Exam 4: Biodiversity and Evolution

The variety of biomes, such as deserts, forests, and grasslands, are part of_____________________ diversity.

A heritable trait that improves the ability of an individual organism to survive and to reproduce at a higher rate than other individuals in a population is called a(n) ____.

How do the ecological niches of generalist species differ from those of specialist species?

In 1957, Brazil imported wild African honeybees to help increase honey production. The bees escaped and became established in the wild, displacing some native honeybee populations and leading to a reduced honey supply. These African honeybees could be described as ____.

Briefly describe the concept of functional diversity.

It could be said that ____ favored the bee with the larger wingspan, and so the ____ evolved.

____ is a technology that enables scientists to make new sequences of DNA and to use such genetic information to design and create new cells, tissues, organisms, and devices, and to redesign natural biological systems.

Species that are found in only one area are called ____________________ and are especially vulnerable to extinction.

Genes mutate, individuals are selected, and populations evolve.

Because they are so sensitive to chemicals and environmental changes, amphibians are often considered to be useful as ____________________.

Humans have used ____ to change the genetic characteristics of populations to generate individuals with desired traits.

Heritable traits that give an individual some advantage over other individuals in the population are called adaptive traits.

Compounds in secretions from the skin of certain amphibians have been isolated and used as painkillers and antibiotics, and in treatments for burns and heart disease.

Adaptation through natural selection occurs most rapidly in species that produce only one or two offspring at a time, such as elephants and whales.

When biologists talk about the "survival of the fittest," the fittest individuals are those that leave the most descendants rather than those that are physically the strongest.

Explain why genetic variation is necessary for evolution to take place.

Species whose roles have a large effect on the types and abundance of other species in an ecosystem are called _____________________.

____________________ is the process by which living organisms change genetically over time,

In order for a mutation to be passed to offspring and for evolution to occur, it must occur in ____________________ cells.