LSM1105

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

LSM11O5 - EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

(Semester t : AY201.6 I L7\

TimeAllowed:2Hours

TNSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS

L. Please write only your student number in the provided BUBBLE SHEET. Do not write your
name.

2. This assessment paper contains FORTY-FIVE (45) questions and comprises EIGHT printed
pages.

3. Students are required to answer ALI questions in the BUBBTE SHEET.

4. This is an OPEN BOOK assessment.

5. No electronic devices, except calculators, are allowed.

5. For each question, FIVE possible answers are listed, only ONE of which is correct.
1. Which of the following statements about species, as defined by the biological species concept, is (are)
correct?
l. Biologicalspecies are defined by reproductive isolation. '
ll. This species concept is useful for classiffing extinct forms of life.
lll. A biological species is the largest population of organisms in which successful reproduction is
possible.'
A) I only B) ll only C) I and lll
D) ll and lll E) l, ll and lll

2. Which of these illustrates the correct representation of the binomial scientific name for the African lion?
A) Panthera leo B) panthera leo C) Panthera leo
D) Panthera Leo E) Panthera leo

3. Which of the following statements provides the strongest evidence that prokaryotes evolved before
eukaryotes?
A) Prokaryotes are more numerous. B) Prokaryotes have smaller genomes.
C) Prokaryotes have been found in meteorites. D) Liposomes closely resemble prokaryotic'cells.
E) The oldest fossilised cells resemble prokaryotes. E
4. Sharks and dolphins both have streamlined body shapes and fins. These similarities are due to
A) Convergent evolution B) Shared ancestry
C) Living in a similar environment D) Both A and C
p
E) Both B and C

5. A student is studying a group of related species and builds one phylogeny based on amino acid
sequence and another based on morphology. She finds that the two phylogenies are different. Which
phylogeny is accurate?
A) The phylogeny based on morphologicaltraits, because species with similar morphologies would have
evolved from a common ancestor.
B) The phylogeny bdsed on amino acid sequences, because this will reproduce the correct evolutionary
relationships without being confounded by convergent evolution.
C) Neither of the two phylogenies is accurate. The student needs to use more appropriate nucleotide
sequence.
D) Either could be accurate: it depends on the molecules and the morphological traits being used.
E) lt depends if the organisms being studies are plants or animals. B

6. Asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction differ in all but which of the following ways?
A) An asexually reproducing parent transmits 100% of its genetic material to their progeny, whereas a
sexually reproducing parent transmits only 50%.
B) Asexual reproduction leads to offspring that are genetically almost identical to the parent, whereas
sexual reproduction leads to genetically distinct offspring.
C) Asexual reproduction involves a single parent, whereas sexual reproduction usually involves two.
D) Asexual reproduction requires only mitosis, whereas sexual reproduction always involves meiosis.
E) Asexual reproduction is used only by fungi and protists, whereas sexual reproduction is used only by
plants and animals.
E
/
7. According to the Red Queen Hypothesis, which reproductive strategy is more likely to yield offspring
that are resistant to parasites?
reproduction
A) Asexual B) Parthenogenesis
C) Sexualreproduction D) Cloning
above C
E) Allof the

8. Which of the following is not a benefit of sex?

A) Ability to purge deleterious mutations. B) Faster adaptation to varying environments.
C) Decreased genetic variability of offspring. D) lncreased ability to fight parasites.
E) Ability to bring together beneficial mutations into onegenome. C

9. Arrange the following from most general (i.e., most inclusive) to most specific (i.e., least inclusive):
1. Naturalselection;2. Microevolution;3. lntrasexualselection;4. Evolution; 5. Sexualselection
A) 4, 1,2, 3, 5 B) 4,2, 1, 3, 5 c) 4,2, 1, 5, 3
D) 1, 4, 2, 5,3 E) ',t,2, 4, 5,3 C

Read the paragraph below and then answer the three questions that follow.
ln the wild, male House Finches (Carpodus mexicanus) vary considerably in the amount of red
pigmentation in their head and throat feathers, with colours ranging from pale yellow to bright red. These
colours come from carotenoid pigments that are found in the birds' diets; no vertebrates are known to
synthesize carotenoid pigments. Thus, the brighter red a male's feathers, the more successful he has
been at acquiring the red carotenoid pigment by his food-gathering efforts (all other factors being equal).

