Question 1

Which of the following best describes a gene pool?

Accepted Answer

The set of all alleles within a population.

Question 2

In a population of raccoons, the allele frequency for the dominant black fur allele (B) is 0.4 and for the recessive brown fur allele (b) is 0.6. What is the expected frequency of heterozygous individuals (Bb) under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

Accepted Answer

0.48

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a condition required for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

Accepted Answer

Small population size

Question 4

A population of beetles has wing lengths ranging from 5 mm to 9 mm, forming a bell curve. If beetles with longer wings survive better, which type of selection is occurring?

Accepted Answer

Directional selection

Question 5

Which of the following is a source of new genetic variation in a population?

Accepted Answer

Mutation

Question 6

If a population of oysters living on a rocky coastline shows disruptive selection, what would you expect to happen to the frequency of intermediate-colored oysters?

Accepted Answer

It would decrease.

Question 7

Which equation represents the Hardy-Weinberg principle for allele frequencies?

Accepted Answer

$$p^2 + 2pq$$ + $$q^2 = 1$

Question 8

A population of insects experiences a sudden reduction in size due to a natural disaster. The surviving population has different allele frequencies than the original population. What is this scenario called?

Accepted Answer

Bottleneck effect

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of gene flow?

Accepted Answer

Pollen from one population of plants fertilizes another population.

Question 10

Which type of isolation occurs when two populations have different mating behaviors and do not mate with each other?

Accepted Answer

Behavioral isolation

Question 11

A mule is a hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey but is sterile. What type of reproductive barrier does this represent?

Accepted Answer

Postzygotic barrier

Question 12

Which of the following best explains why populations with high genetic diversity are more likely to survive environmental changes?

Accepted Answer

They have a greater range of phenotypes, increasing the chance some will be well adapted.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a mechanism that can lead to speciation?

Accepted Answer

Random mating

Question 14

In a population of mice, fur color is controlled by a single gene. If light-colored mice are more easily seen and eaten by predators, what will happen to the frequency of the light-colored phenotype over time?

Accepted Answer

It will decrease.

Question 15

Which of the following is a prezygotic barrier to reproduction?

Accepted Answer

Different mating seasons

Question 16

Which of the following statements about genetic drift is correct?

Accepted Answer

It is a change in allele frequencies due to random chance.

Question 17

If two populations of cicadas live in the same area but emerge in different years, which type of isolation is preventing them from interbreeding?

Accepted Answer

Temporal isolation

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of stabilizing selection?

Accepted Answer

Beetles with medium-length wings are favored over those with short or long wings.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the founder effect?

Accepted Answer

A few individuals from a population colonize a new habitat, resulting in different allele frequencies.

Question 20

Which equation would you use to calculate the expected frequency of homozygous recessive individuals in a population under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

Accepted Answer

$$q^2$$

Population Genetics and Evolution: Mechanisms of Genetic Change and Speciation

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