Exam 5: Evolution and Biodiversity

___________________________________ facilitates one species developing into two through mutation or natural selection.

Genetically modified bacteria used to clean up oil spills are a result of _________________________.

What has occurred when natural selection shifts allelic frequencies toward the extremes of a range of genetic expressions for a particular trait? 

A species of tropical fish feeds only on a specific algae and tolerates only small shifts in temperature and salinity.Is this species a generalist or a specialist? Would this species be more prone to extinction than a species of fish that is omnivorous and can tolerate wide ranges of temperature and salinity?

What is a common misconception about evolution? 

Natural selection acts,by means of environmental conditions,on populations to increase their survival rate.

Generalist species tend to have a broad niche while specialist species have a ____________________ niche.

Which statement best characterizes the term mutation? 

An individual's acquired ability to jump could be the beginning of microevolution.

What best describes biologists' current hypothesis about the production of the Earth's atmospheric oxygen? 

Genetic engineering involves making a modified gene,making a transgenic cell,and then growing a genetically altered organism.

Which statement best describes speciation? 

In a population of whales,there is considerable variation in the height of the dorsal fin.Over the course of time,many whales develop very long dorsal fins and many develop very short dorsal fins,but a few whales exhibit an intermediate height in their dorsal fin.What is the most likely conclusion about the variation in size of dorsal fins? 

What might be a cause of geographic isolation? 

Mass depletion and mass extinctions are different terms that describe the same type of events.

Which term is analogous to an organism's niche? 

Which process refers to the fact that species belonging to different taxonomic groups might develop a resemblance resulting from adaptation to similar environments? 

If a species of frogs becomes threatened because they can live only in a narrow range of temperatures,they would be classified as a(n)______________________________.

A(n)____________________ includes an organism's range of tolerance for physical and chemical conditions.

What best describes artificial selection?