Evolution Assignment
Q1. Explain why negative or harmful mutations have no role in the evolution of a population.
Q2. How do pseudogenes offer evidence in support of evolution?
Q3. Give an example of the bottleneck and founder effects.
Q4. If variation in a species was only due to meiosis, how would that limit the evolution of that species?
Q5. If it is survival of the fittest, explain why organisms would show altruistic behavior or kinship. For example, why would lions group together as a pride?
Q6. Explain how cumulative selection allows for more detailed structures.
Q7. Explain which type of reproductive isolating mechanism is at work in each of the following situations:
a) Zebroids, the hybrid offspring of matings between horses and zebras, are sterile.
b) Asian lions were once common and lived in open grasslands, while Asian tigers preferred forests.
c) Female fireflies identify males by the pattern of light flashes they produce. Each species has a unique pattern of fl ashes.
d) Male geese have a penis, while male herons do not. Male herons are unable to fertilize female geese.
e) When pollen grains from white pine trees land on the female cones of red pine trees, fertilization does not occur.
Q8. Plant and animal breeders try to keep their breeding lines "pure" to prevent unwanted crosses with their breeding stock. How is this human activity analogous to the conditions that cause allopatric speciation?
Q9. In Ottawa, certain mice live on the east side of the Rideau Canal. The mice on the west side of the Rideau Canal show very different allele frequencies. Suggest possible mechanisms that could account for the difference.
Q10. The Panama Canal was completed in 1914. It is a human-made canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. How might the completion of this canal have affected the evolution of terrestrial species? Suggest how it may affect the speciation of marine organisms.
Q11. Explain why a species is most likely to undergo adaptive radiation when there is little competition for resources.
Q12. The Hawaiian Islands are home to about 30 species of very closely related plants called silverswords. Some are tree- like while others are dwarf shrubs. They are found nowhere else on Earth. Use your understanding of adaptive radiation to describe their likely evolutionary past.
Q13. Compare and contrast divergent and convergent evolution. Include examples to illustrate the similarities and differences.
Q14. Many species of fish and waterfowl are darker on their upper surface and lighter coloured below.
a. What pattern of evolution is most likely at work?
b. Suggest possible selective advantages for this coloration.