BIOL 1070 Midterm #1 Problem Set

1. Which of the following processes is not random in nature?

i. Natural Selection
ii. Genetic Drift
iii. Base pair substitution
a. i only.
b. ii only.
c. iii only.
d. i and ii.
e. None of the above are random.

2. Which process will increase variation in a population of mussels?

a. Natural selection favouring mussels which are smaller in size.
b. Dredging of a waterway which disturbs mussels in the population.
c. Arrival of mussels from a population of a different species (with different genetic
proportions).
d. Arrival of mussels from a different population of the same species (with different
genetic proportions).
e. An extreme drought, causing portions of the river to dry up.

3. Which of the following best describes sexual dimorphism?

a. Male offspring are produced less commonly than female offspring.
b. Female mussels have modified tissues which allow them to utilize fish hosts
c. Mussels may have thick or thin shells depending on their location and genetics.
d. Two populations of mussels may have different male to female ratios.

4. Which of the following is necessary for speciation to occur?

a. Genetic isolation
b. Population bottlenecks
c. Non-heritable adaptations
d. Gene flow
e. Founder effect

5. Complex and specific lure structures on mussels are a product of:

a. Gene flow
b. Natural Selection
c. Speciation
d. Dreissenid larvae
6. Which of the following statements regarding evolution is true?
a. Evolution occurs over a single generation
b. Evolution requires that genetic variation be very low
c. Evolution only occurs as a result of natural selection
d. Evolution always creates new, more advanced traits
e. Evolution occurs at the population level

7. What is extirpation?
a. Another word for extinction.
b. Another word for becoming endangered.
c. When a species is removed completely from an area.
d. When a species reappears in an area it originally inhabited, but had since been
absent from.

8. Which of these events is most likely to cause genetic drift in unionids?

a. Introducing a competitor species into the area.
b. Lowering the population of the host species necessary for reproduction.
c. Building a dam at a fork in the river, causing the Southern fork to dry up while the
Northern fork continues to flow.
d. Removing a few individuals from a large population for research purposes.

9. Which is false about dreissenids and unionids?

a. Dreissenids multiply more readily due to free-floating larvae.
b. Unionids are more sensitive to other species due to their obligate parasite stage.
c. Dreissenids are less likely to speciate.
d. In Canada, Unionids are a less diverse group than dreissenids.
e. It is easier for Unionids to colonize new bodies of water than it is for dreissenids.

10. Which is true about an outgroup species on a phylogenetic tree?

a. Outgroup species have been evolving for less time than other species on the tree.
b. Outgroup species are more primitive than other species on the tree.
c. Outgroup species are the most divergent from the rest of the species on the tree.
d. Outgroup species do not have evolutionary potential.
11. Three rivers feed into a newly-created reservoir. The first river flows from a lake which
contains predominantly dreissenids with a distinctive “banded” pattern. The second river
flows from a lake in which there are predominantly dreissenids with a “whorled” pattern.
The third river flows from a lake in which there are predominantly dreissenids with a
“speckled” pattern.

You discover dreissenids in the reservoir and take a sample. 49% of dreissenids display a
“banded” pattern, 47% of dreissenids display a “speckled” pattern, 3% of dreissenids
display a “whorled” pattern, and 1% of dreissenids display other patterns. What
conclusion can you draw about the source of the dreissenids in your reservoir?
a. Dreissenids invaded from the first river only.
b. Dreissenids invaded from the second river only
c. Dreissenids invaded from the third river only
d. Dreissenids invaded from the first and second rivers.
e. Dreissenids invaded from the first and third rivers.

12. Which two phylogenetic trees show the same relationship between all species? (Circle
two answers)

a. Tree A
b. Tree B
c. Tree C
d. Tree D
e. All trees are different
13. Looking at tree D above, which of the following lists of species is not monophyletic?
a. A, B, C
b. D, E, F, G
c. D, E, F, G, H
d. E, F
e. A, B

14. Looking at tree C in question 12, if species A and species E both have complex lures, and
the common ancestor at the top of the tree is also known to have had a complex lure,
what is the maximum number of times that this trait could have been lost, assuming it is
never lost and regained?
a. 4 times
b. 5 times
c. 6 times
d. 7 times
e. 8 times

15. You find two distinct populations of squirrels on opposite sides of a large and active
construction site. You observe the two populations for four generations, and note the
presence or absence of a given trait in each generation.
Generation Generation I Generation II Generation III Generation IV
Proportion with trait in 40% 44% 45% 45%
population I
Proportion with trait in 40% 37% 31% 23%
population II
What conclusions can you draw from the above data?

i. The two populations were a single population before the construction site
split them apart.
ii. The trait you followed is a competitive advantage in the area inhabited by
population I.
iii. The trait you followed is a competitive disadvantage in the area inhabited
by population II.
iv. Squirrels have a higher mortality rate in population II.

a. Conclusions i and ii are correct.

b. Conclusions i and iii are correct
c. Conclusions ii and iv are correct.
d. Conclusions iii and iv are correct.
e. At least three of the conclusions above are correct.