Question 1

The nearly neutral theory predicts that substitution rate is

Accepted Answer

A)  equal to divergence time. 
B)  independent of population size. 
C)  lower in smaller populations. 
D)  higher in smaller populations. 
A)  equal to divergence time. 
B)  independent of population size. 
C)  lower in smaller populations. 
D)  higher in smaller populations.

Question 2

The figure shows the genealogies for two different genes. Which of the following is a reasonable explanation for the observed difference?

Accepted Answer

A)  The gene in A is neutral. The gene in B experienced balancing selection. 
B)  The population size is smaller in A than B. 
C)  The gene in A is neutral. The gene in B experienced positive selection. 
D)  The mutation rate is lower in gene A than gene B. 
A)  The gene in A is neutral. The gene in B experienced balancing selection. 
B)  The population size is smaller in A than B. 
C)  The gene in A is neutral. The gene in B experienced positive selection. 
D)  The mutation rate is lower in gene A than gene B.

Question 3

The neutral theory of molecular evolution posits that most mutations are ________ and most substitutions are ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  neutral; neutral 
B)  deleterious; neutral 
C)  beneficial; deleterious 
D)  neutral; beneficial 
A)  neutral; neutral 
B)  deleterious; neutral 
C)  beneficial; deleterious 
D)  neutral; beneficial

Question 4

Consider a population of size Ne with a new mutation that confers a fitness advantage of 1 + s. This new allele will be more likely to go to fixation due to selection if

Accepted Answer

A)  Ne is large and s is large. 
B)  Ne is small and s is large. 
C)  Ne is large and s is small. 
D)  Ne is small and s is small. 
A)  Ne is large and s is large. 
B)  Ne is small and s is large. 
C)  Ne is large and s is small. 
D)  Ne is small and s is small.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a population bottleneck?

Accepted Answer

A)  A long-endangered species recovers and increases population size. 
B)  A large population of frogs is greatly reduced due to a drought. 
C)  Butterfly migration patterns are disrupted by climate change. 
D)  A beneficial mutation goes to fixation in a population. 
A)  A long-endangered species recovers and increases population size. 
B)  A large population of frogs is greatly reduced due to a drought. 
C)  Butterfly migration patterns are disrupted by climate change. 
D)  A beneficial mutation goes to fixation in a population.

Question 6

The solution to the puzzle of why the rate of substitution is approximately constant per year, despite drastic differences in generation time among species, relies on the

Accepted Answer

A)  relationship between the strength of selection and the number of new mutations. 
B)  inverse relationship between generation time and population size. 
C)  effect of neutral mutations on generation time. 
D)  number of new mutations that experience heterozygote advantage. 
A)  relationship between the strength of selection and the number of new mutations. 
B)  inverse relationship between generation time and population size. 
C)  effect of neutral mutations on generation time. 
D)  number of new mutations that experience heterozygote advantage.

Question 7

When both drift and selection are acting on a locus (alleles are not neutral and the population size is finite), which of the following can occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  Natural selection can increase the effect of genetic drift. 
B)  Neutral mutations are subject to natural selection. 
C)  Genetic drift can result in heterozygous advantage. 
D)  Beneficial mutations can be lost from the population. 
A)  Natural selection can increase the effect of genetic drift. 
B)  Neutral mutations are subject to natural selection. 
C)  Genetic drift can result in heterozygous advantage. 
D)  Beneficial mutations can be lost from the population.

Question 8

The figure shows the relationship between the size of an island and the number of alleles found at microsatellite loci in lizard populations. What do these data demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

A)  Lizards are more successful on larger islands. 
B)  Effective population size does not affect allelic diversity. 
C)  Populations on smaller islands experience more natural selection. 
D)  Genetic drift is stronger in smaller populations. 
A)  Lizards are more successful on larger islands. 
B)  Effective population size does not affect allelic diversity. 
C)  Populations on smaller islands experience more natural selection. 
D)  Genetic drift is stronger in smaller populations.

Question 9

The two graphs show the change in allele frequency, p, over 100 generations. Each graph shows 10 different populations, all experiencing the same evolutionary forces. What is the most likely difference between the populations shown in the top graph compared to the populations in the bottom graph?

Accepted Answer

A)  There is no difference between the populations; the differences in the graphs are due to chance. 
B)  The populations in the graph on top have a longer generation time than the populations in the bottom graph. 
C)  The populations in the graph on top are experiencing genetic drift; the populations in the graph on bottom are experiencing directional selection. 
D)  The population sizes in the graph on top are smaller than the population sizes in the graph on the bottom. 
A)  There is no difference between the populations; the differences in the graphs are due to chance. 
B)  The populations in the graph on top have a longer generation time than the populations in the bottom graph. 
C)  The populations in the graph on top are experiencing genetic drift; the populations in the graph on bottom are experiencing directional selection. 
D)  The population sizes in the graph on top are smaller than the population sizes in the graph on the bottom.

