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Practical - sample exam questions

sample exam questions
Course

Evolutionary Biology (BIOL 3300)

27 Documents
Students shared 27 documents in this course
Academic year: 2012/2013
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Sample Test Questions Worley 1. Evidence for Evolution History of Evolutionary Theory 1. Describe two types of evidence available to Darwin for change through time and two types of evidence for common ancestry. Include examples for each. 2. Describe two type of evidence for evolution that have been discovered since the publication of The Origin. Include an example for each. 3. Outline the conditions required for evolution natural selection. 4. What were the two most important conceptual changes associated with Darwins theory of evolution natural selection? 5. What similarities in experience and education allowed both Darwin and Wallace to identify natural selection as the mechanism of evolution? 6. What secular beliefs made it difficult for people to accept natural selection as the mechanism of evolution? 7. work was rediscovered in 1900. Did the early geneticists immediately accept Darwinism? Why or why not? EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY Sample Exam Questions Worley 2. Population Genetics. 1. Mutations are the ultimate source of genetic variation. Name two types of mutation and their evolutionary significance. 2. What are genetic markers, and why are they used in evolutionary biology? Describe one important type of genetic marker. 3. Why is heterozygosity a good summary statistic to characterize genetic variation? 4. What have genetic markers revealed about genetic variation in wild populations? 5. You are studying a greenish warbler population with a single locus polymorphism for song length. Birds with the dominant allele have a song of 3 units (phrases) whereas birds with the recessive allele have a song of 4 units. You think that the 4 unit songs increase mating success but may also increase predation. How would you estimate fitness for each phenotype? 6. How is fitness related to the selection coefficient, s, and why would you want to estimate s? 7. What is directional selection, and how does it affect genetic variation? 8. Using examples, briefly describe two types of selection. 9. Define drift. Why are the effects of drift cumulative? 10. Explain how inbreeding affects the frequency of alleles and genotypes. When is inbreeding likely to reduce fitness? 11. Many different processes can violate equilibrium assumptions simultaneously. Explain how a catastrophic event (e., fire, flood, drought) could affect both drift and inbreeding. 12. Explain in words what Fst measures. How is Fst affected each of drift and migration? 13. Why has migration been referred to as the and of evolution? 14. What is an adaptive landscape? 15. Which evolutionary forces allow populations to cross adaptive valleys? variation explained variation explained 14. This was on the final exam when we did a QTL discussion paper. It is more involved than you will get on this midterm but provides a good review for quantitative genetic concepts. You conduct a QTL study of lifespan and metabolic rate in Drosophila melanogaster. The in Figure 2 indicates the positions of QTL (numbers refer to map distance along each chromosome). Part A indicates the percentage of variation in lifespan explained each QTL, and Part B indicates percentage variation in metabolic rate (resting CO2 production) explained each QTL. A. Lifespan 20 10 0 32 36 X chromosome 10 90 chromosome II 12 8 30 chromosome B. Metabolic rate 8 4 0 32 36 X chromosome 10 90 chromosome II 12 8 30 chromosome (loosely based on Khazali et al. 2005 Genetics 169:231) a. Do these data support Fishers geometric model of adaptation? b. Are these data consistent with a genetic correlation between life span and metabolic rate? Hint: What are the causes of genetic correlations? c. If you conducted artificial selection on lifespan, what information would you need to predict how lifespan would respond to selection? d. How could you obtain the information outlined in part c? e. If you selected for increased lifespan, should metabolic rate show a correlated response? EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY Sample Exam Questions Worley 2. Adaptation Unit. This is not a comprehensive list of questions, but it should give you an indication of the type of question you will be asked. 1. Define adaptation and explain how it differs from acclimation. 2. Why is the experimental approach considered to be a powerful method for studying the adaptive significance of traits? 3. When experiments are not possible, researchers may use observational studies to understand adaptation. Give two examples of observational studies discussed in the adaptation unit. 4. What is the comparative method, and why is it necessary to incorporate phylogenetic information into comparative studies? 5. What are phylogenetically independent contrasts? 6. FROM MIDTERM EXAM IN 2009: Using the following phylogeny of the plant genus Polemonium, identify two pairs of species that you could use for sister species comparisons to test the hypothesis that seed size increases when light levels decrease. Identify two additional phylogenetically independent contrasts that would increase your sample size. Species 1 Species 2 Sister species comparison 1 Sister species comparison 2 Independent contrast 1 Independent contrast 2 Figure 1. Partial phylogeny of the genus Polemonium. Ancestral species are indicated with filled circles and capital letters.

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Practical - sample exam questions

Course: Evolutionary Biology (BIOL 3300)

27 Documents
Students shared 27 documents in this course

University: University of Manitoba

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Sample Test Questions
Worley 1. Evidence for Evolution & History of Evolutionary Theory
1. Describe two types of evidence available to Darwin for change through time
and two types of evidence for common ancestry. Include examples for each.
2. Describe two type of evidence for evolution that have been discovered since the
publication of The Origin. Include an example for each.
3. Outline the conditions required for evolution by natural selection.
4. What were the two most important conceptual changes associated with Darwins
theory of evolution by natural selection?
5. What similarities in experience and education allowed both Darwin and Wallace
to identify natural selection as the mechanism of evolution?
6. What secular beliefs made it difficult for people to accept natural selection as the
mechanism of evolution?
7. Mendel’s work was rediscovered in 1900. Did the early geneticists immediately
accept Darwinism? Why or why not?

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