Question 1

Which type of selection is illustrated by the change in mean beak depth of finches during dry and wet years, as shown in the first image?

Accepted Answer

Directional selection

Question 2

Based on the second image, what is the most likely evolutionary outcome for human birth weight over time?

Accepted Answer

Stabilizing selection favoring intermediate birth weights

Question 3

The third image shows the frequency of an allele across Europe. Which evolutionary force is most likely responsible for the observed gradient?

Accepted Answer

Gene flow (migration)

Question 4

In the fourth image, sequence variation in the Adh gene is shown. What is the primary source of this genetic variation?

Accepted Answer

Mutation

Question 5

The fifth image shows PCR results for individuals affected by albinism. What genotype is represented by the individual with two bands (606 bp and 257 bp)?

Accepted Answer

Heterozygous carrier

Question 6

Referencing the sixth image, which evolutionary process is illustrated by the splitting of species 2 into species 3 and 4?

Accepted Answer

Cladogenesis

Question 7

The seventh image shows a snapping shrimp. What mechanism most likely led to speciation in this genus?

Accepted Answer

Geographic isolation

Question 8

The eighth image shows two cichlid fish species in Lake Apoyo. What is the most likely explanation for their speciation?

Accepted Answer

Sympatric speciation due to ecological niche differentiation

Question 9

Using the ninth image, which evolutionary force is most likely to increase genetic diversity in Lake Apoyo cichlids?

Accepted Answer

Gene flow (migration)

Question 10

The tenth image compares lungfish and coelacanth. According to phylogenetic evidence, which is the closest living relative to amphibians?

Accepted Answer

Lungfish

Question 11

The eleventh image shows a phylogenetic tree. What does a node on this tree represent?

Accepted Answer

A common ancestor

Question 12

The twelfth image shows the distribution of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA in modern humans. What does this pattern suggest about human evolutionary history?

Accepted Answer

Interbreeding occurred between modern humans and archaic hominins

Question 13

If the frequency of a lethal recessive allele $$q_0 is 0.5$$, what will its frequency $$q_2 be $$after two generations, according to the equation $$q_g = \frac{q_0$}{1 + gq_0$}$$?

Accepted Answer

$$q_2 = 0.25$

Question 14

A population of Drosophila is subjected to disruptive selection for bristle number. What is the expected outcome after several generations?

Accepted Answer

Bimodal distribution with high and low bristle numbers

Question 15

Which equation describes the change in allele frequency on an island after migration from the mainland, given $$p'_i = (1 - m)p_i + mp_m$$?

Accepted Answer

$$p'_i = (1 - m)p_i + mp_m$$

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT an assumption of the Hardy-Weinberg law?

Accepted Answer

Small population size

Question 17

A population undergoes a genetic bottleneck. What is the most likely consequence?

Accepted Answer

Reduced genetic diversity

Question 18

Which term describes the evolutionary process where a single species transforms into another without splitting, as shown in the sixth image?

Accepted Answer

Anagenesis

Question 19

According to the neutral theory of molecular evolution, what determines the frequency of neutral alleles in a population?

Accepted Answer

Mutation rates and random genetic drift

Question 20

Which of the following is a reproductive isolating mechanism that prevents interbreeding between populations?

Accepted Answer

Ecological isolation

Population and Evolutionary Genetics: Forces Shaping Genetic Variation

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