10. During the breeding season, female house finches prefer to mate with males with the brightest red
feathers. Which of the following is true?
A) Alleles that promote more efficient acquisition of carotenoid-containing foods by males should increase
over the course of generations.
B) Alleles that promote more effective deposition of carotenoid pigments in the feathers of males should
increase over thq course of generations.
C) There should be directional selection for bright red feathers in males.
D) Allthree options above n
E) Only B and C.

11. Which of the following terms is/are appropriately applied to the situation described in the previous
question?
A) Sexualselection B) Mate choice C) lntersexual selection
D) All three of these C
E) OnlY B and D

Q.fhe situation described in the passage above should select most directly against males that
A) show no preference for red food items.
B) are older, but still healthy.
C) are capable of defending only moderately sized territories.
D) have slightly lorr,rer levels of testosterone during breeding season than have other males. A
E) have no prior experience courting female house finches.
 13. Men generally have deeper voices and longer larynxes than women.
lf the hominid fossil record
shovts a trend toward decreasing larynx size in females, and increasing
larynx size in males, then wlrich
of the following hypotheses is best supported?
A) Sexual dimorphism has developed over time in these species.
B) lntrasexual selection seems to have occurred.
C) lntersexual selection seems to have occurred.
D) stabilizing selection on larynx size has occurred in these species. R
E) Selection has acted more direcfly upon genotype than upon phenotype.

14' lmagine a human society in which the sex ratio at birth is 50:50 and
where the average married male
has 1'33 wives. wtich sex, do you think, has (1) greater fitness, and (2) greater
variancJ in fitness?
A) Males and females have equal mean fitness; but males have greater variance.
B) Males have greater mean fitness; and males have greater variance.
c) Females have greater mean fitness; but males and females have equal variance.
D) Females have greater mean fitness; and females have greater variance.
E) Males and females have equal mean fitness; and on average they have equal
variance, too. R
15' Suppose you encounter a fly with wings on its abdomen. This is
likely the result of what type of
mutation?
A) A duplication in a Hox gene that represses wings.
B) An altered nucreotide sequence in a Hox gene that represses wings.
C) An altered expression of a Hox gene that represses wings.
D) Either A or B.
E) Either B or C. E
16. Which of the following scenarios likely results from a gene
network co-option event?
A) The presence of multiple eyes along the manfle of scallops.
B) The loss of eyes in cave fish.
gradual improvement in eye design over evotutionary time.
9l lh"
D) The change in eye size in a tineage of spiders.
E) The loss of eyes in a parasite. A

17' Which of the following cases would be an example of a gene

network co-option event?
A) A set of genes being expressed in a sequential temporal manner in the development
of a trait.
B) A set of orthologous genes being expressed in the same sequential
temporal manner in the
development of two homologous traits.
C) A set of orthologous genes being expressed in the same sequential
temporal manner in the
development of two non-homologous traits.
D) All of the above.
E) None ofthe above.
C
18' The large number of functional duplicate genes in our genomes
is most likely due to
A) Each copy of the gene having acquired a novel function.
B) Each copy of the gene having partitioned its two ancestral functions.
c) The genes having duplicated and not having had enough time to degenerate.
D) Both copies being useful to produce more protein.
E) None ofthe above. B
19. Which of these variables is least likely to
exhibit a linear relationship with the number o oot
- 9oon^
of gene-duplication events (i.e., which would ^-6r@
^Xd\b oo
-;o

be least plausible as yon the graph to the sn

&ib
oooorl
right) " '-o o gOc
\$
o8 o
A) Numberofgenes -So
B) Number of DNA base pairs
C) Genome size
D) Mass (in picograms) of DNA
E) Phenotypic complexity F Gene duplications

20. How can a scientist experimentally test whether a trait is phenotypically plastic?
A) She can measure fitness of individuals found in different environments.
B) She can perform crossing experiments.
C) She can rear closely related individuals in the same environment.
tear closely related individuals in different environments. 0
Pl i:".:T
21. Why do species exhibit phenotypic plasticity?
A) lt can be adaptive to have different phenotypes when living in fluctuating environments.
B) Biochemical reactions inside cells are ofien sensitive to environmental conditions.
C) Mutations occur in direct response to changing environmental conditions.
D) A and B.
E) A, B, and C. D

22. Rankthe following from most general to most specific: 1. gametic isolation; 2. reproductive
isolating mechanism; 3. pollen-stigma incompatibility;4. prezygotic isolating mechanism
A) 2,3, 1,4 B) 2, 4, 1,3 c)4,1,2,3
D) 4,2, 1,3 E) 2, 1,4, 3 D

23. Consider a species of fish living in a small lake. Under which scenario is speciation likely to
occur, i.e., under which scenario is the species most likely to split into two species in the future?
A) A landslide occurs, splitting the lake in two.
B) Long-term climate change leads to increased mean lake temperature.
C) Long-term climate change leads to increased variability in lake temperature.
D) Long-term climate change leads to increased water flow into the lake. R
E) Long-term climate change leads to increased variability in water flow into the lake.

