Exam 5: Evolution and Genetics

Although Darwin became the best-known evolutionist, the idea of evolution had been around well before him. Darwin's key contribution was to propose a mechanism that drives evolution, which is known as

Which of the following statements about the Hb^S allele is NOT true?

Sir Charles Lyell, the father of geology, influenced Darwin with his principle of catastrophism, the view that extinct species were destroyed by fires, floods, and other catastrophes. His geological research was also critical in Darwin's own formulations because it

Natural selection operates directly on the genotype of an organism.

For natural selection to work on a particular population

Gene flow between populations works to prevent speciation.

The term gene pool refers to all the

"Evolution is just a theory!" How would you respond to someone who challenges you with such a statement?

The so-called modern synthesis, the currently accepted view of evolution,

Give an example of how punctuated equilibrium would work.

One of Gregor Mendel's contributions to genetics was his discovery that traits are inherited as discrete units.

The study of sickle-cell anemia and its relation to malarial environments demonstrates that

Early on in this chapter, we learned that evolution refers to descent with modification over generations. Geneticists, however, have an even more specific definition of evolution:

During the eighteenth century, many scholars became interested in biological diversity, human origins, and our position within the classification of plants and animals. At that time, the most commonly accepted explanation of the origin of species was

Directional selection has eliminated sickle-cell anemia from all human populations, except those in regions where diabetes is endemic.

In molecular genetics, the term crossover refers to a site on the DNA molecule where homologous chromosomes have exchanged segments by breakage and recombination.

Mutations introduce genetic variation into a gene pool.

What role do recombination and independent assortment play in evolution?

What is the process by which sex cells are produced?

Any factor that contributes to the change in allele frequency in a breeding population from generation to generation is considered a mechanism of genetic evolution. Those mechanisms are