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Biology

Eldra P. Solomon, Charles E. Martin, Diana W. Martin,

Chapter 18

Introduction to Darwinian Evolution - all with Video Answers

Educators

Chapter Questions

03:34

Problem 1

Evolution is based on which of the following concepts? (a) organisms share a common origin (b) over time, organisms have diverged from a common ancestor (c) an animal’s body parts can change over its lifetime, and these acquired changes are passed to the next generation (d) a and b (e) a, b, and c.

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03:25

Problem 2

Evolution is the accumulation of genetic changes within ___ over time. (a) individuals (b) populations (c) communities (d) a and b (e) a and c

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04:04

Problem 3

Charles Darwin proposed that evolution could be explained by the differential reproductive success of organisms that resulted from their naturally occurring variation. Darwin called this process (a) coevolution (b) convergent evolution (c) natural selection (d) artificial selection (e) homoplasy

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Christian Daniele
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04:43

Problem 4

Which of the following is not part of Darwin's mechanism of evolution? (a) differential reproductive success (b) variation in a population (c) inheritance of acquired (nongenetic) traits (d) overproduction of offspring (e) struggle for existence

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01:18

Problem 5

The evolution of beak size in the various species of Galápagos finches is associated with their (a) songs (b) diets (c) body sizes (d) predators (e) none of the preceding

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02:28

Problem 6

The fossil record (a) usually occurs in sedimentary rock (b) sometimes appears fragmentary (c) is relatively complete for tropical rainforest organisms but incomplete for aquatic organisms $(\mathrm{d}) \mathrm{a}$ and $\mathrm{b}(\mathrm{e}) \mathrm{a}, \mathrm{b},$ and $\mathrm{c}$

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05:25

Problem 7

In ___ the selecting agent is the environment, whereas in ___ the selecting agent is humans. (a) natural selection; convergent evolution (b) mutation; artificial selection (c) homoplasy; homology (d) artificial selection; natural selection (e) natural selection; artificial selection

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02:40

Problem 8

Aardvarks, anteaters, and pangolins are only distantly related but are similar in structure and form as a result of (a) homology (b) convergent evolution (c) biogeography (d) vestigial structures (e) artificial selection

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02:45

Problem 9

The species of the Calápagos Islands (a) are similar to those on other islands at the same latitude (b) are similar to those on the South American mainland (c) are identical to those on other islands at the same latitude (d) are identical to those on the South American mainland (e) are similar to those on both the African and South American mainlands

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02:34

Problem 10

In what way does the modern synthesis strengthen scientific understanding of evolution? (a) is based on the sequence of fossils in rock layers (b) uses genetics to explain the source of hereditary variation that is essential to natural selection $(\mathrm{c})$ was first proposed by ancient Creek scholars (d) considers the influence of the geographic distribution of organisms on their evolution (e) is reinforced by homologies that are explained by common descent

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01:33

Problem 11

What types of gene changes are most associated with the evolution of new anatomical features in a population?

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02:42

Problem 12

The use of model organisms such as the mouse for research and biomedical testing of human diseases is based on the assumption that all organisms share a common ancestor. On what evidence is this assumption based?

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04:00

Problem 13

Charles Darwin once said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Explain what he meant.

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10:01

Problem 14

Write short paragraphs explaining each of the following statements:
a. Natural selection chooses from among the individuals in a population those most suited to current environmental conditions. It does not guarantee survival under future conditions.
b. Individuals do not evolve, but populations do.
c. The organisms that exist today do so because their ancestors had traits that allowed them and their offspring to thrive.
d. At the molecular level, evolution can take place by the replacement of one nucleotide by another.
e. Evolution is said to have occurred within a population when measurable genetic changes are detected.

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01:52

Problem 15

Although most salamanders have four legs, a few species that live in shallow water lack hind limbs and have extremely tiny forelimbs (see photograph). Develop a hypothesis to explain how limbless salamanders came about according to Darwin's mechanism of evolution by natural selection. How could you test your hypothesis? The narrow-striped dwarf siren (Pseudobranchus striatus axanthus) is an aquatic salamander that resembles an eel. It is native to Florida.

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02:38

Problem 16

Which of the primates in Figure $18-18$ is the most distantly related to humans? Explain your answer.

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02:17

Problem 17

Farmers often face a predicament, known as the pesticide treadmill, in which the cost of applying pesticides increases because the pesticides have to be applied more frequently or in larger doses, while their effectiveness decreases. Based on what you have learned in this chapter, offer an explanation for why the pesticides lose their effectiveness.

Christian Daniele
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