24.1rwo closely related populations of mice were separated for many generations by a river.
Recently, the river has dried up and the mice populations have come back in contact. Which of the
following is not a possible outcome when they meet?

A) They interbreed freely and produce fertile hybrid offspring.

B) They no longer attempt to interbreed.
c) They remain largely separate but develop a persistent hybrid zone in the area of overlap.
D) They interbreed in the region of overlap, but produce sterile offspring.
E) All of the above outcomes are possible.
F
25. Which process is most likely to lead to speciation?
A) Reduced gene flow between members of a species.
B) The appearance of seasonality in climate.
C) Mutations in pseudogenes.
D) Environmental disturbances. A
E) Sexualselection

26. Under which of the following conditions would you expect faster rates of speciation?
A) Among separate populations living in similar habitats.
B) ln large, randomly breeding populations.
C) Among separate populations with few reproductive isolation mechanisms.
D) Among separate populations exposed to different environments. p
E) Under all of the above conditions.

27. lf you find that several unrelated snake species are venomous and share similar colouration,
you may guess that this is a form of
A) Batesian mimicry B) MUllerian mimicry C) Divergent evolution
D) Homology E) Sexual selection B
28. For a Batesian mimicry system to work:
A) The predator must be able to learn to recognise the model.
B) The mimic must outnumber the model.
C) The mimic must be toxic.
D) None ofthe above.
E) Aand C.

29. Which of the following describes the group comprised of all the organisms currently in this
exam hall?
A) Monophyletic
B) Paraphyletic
C) Polyphyletic
D) Allof the above B
E) The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

30. Which of the following types of species interaction is correctly paired with its effects on the
densities of the interacting species?
A) Predation: as one increases, the other increases.
B) Parasitism: both decrease.
C) Commensalism: as one increases the other stays the same.
D) Mutualism: both decrease. a
E) Competition: both increase. t-
31. Which of the following describes the relationship between legumes and nitrogen-fixing
bacteria?
A) Parasitism B) Mutualism C) lnhibition
D) Facilitation E) Commensalism
F\
32. Which one of the following best explains the relatively high prevalence of eusociality in
Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants)?
A) Eusociality evolved once in the common ancestor of Hymenoptera, leading to its high
prevalence in this clade.
B) Hymenopterans' unusual sex determination system predisposes them to helping behaviour.
C) The large colony size of many Hymenoptera has led to group selection, which favours helping
behaviour.
B
D) The vivid colouring of many Hymenoptera has promoted sexual selection for helping behaviour.
E) Culturalevolution in Hymenoptera led to helping behaviour.

33. Consider a colony of ground squirrels (a promiscuous species). Which individual would be most
likely give an alarm call?
A) A female with no kin nearby. B) A female with kin nearby.
C) A male with no kin nearby. D)A male with kin nearby. 6
E) They are all equally likely to give a call.

34. Mitochondrial DNA evidence points to which region as the origin of today's human populations?
A) Asia
B) Africa
C) Europe
D) North America B
E) Australia

35. Given the phylogeny to the right, which

do you think are possible tip species?
A) 1=dove, 2=crocodile, 3=dog, 4=opossum,
5=human
B) 1 =human, 2=gorilla, 3=dragonfly,
4=butterfly, S;beetle
C) 't =kangaroo, 2=orang-r1sn, J=gorilla,
4=chimpanzee, 5=human
D) 1 =human, 2=dog, 3=apple tree,
4=cyanobacterium, 5=mushroom
E) 1=kangaroo, 2=dog, $=gorilla,
4=chimpanzee, 5=human
L

36. Which of the following is an ultimate explanation for why humans are at risk of choking?
A) The paths to the trachea and the oesophagus intersect.
B) Our reflex to close the epiglottis when swallowing sometimes fails.
C) We evolved from aquatic ancestors who were not so reliant on lungs.
D) An allergic reaction to unfamiliar foods can trigger the choking reflex.
E) Our earliest vertebrate ancestors were also at risk of choking. E
l:'

37. Considerthe dated phylogenies belowfortwo human viruses labelled I and ll. Which virus do
you think uould be easiest to control with a vaccine and why?

