conditions would most likely lead to an increase in the frequency of an altruistic behavior in a population?
a. Groups that differ in terms of altruistic and selfish genotypes have differential reproduction or survival.
b. The altruistic behavior benefits the population.
c. The rate of extinction of the selfish genotype is high.
d. There is a gene flow among populations.
e. The beneficiaries of the behavior are related to the individual performing it.

Back 4

e. The beneficiaries of the behavior are related to the individual performing it.

Front 5

An experiment shows (1) that the size of a population may decline as a result of natural selection, even as individual organisms become fitter and (2) that selection for larger groups opposes the consequences of individual selection. These observations provide evidence for
a. the influence of altruistic traits.
b. the process of group selection.
c. the effects of individual selection.
d. Both b and c
e. All of the above

Back 5

d. Both b and c

Front 6

Which of the following would be the best way to test whether larger body size in amphipods is an adaptation to risk of predation?
a. Correlate body size with predation risk across a number of closely related species, independent of phylogenetic relationships.
b. Correlate body size with predation risk across a number of closely related species, taking into account phylogenetic relationships.
c. Expose two species that differ in body size to predators and compare their survivorship.
d. Expose all of the closely related species to predators and compare their survivorship.
e. Correlate body size with other possible antipredator traits, such as armor or swimming speed.

Back 6

b. Correlate body size with predation risk across a number of closely related species, taking into account phylogenetic relationships.

Front 7

Species selection occurs when there is a correlation between some trait and the rates of two processes: _______ and _______.
a. survival; reproduction
b. geological duration; geographic range
c. speciation; extinction
d. fitness; heritability
e. sexual reproduction; asexual reproduction

Back 7

c. speciation; extinction

Front 8

Not all traits are adaptations. Which of the following may also explain the evolution of a particular trait?
a. It may be a necessary consequence of physics or chemistry.
b. It may have evolved by genetic drift rather than by natural selection.
c. It may have evolved because it was correlated with another trait that conferred an adaptive advantage.
d. It may be a consequence of phylogenetic history.
e. All of the above

Back 8

e. All of the above

Front 9

Which of the following conditions cannot cause the evolution of an adaptation?
a. Environmental change that does not threaten extinction
b. The superiority of new mutations to any preexisting genetic variations in an unchanging environment
c. Future extinction of a population
d. Environmental change that reduces population size
e. None of the above can cause the evolution of an adaptation.

Back 9

c. Future extinction of a population

Front 10

Which of the following statements about adaptations is false?
a. They enhance fitness.
b. They evolve through natural selection.
c. They perform a function.
d. They arose when the current function arose.
e. They are developed by individuals in response to the needs of the individual.

Back 10

e. They are developed by individuals in response to the needs of the individual.

Front 11

A feature that reduces the fitness of an individual but benefits the population or species
a. cannot evolve by individual selection.
b. could evolve by group selection.
c. would decline in frequency among other nonaltruistic phenotypes.
d. All of the above
e. None of the above

Back 11

d. All of the above

Front 12

Alarm calls by ground squirrels alert other ground squirrels to danger, but they draw attention to the caller and expose it to increased risk of predation. Such altruistic behavior is best explained by the phenomenon of
a. selfish genes.
b. group selection.
c. individual selection.
d. kin selection.
e. exaptation

Back 12

d. kin selection.

Front 13

Which of the following traits can be thought of as a preadaptation for the corresponding function?
a. Snake skull bones → swallowing prey
b. Kea’s beak → piercing skin
c. Orchid flower form → pollination
d. Spider sexual suicide → fertilization success
e. Ant cooperative behavior → queen reproductive success

Back 13

b. Kea’s beak → piercing skin

Front 14

Which of the following is defined as any consistent difference in fitness among phenotypically different classes of biological entities as a consequence of competition for mates?
a. Reproductive success
b. Natural selection
c. Sexual selection
d. Individual selection
e. Meiotic drive

Back 14

c. Sexual selection

Front 15

The fitness of a biological entity is
a. the variation in the number of offspring produced as a consequence of competition for mates.
b. any consistent difference in reproductive success among phenotypically different classes of organisms.
c. its survival rate.
d. its average per capita rate of increase in numbers.
e. its physiological condition.

Back 15

d. its average per capita rate of increase in numbers.