Plasmids are often used to transfer genes from one organism to another. In this capacity the plasmid acts as a __________.
Vector
What is the purpose of PCR?
To create multiple copies of DNA in a very short period of time
How does natural selection work?
Those individuals with favorable traits for an environment are more likely to survive and pass on those traits to offspring.
The front leg of a cat and the wing of a bat both have the same bones in the same order. This is an example of a ________ _________.
Homologous structure
Why do organisms have to compete for resources?
There are more of them than resources to go around
What is microevolution?
Evolution that changes frequency of alleles in a population.
Why do flies have so many offspring?
Because most won't survive.
Any characteristic that improves the survival of the organism is considered an
Adaptation
What is a gene pool?
All the alleles in a population
Name the key observations that helped Darwin develop his theory of evolution:
1. Organisms produce more offspring than can survive
2. Competition for resources
3. Variation within a species
4. Those individuals with traits that are favorable for a particular environment are more likely to survive and produce offspring (natural selection)
When we speak of evolution, what actually evolves?
Populations or species
A flock of Canadian Geese from Noth Dakota permanently relocates to Cache Valley where they integrate with the established populations of Canandian Geese. What mechanism of microevolution does this illustrate?
Gene flow
The Californian Condor has a very small gene pool. What happened to cause this?
Genetic bottleneck
List some lines of evidence that support evolution:
After the drought on the Galapagos Island of Daphne Major the only seeds available for the medium ground finch were larger than they normally ate. Within a couple of generations the beaks of the finch populations were larger. This is a case of natual selection. What "selected" for larger beaks?
The seed size - in this case, the larger seeds.
An example of _________ ________, is when a female picks up a specific male to mate with.
Sexual Selection
_________ are the original source of genetic variation within a population.
Mutations
Genetic drift causes random changes in _______ frequency.
Allele
What happens to the gene pool following a bottleneck?
It becomes smaller
Why are poodles, labs, and dalmations all considered the same species?
They can normally interbreed with one another and have fertile offspring.
What makes up the scientific name to an organism?
Genus and Species
Define macroevolution:
Evolution that results in the formation of a new species.
What type of features is oftern seen in convergent evolution?
Analogous
The formation of new species without geographic isolation is called
sympatric speciation.
List the types of prezygotic barriers:
1. Temporal
2. Ecological
3. Behavioral
4. Mechanical
5. Gametic
List the types of poszygotic barriers:
1. Hybrid inviability
2. Hybrid sterility
3. Hybrid breakdown
The endemic fish found in Bear Lake are probably a result of _________ speciation
Allopatric
Polyploidy is most commonly seen in _______.
plants
For speciation to occur there needs to be barriers to _________.
reproduction
What happens to the gene pool following a bottleneck?
It gets smaller
What is the genus for the Atlantic spotted dolphin with the scientific name Stenella frontalis?
Stenella
Give an example of a housekeeping gene:
gene used to make enzymes necessary for cellualr respiration
Where do the signals that control gene expression come from?
Internal and external environment
For a gene to be expressed it has to be ________ so that transcriptions can take place.
unpacked
What are the types of non-coding DNA?
transposons
introns
spacer DNA
When a homeotic gene is wworking correctly it will start gene ________.