A) Pathogen
because it is
l,
T
,
.t
.,1'
,.. il .a
:

evolving faster.
,1 ':"
B) Pathogen l, ,.;
I t
because it is
I
evolving more ll
ll
slorrly. .:
C) Pathogen ll, ,' ]

t.
because it is
evolving faster.
D) Pathogen ll, '!:
Yea
r Yea r
because it is
evolving more slowly. t;
E) Pathogen ll, because the root of its tree is further back in time.

38. On average, people living around the equator are having more children than people living at
higher latitudes. This means that in a few hundred years, the average human on Earth will have
darker skin than today. This effect will be an example of
A) Mutualism
B) Sexualselection
C) Gene-culture evolution
D) Genetic drift D
E) Speciation

39. Cliffs of islands in the Northern Atlantic are popular nesting sites for seabirds, and often
become crowded. Puffins normally lay three eggs per season, but biologists have discovered that if
eggs are removed from nests, puffins continue to lay more eggs. ln fact, puffins are physiologically
capable of producing more than ten eggs in a season. Why might natural selection not have
maximised egg production in puffins?
A) Natural selection maximises overall reproductive fitness, not the number of eggs laid. Too many
eggs exceeds the ability of the parents to feed the chicks, which ultimately results in fewer
fledglings and lower fitness.
B) Puffins exercise a kind of birth control because otherwise their island homes would become
overrun, with no more space for future generations, and the species' populations would crash.
C) Puffin brains are not sophisticated enough to count beyond three.
D) Puffins count on a likelihood of one ofhpring dying of natural causes, which leaves two chicks
per breeding pair, which is the perfect replacement rate.
E) None ofthe above
fl
40. Wtich of the following newspaper headlines about evolution is most scientifically accurate?
A) First Human Fossil Discovered
B) Humans Evolved From Chimpanzees
C) Humans Evolved From Monkeys
D) Human-Chimp Split 4 Million Years Ago
D
E) Ancient Human Ancestor Discovered in Africa
41. Hamilton's rule predicts that kin selection should evolve when Rb>c, where ,R is the relatedness
coefficient, b is the benefit to the receiver of the altruistic action, and c is the cost to the giver.
Which of the following is true about this rule?
A) lt is a mathematical abstraction that cannot be tested in nature.
B) lt should always be accurate if R, b and c are measured accurately'
C) lt is an exact universal rule, like Einstein's E : mC.
D) lt is a rule of thumb, rather than an exact rule like Einstein's E :
mC. D
E) A more accurate rule would be Rb>c.

42. Suppose we have a large population evolving according to replicator dynamics in which an
individual's reproductive output is proportional to his or her pay-off in a ten-round lterated
prisoner's Dilemma game against a randomly selected opponent. Assume that an individual's
strategy in the game is genetically determined. What would be the likely outcome of evolution after
many generations?
A) All individuals play the co-operate strategy.
B) All individuals play the defect strategy.
C) All individuals play the co-operate strategy but defect on the tenth round.
t5
D) Half the individuals play co-operate; half play defect.
E) Each individual plays defect half the time and co-operate the other half of the time.

43. As seen in class, there is more genetic diversity within human populations than between
human populations. Why then do we perceive racial groups?
A) The genes that distinguish racial groups have large effects on phenotype.
B) Racial groups are defined by cultural traits, such as hairstyles and clothing.
C) Our perception is based on the few traits that differ between racial groups, rather than the
majority of traits that are similar.
D) Natural selection acts most strongly on visible traits.
C
E) Sexual selection acts most strongly on visible traits.

44. Suppose tnat temate wolves produce a litter of two offspring every year for the first six years of
life, then die at age 10 (so each has 12 offspring in total). Further suppose that five separate
female wolves A-E have five separate mutations, as described below. Which wolf do you think will
be fittest from an evolutionary perspective? Assume that each mutation has no effects other than
the ones listed.
A) Female A's mutation has two effects: she produces three offspring in every litter, but it shortens
her life by three years.
B) Female B's mutation extends her reproductive age by two years.
C) Female C's mutation allows her to produce three offspring in her first four litters.
D) Female D's mutation shortens her life by three years.
E) Female E's mutation lengthens her life by three years.

45. lf X is the number of years since humans and chimpanzees split, and I is the number of years
since the origin of Earth. What, roughly, is Xl:n

A) 10% B) 1o/o c)0.1% D) 0.01% E) 0.001%

C

End of paper