Question 1

Which of the following best describes the biological species concept?

Accepted Answer

A group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce viable, fertile offspring.

Question 2

Which of the following is a limitation of the biological species concept?

Accepted Answer

It cannot be applied to organisms that reproduce asexually.

Question 3

A mule is the offspring of a horse and a donkey. Mules are sterile. What type of reproductive barrier does this represent?

Accepted Answer

Postzygotic reproductive barrier

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of a prezygotic reproductive barrier?

Accepted Answer

Egg of one species cannot be fertilized by sperm of another species.

Question 5

Allopatric speciation is most likely to occur when:

Accepted Answer

A population forms a new species while geographically isolated from its parent population.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a postzygotic reproductive barrier?

Accepted Answer

Gametic isolation

Question 7

In the apple maggot fly example, what type of isolation led to sympatric speciation?

Accepted Answer

Temporal isolation

Question 8

Which of the following best describes a hybrid zone?

Accepted Answer

A region where members of different species meet and mate, producing some offspring of mixed ancestry.

Question 9

Which of the following is a possible outcome in a hybrid zone?

Accepted Answer

All of the above

Question 10

Which of the following equations represents the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for genotype frequencies?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

A population of butterflies has a dominant allele (B) for brown color and a recessive allele (b) for white color. If 40% of the butterflies are white, what is the frequency of the recessive allele ($$q$$)?

Accepted Answer

$$q = 0.63$$

Question 12

Which of the following is a weakness of the morphological species concept?

Accepted Answer

It is based on subjective criteria.

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of habitat isolation?

Accepted Answer

Two species of lizards live in the same area but one lives on tree branches and the other on the ground.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about speciation is correct?

Accepted Answer

Speciation can occur rapidly or slowly, depending on the circumstances.

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of reinforcement in a hybrid zone?

Accepted Answer

Reproductive barriers become stronger, reducing hybrid formation.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a feature of a hybrid zone?

Accepted Answer

Hybrid zones always result in the formation of a new species.

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the phylogenetic species concept?

Accepted Answer

A species is the smallest group of individuals that share a common ancestor, forming one branch on the tree of life.

Question 18

In an experiment, fruit flies raised on different food sources (starch vs. maltose) after 40 generations showed a preference for mating with flies from the same food source. What does this suggest?

Accepted Answer

A reproductive barrier is forming between the two groups.

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of temporal isolation?

Accepted Answer

Two species of frogs breed at different times of the year.

Question 20

Which of the following processes can lead to sympatric speciation?

Accepted Answer

Habitat differentiation and sexual selection

Speciation and the Origin of Species (Ch. 24): Concepts, Mechanisms, and Hybrid Zones

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