Question 10

A new mutation arises in a population of spiders (which are diploid) with an effective population size of 116. If that mutation is neutral, what is the probability that it will go to fixation?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.0043 
B)  0.045 
C)  0 
D)  0.50 
A)  0.0043 
B)  0.045 
C)  0 
D)  0.50

Question 11

Imagine an island archipelago where all of the islands are founded by individuals heterozygous at a particular locus. If there is no migration or mutation, and the alleles at that locus are neutral, what do you expect the island populations to look like after many generations?

Accepted Answer

A)  Some island populations will have fixed one allele, and other populations will have fixed the other allele. 
B)  The populations on every island will have fixed the same allele. 
C)  The island populations will have high levels of genetic diversity at this locus. 
D)  We cannot predict any outcome because genetic drift is a random process. 
A)  Some island populations will have fixed one allele, and other populations will have fixed the other allele. 
B)  The populations on every island will have fixed the same allele. 
C)  The island populations will have high levels of genetic diversity at this locus. 
D)  We cannot predict any outcome because genetic drift is a random process.

Question 12

Population bottlenecks can result in rapid fixation or loss of alleles in otherwise large populations because the bottleneck

Accepted Answer

A)  selectively eliminates or fixes alleles. 
B)  reduces the effective population size. 
C)  allows migrant alleles to overwhelm native alleles. 
D)  creates many new small populations. 
A)  selectively eliminates or fixes alleles. 
B)  reduces the effective population size. 
C)  allows migrant alleles to overwhelm native alleles. 
D)  creates many new small populations.

Question 13

A population of fruit flies was maintained at 4,000 individuals for 10 generations. During the 11th generation, the researcher in charge of the flies forgot to buy fly food and only 100 flies survived. Estimate the effective population size of this population over the first 11 generations.

Accepted Answer

N_e = k/(1/N

Question 14

Which of the following is true of cannibalistic beetles in a box and the coalescent process?

Accepted Answer

A)  Events of interest occur rapidly early on, but more slowly later. 
B)  Genetic drift is most important when the population size is large. 
C)  The process runs backward in time. 
D)  The last event of interest occurs the most quickly. 
A)  Events of interest occur rapidly early on, but more slowly later. 
B)  Genetic drift is most important when the population size is large. 
C)  The process runs backward in time. 
D)  The last event of interest occurs the most quickly.

Question 15

A comparison of 11,000 protein-coding genes from humans and chimpanzees revealed a significantly higher ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous polymorphism in humans compared to the ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions between the two species, that is, pN/pS > dN/dS. What does this indicate about the variation in human populations?

Accepted Answer

It indicates that most variati

Question 16

What is the effect of small population size on the degree of heterozygosity in a population?

Accepted Answer

A)  Heterozygosity will increase over time. 
B)  Heterozygosity will decrease over time. 
C)  Heterozygosity will not change. 
D)  Heterozygosity will be subject to natural selection. 
A)  Heterozygosity will increase over time. 
B)  Heterozygosity will decrease over time. 
C)  Heterozygosity will not change. 
D)  Heterozygosity will be subject to natural selection.

Question 17

Do you expect to find more or less variation in a population with short coalescence times relative to a population with long coalescence times? Explain your answer.

Accepted Answer

Less variation becau

Question 18

The figure shows the level of diversity at three loci in two species of elephant seals. Which of the following could be true of these species according to the data? B

Accepted Answer

A)  The northern elephant seals have a higher mutation rate than the southern elephant seals. 
B)  The northern elephant seals have a larger effective population size than the southern elephant seals. 
C)  The northern elephant seals experience balancing selection at these loci and the southern elephant seals experience directional selection. 
D)  The northern elephant seals experienced a population bottleneck, but the southern elephant seals did not. 
A)  The northern elephant seals have a higher mutation rate than the southern elephant seals. 
B)  The northern elephant seals have a larger effective population size than the southern elephant seals. 
C)  The northern elephant seals experience balancing selection at these loci and the southern elephant seals experience directional selection. 
D)  The northern elephant seals experienced a population bottleneck, but the southern elephant seals did not.

Question 19

Genetic drift is caused by ________ processes.

Accepted Answer

A)  random 
B)  directed 
C)  mutational 
D)  selective 
A)  random 
B)  directed 
C)  mutational 
D)  selective

Question 20

When both mutation and genetic drift are operating on a locus, heterozygosity will be lowest when

Accepted Answer

A)  Ne is large and µ is large. 
B)  Ne is small and µ is large. 
C)  Ne is large and µ is small. 
D)  Ne is small and µ is small. 
A)  Ne is large and µ is large. 
B)  Ne is small and µ is large. 
C)  Ne is large and µ is small. 
D)  Ne is small and µ is small.

The nearly neutral theory predicts that substitution rate is

The figure shows the genealogies for two different genes. Which of the following is a reasonable explanation for the observed difference?

The neutral theory of molecular evolution posits that most mutations are and most substitutions are .

Consider a population of size N_e with a new mutation that confers a fitness advantage of 1 + s. This new allele will be more likely to go to fixation due to selection if

Which of the following is an example of a population bottleneck?

