Transcript Chapter 2
Active Lecture Questions for
BIOLOGY, Eighth Edition
Neil Campbell & Jane Reece
Chapter 24
The Origin of Species
Questions prepared by
Jung Choi,
Georgia Institute of Technology
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Biological Species
Cynotilapia afra, introduced at West Thumbi Island in Lake
Malawi in the 1960s, has split into two genetically distinct
populations, located at the north and south ends of the
island. How can scientists determine whether these
populations are now different species?
a) See whether the two populations are morphologically different
from each other: coloring, bone structure, and so on.
b) Determine whether captured individuals from the two different
populations will mate and produce offspring in a laboratory
fishtank.
c) Determine whether gene flow occurs naturally between the
two different populations.
d) Determine whether individuals from one population will
interbreed with individuals from the other population when
introduced into each other’s native habitats.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Mechanism of Reproductive Isolation
If the two populations of C. afra at West Thumbi
Island have different striping patterns, what might
be a likely mechanism contributing to speciation?
a) polyploidy
b) female mating preferences
c) differing habitat preferences
d) temporal isolation
e) mechanical isolation
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Species Concepts
Which species concept(s) may be used to classify
prokaryotes?
a) biological species concept only
b) phylogenetic and morphological species concepts
c) ecological and phylogenetic species concepts
d) phylogenetic species concept only
e) ecological, morphological, and phylogenetic species
concepts
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Adaptive Radiation
Cichlids in Lake Victoria are thought to have
diversified from a relatively few individuals to several
hundred species in about 12,000 years (the last time the
lake dried up). How could this hypothesis be tested?
a) Examine the fossil record in lake sediments.
b) Look for morphological characteristics shared
among Lake Victoria species that are distinct from
the species present in other lakes.
c) Look for genetic characteristics shared among Lake
Victoria species that are distinct from species
present in other lakes.
d) This is not a testable hypothesis.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Mechanisms of Adaptation
In vertebrate radiation, exemplified by African
cichlids, modification of jaws occurs during
adaptation to different food sources. Such rapid
modifications could result from which of the
following?
a) changing the expression of genes that control the
growth of different jaw bones during development
b) evolving new genes that generate new jaw bones
c) acquiring genes by hybridizing with other species
that exploit the same food source
d) individuals exercising their jaw muscles in different
ways, causing the jaws to grow accordingly
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Allopatric Speciation
What characteristics of organisms would make
them more likely to undergo allopatric speciation?
a) large range
b) limited mobility
c) being a generalist rather than a specialist
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Speciation and Physical Environment
In what types of environments should a scientist
look for examples of ongoing speciation?
a) areas that have a large range of altitudes, such as
mountains and deep valleys
b) areas such as large plains that facilitate migration of
animals
c) extreme physical environments that are marginal for
supporting life
d) areas that are already species-rich
e) areas that have undergone recent environmental
disturbance or change
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Reproductive Isolation Mechanisms
Sea urchins are broadcast spawners: They release
their gametes into the water column. What
reproductive isolation mechanism(s) might operate
for sea urchin species?
a) behavioral isolation
b) mechanical isolation
c) gametic isolation
d) temporal isolation
e) postzygotic mechanisms
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Human Brain Evolution
A comparison of the human and chimpanzee genomes
shows that they are 99% identical, with very few
differences in protein coding genes. What mechanisms
may be responsible for evolution of the human brain?
a) One or a few novel genes organized new brain
structures.
b) The timing of the expression of brain development
genes altered.
c) Brain development genes acquired mutations that
made them more active in promoting brain growth.
d) Genes that had other functions acquired new
functions in brain development (exaptation).
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.