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Which of the following is an example of co-evolution?
Co-evolution is defined as a change of two or more species in close association with one another. Co-evolution is most common with mutualistic relationships, in which both species gain benefit. Such evolution can result in symbiotic relationships, in which the organisms depend on one another for survival. For example, bees make honey from flowers and flowers are pollinated by bees. Neither species can survive without the other.
Parasitism, commensalism, and predator-prey relationships can also demonstrate co-evolution, as one species develops defenses and the other develops offensive traits.
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Which of the following statements is true for genetic drift in a large population?
Genetic drift can be defined as changes in allele frequencies in a population caused by random events or chance. Large populations are capable of retaining fairly stable allele frequencies, thereby maintaining a small degree of genetic drift.
In contrast, in a small population, either losing the alleles of a single individual or an over-contribution by a single individual in reproduction can significantly change the frequency of alleles within the population. This could eventually lead to the loss of alleles from the population.
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Which of the following describes the endosymbiotic theory?
The endosymbotic theory describes the evolution of eukaryotic cells from prokaryotes. Small independent organisms were engulfed by larger ones; both were prokaryotic and unicellular. This engulfment benefited both organisms, and the genes that promoted this engulfment were selected for. Over a long time, eukaryotic cells evolved with many membrane-bound organelles, each with their own specific structure.
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Which of the following is not an example of evolution?
Evolution must occur over many generations and a long time scale. Changes within the life of an individual do not constitute evolution. Thus, a tadpole becoming a frog is not evolution.
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Before the Industrial Revolution in England, the peppered moth population in England was predominantly white-colored, with very few individuals exhibiting black coloring. The white moths were camouflaged when they rested on birch trees, while the black moths were not, making them easy targets for predators. Air pollution—specifically, soot—from the Industrial Revolution resulted in the trees being drastically darkened. What most likely happened over time to the moth population?
After the Industrial Revolution's smog polluted the trees and resulted in them darkening in color, it was much easier for the black moths to survive and reproduce, because the darkened trees provided them with better camouflage than the light-colored trees had. The white-colored moths, on the other hand, were now exposed to predation at a greater rate, because they were not camouflaged. Due to this change in the environment, the moth population became predominantly black-colored as it adapted. This is an example of natural selection in action.
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Which of the following offers the best description of the mechanism of evolution?
The mechanism of evolution was described by Darwin as the "survival of the fittest." We need an answer that addresses the fact that the individuals best suited to survival pass on their genes more often than individuals that aren't as well-suited, and that over long periods of time, these changes an accumulate until new species arise. This means that the correct answer is "There are always differences in the genes of individuals of a species. Some differences give certain individuals a better chance of survival. In each generation, those individuals best-suited to survive the current conditions will have the highest success in passing on their genes. Over many generations, the accumulation of these changes leads to the creation of new species from existing species."
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Which of the following is an example of a selective pressure?
A selective pressure is a factor that promotes evolution by selecting for a trait that will allow better survival for the organism that is at risk for compromised survival. In the case of anoles, the presence of the brown anole has promoted an evolutionary change for the green anole. There is no evolutionary change that can be observed in the other instances.
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Hummingbirds have very long tongues and feed on nectar from long, tube-like flowers. The tongue of a hummingbird and the shape of these flowers are an example of what type of evolution?
Coevolution describes how two species that interact closely with each other for their survival can evolve in response to one another. Another example is lichens, which are fungi and bacterial cells that grow together to act as a single living organism.
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Which of the following do not evolve?
Evolution occurs over a given time and may be punctuated or stagnant. As individuals are produced with different characteristics more fit for their environments, the population gradually changes. Evolution may even cause speciation or the merging of two species. Evolution is the response of a changing environment and different species interactions- individuals do not evolve; rather, natural selection works in favor of those individuals who are more fit for the current environment. Those more fit individuals will go on to produce more offspring with their same qualities, leading to a gradual change, or evolution, of a species, population, and community.
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A visible difference between males and females of the same species is known as __________.
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic differentiation between males and females of the same species. These altered phenotypes occur in organisms that reproduce through sexual reproduction. Commonly referenced possible examples are body size, physical strength and morphology, ornamentation, behavior and other bodily traits. An example would be comparing bright green male peacocks to the brown and grey female peacocks. Genetic drift is a different, unrelated evolutionary concept. Evolutionary monomorphism and the sperm-egg model do not refer to real concepts.
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