The solution to the puzzle of why the rate of substitution is approximately constant per year, despite drastic differences in generation time among species, relies on the

When both drift and selection are acting on a locus (alleles are not neutral and the population size is finite), which of the following can occur?

The figure shows the relationship between the size of an island and the number of alleles found at microsatellite loci in lizard populations. What do these data demonstrate?

The two graphs show the change in allele frequency, p, over 100 generations. Each graph shows 10 different populations, all experiencing the same evolutionary forces. What is the most likely difference between the populations shown in the top graph compared to the populations in the bottom graph?

A new mutation arises in a population of spiders (which are diploid) with an effective population size of 116. If that mutation is neutral, what is the probability that it will go to fixation?

Imagine an island archipelago where all of the islands are founded by individuals heterozygous at a particular locus. If there is no migration or mutation, and the alleles at that locus are neutral, what do you expect the island populations to look like after many generations?

Population bottlenecks can result in rapid fixation or loss of alleles in otherwise large populations because the bottleneck

A population of fruit flies was maintained at 4,000 individuals for 10 generations. During the 11th generation, the researcher in charge of the flies forgot to buy fly food and only 100 flies survived. Estimate the effective population size of this population over the first 11 generations.

Which of the following is true of cannibalistic beetles in a box and the coalescent process?

What is the effect of small population size on the degree of heterozygosity in a population?

Do you expect to find more or less variation in a population with short coalescence times relative to a population with long coalescence times? Explain your answer.

The figure shows the level of diversity at three loci in two species of elephant seals. Which of the following could be true of these species according to the data? B

Genetic drift is caused by ________ processes.

When both mutation and genetic drift are operating on a locus, heterozygosity will be lowest when

An Overview of Evolutionary Biology

Early Evolutionary Ideas and Darwin S Insight

Natural Selection

Phylogeny and Evolutionary History

Inferring Phylogeny

Transmission Genetics and the Sources of Genetic Variation

The Genetics of Populations

Evolution at Multiple Loci

Genome Evolution

The Origin and Evolution of Early Life

Major Transitions

Evolution and Development

Species and Speciation

Extinction and Evolutionary Trends

The Evolution of Sex

The Evolution of Sociality

Coevolution

Human Evolution

Evolution and Medicine

Filters

Exam 8: Evolution in Finite Populations

The nearly neutral theory predicts that substitution rate is

The figure shows the genealogies for two different genes. Which of the following is a reasonable explanation for the observed difference?

The neutral theory of molecular evolution posits that most mutations are ________ and most substitutions are ________.

Consider a population of size Ne with a new mutation that confers a fitness advantage of 1 + s. This new allele will be more likely to go to fixation due to selection if

Which of the following is an example of a population bottleneck?

The solution to the puzzle of why the rate of substitution is approximately constant per year, despite drastic differences in generation time among species, relies on the

When both drift and selection are acting on a locus (alleles are not neutral and the population size is finite), which of the following can occur?

The figure shows the relationship between the size of an island and the number of alleles found at microsatellite loci in lizard populations. What do these data demonstrate?

The two graphs show the change in allele frequency, p, over 100 generations. Each graph shows 10 different populations, all experiencing the same evolutionary forces. What is the most likely difference between the populations shown in the top graph compared to the populations in the bottom graph?

A new mutation arises in a population of spiders (which are diploid) with an effective population size of 116. If that mutation is neutral, what is the probability that it will go to fixation?

Imagine an island archipelago where all of the islands are founded by individuals heterozygous at a particular locus. If there is no migration or mutation, and the alleles at that locus are neutral, what do you expect the island populations to look like after many generations?

Population bottlenecks can result in rapid fixation or loss of alleles in otherwise large populations because the bottleneck

A population of fruit flies was maintained at 4,000 individuals for 10 generations. During the 11th generation, the researcher in charge of the flies forgot to buy fly food and only 100 flies survived. Estimate the effective population size of this population over the first 11 generations.

Which of the following is true of cannibalistic beetles in a box and the coalescent process?

What is the effect of small population size on the degree of heterozygosity in a population?

Do you expect to find more or less variation in a population with short coalescence times relative to a population with long coalescence times? Explain your answer.

The figure shows the level of diversity at three loci in two species of elephant seals. Which of the following could be true of these species according to the data? B

Genetic drift is caused by ________ processes.

When both mutation and genetic drift are operating on a locus, heterozygosity will be lowest when

An Overview of Evolutionary Biology

Early Evolutionary Ideas and Darwin S Insight

Natural Selection

Phylogeny and Evolutionary History

Inferring Phylogeny

Transmission Genetics and the Sources of Genetic Variation

The Genetics of Populations

Evolution at Multiple Loci

Genome Evolution

The Origin and Evolution of Early Life

Major Transitions

Evolution and Development

Species and Speciation

Extinction and Evolutionary Trends

The Evolution of Sex

The Evolution of Sociality

Coevolution

Human Evolution

Evolution and Medicine

Filters

The neutral theory of molecular evolution posits that most mutations are and most substitutions are .

Consider a population of size N_e with a new mutation that confers a fitness advantage of 1 + s. This new allele will be more likely to go to fixation due to selection if