Population Genetics — Unit test Answers

Similarities between seemingly unrelated organisms can be explained by Darwin’s theory that organisms come from common ancestors.

Why was the reduction of the bison population to under 1,000 individuals a bottleneck event for the species?a.It drastically reduced the gene pool of the species.b.It reduced the territorial range available to the species.c.Foreign genes were introduced by crossbreeding with cattle.d.It reduced the prevalence of recessive traits.

Which of the following is not a reason that populations display a regular (evenly spaced) distribution? a. territorial behavior b. competition for water c. competition for sunlight d. social behavior Please select the best answer from the choices provided

The events that lead to genetic drift are _______.a.always natural disastersb.randomc.predictabled.related to human activities

Which of the following is not an example of predation? a. A blue whale feeding on zooplankton b. A tree obtaining nutrients from the soil c. A caterpillar eating the leaves of a tree d. A wolf eating a deer Please select the best answer from the choices provided

Natural selection is an evolutionary mechanism by which _______.a.advantageous traits are eliminated in a populationb.advantageous traits become more common in a populationc.inherited traits pass consistently through generationsd.organisms choose which traits to look for in their offspring

Which of the following human activities most likely resulted in the growth of the North American deer population?a.hunting bisonb.clearing land for farmingc.hunting wolvesd.city building

Which method to determine population size is the least invasive?a.mark/recaptureb.direct observationc.samplingd.indirect observation

Bees obtain food they need from flowers. The flowers benefit by having their pollen dispersed by the bees as they travel from flower to flower. What type of symbiotic relationship is this?a.Commensalismb.Mutualismc.Parasitismd.Predation

Lions live in groups called prides. Lion populations would most likely fall in which category of population distribution?a.even b.randomc.clumpedd.density

Consider the following food chain:Garden plants are eaten by snails, which are eaten by birds, which are eaten by the household cat.

Which of the following is a possible reason for migration?a.microevolutionb.diminished food supplyc.increased ecosystem stabilityd.macroevolution

The _______ is the total number of organisms that an ecosystem can support.a.tolerance rangeb.carrying capacityc.competitive exclusion principled.population

For the following organisms, choose the correct order of increasing trophic level.a.fungi, deer, wolf and grassb.fungi, grass, wolf and deerc.grass, deer, wolf and fungid.grass, fungi, wolf and deer

Which of the following is not true about Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species?a.He worked on the manuscript for three years.b.It was successful.c.It explained his theory of evolution.d.It was based on his findings in South Africa.

Which of the following statements about exponential growth curves is true?a.Exponential growth curves are common for R-selected species.b.Exponential growth curves show fast growth rates followed by slow growth rates.c.No organisms in nature experience exponential growth rates.d.Exponential growth curves are S-shaped.

Which of the following is the best explanation for why finches on one of the islands in the Galapagos have large beaks while finches on another island have small beaks?a.Over time, the finches on the island adapted as a result of competition for resources.b.Finches migrated until they found finches with similar beak sizes.c.Finches spontaneously changed their beak size in order to better access food supplies.d.Finches with large beaks are always better adapted to their environment. Finches with small beaks only survive on islands where there were never finches with larger beaks.

There are approximately 30,000,000 white-tailed deer in the United States, which covers 3,536,000 square miles. What is the population density, rounded to the nearest whole number, for the white-tailed deer?a.2 deer per square mileb.4 deer per square milec.6 deer per square miled.8 deer per square mile

Less than 0.1% of the energy in a food chain generally makes it from the sun to quaternary consumers.

Which of the following limiting factors would be directly affected by a drought?a.birth/death rateb.immigrationc.available niched.resource supply