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Overview of Evolution quiz #1 Flashcards

Overview of Evolution quiz #1
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  • Generation-to-generation change in the allele frequencies in a population is called _____.
    Evolution.
  • What are the three main principles that drive the process of evolution?
    Variation, heredity, and selection are the three main principles that drive evolution.
  • How does heredity contribute to evolution in a population?
    Heredity ensures that offspring resemble their parents more than unrelated individuals, allowing inherited variation to persist in the population.
  • Why is variation important for natural selection to occur?
    Variation provides different traits among individuals, some of which may offer advantages for survival and reproduction, allowing natural selection to act.
  • What is genetic drift and how does it influence evolution?
    Genetic drift is the random passing on of alleles in a population, which can lead to changes in allele frequencies and contribute to evolution, especially through neutral mutations.
  • What is a neutral mutation and where do most occur?
    A neutral mutation does not change the amino acid sequence of a protein and most occur in non-coding regions like introns.
  • How can genetic drift lead to species divergence?
    Genetic drift can randomly fix or lose neutral mutations in populations, leading to genetic differences and eventual species divergence.
  • What is the difference between single-step and cumulative selection in evolution?
    Single-step selection involves a beneficial mutation occurring all at once, while cumulative selection accumulates beneficial changes over multiple generations.
  • How does the infinite monkey hypothesis illustrate cumulative selection?
    The hypothesis shows that repeated selection of the best outcomes over many rounds leads to complex results more efficiently than waiting for a perfect outcome in one random step.
  • Why is cumulative selection generally favored over single-step selection in evolutionary processes?
    Cumulative selection is favored because it allows natural selection to progressively improve adaptations over generations, making evolution faster and more efficient.