Which of the following is most likely to create genetic variation in a population?

A small number of lizards from a mainland population have been deposited on four isolated islands because of the effects of a rare strong storm. Which of the following best predicts the outcome of these lizards reproducing for many generations on the islands?

Some scientists claim that amphibians are currently experiencing a period of mass extinction. Which of the following should be included in an alternative hypothesis that would best support this claim?

______ is the enzyme used in the synthesis of mRNA.

_______ is the process in which naked DNA is taken up by a bacterial or yeast cell.

Ciprofloxacin is given as an antibiotic to healthy livestock to promote efficient weight gain. Strains of the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni naturally colonize the digestive tracts of livestock, and the C. jejuni can be transferred to people through the handling and consumption of contaminated meat. People infected with C. jejuni also are treated with ciprofloxacin. Which of the following is the most likely consequence of adding ciprofloxacin to animal feed?

The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a small fish found in both marine and freshwater environments. Marine stickleback populations consist mainly of individuals with armor-like plates covering most of their body surface (completely plated). Approximately 10,000 years ago, some marine sticklebacks colonized freshwater environments. After many generations in the freshwater environments, the freshwater stickleback populations lacked the armor plating (low plated) typical of marine stickleback populations. Over the period between 1957 and 2005, one freshwater population, in Lake Washington, a lake in a coastal region of the northwestern United States, changed from having a majority of individuals of the low-plated phenotype to having more individuals of the completely-plated phenotype than of the low-plated phenotype. Figure 1 shows the distribution of plated phenotypes in Lake Washington sticklebacks at four time points between 1957 and 2005. There are 5 tick marks along the horizontal axis. Centered between each tick mark, from left to right, are the numbers 1957, 1968, 1976, and 2005. The vertical axis is label Percentage of Fish, and the numbers appearing on it, from bottom to top, are zero,20, 40, 60, 80, and 100. The graph shows 11 bars and a key indicates black bars are completely plated, shaded bars are partially plated, and white bars are low plated. From left to right, the data reads as approximately:1957: completely plated,no bar; partially plated, 10; low plated, 90.1968: completely plated, 7; partially plated, 24; low plated 70. 1976: completely plated, 40; partially plated, 35; low plated 24. 2005: completely plated, 50; partially plated, 35; low plated 15. A single gene, ectodysplasin (EDA), is thought to be responsible for the variation in the number of armor plates in sticklebacks. Figure 2 shows a phylogenetic tree constructed by comparing DNA sequences of the EDA gene from a number of stickleback populations with low-plated or completely plated phenotypes. Figure 3 shows a phylogenetic tree constructed by comparing the sequences of 25 genes that were randomly selected from the same populations as shown in Figure 2. In both figures, shaded populations display the completely plated phenotype. The figures show two phylogenetic trees titled Figure 2, Phylogeny based on EDA gene only, and Figure 3, Phylogeny based on 25 random genes. Shaded populations indicated completely plated phenotypes. Figure 2 on the left divides Populations 1 through 8 as low plated, and Populations 9 through 15 as completely plated.A large branch connects all low plated phenotypes to all completely plated phenotypes. On the top branch, a tree connects Populations 1 and 2 only, and a branch then connects them to Population 3. A branch then connects Populations 1 through 3 to Population 4. A tree connects Populations 5 and 6 only, and a branch is then connected from Populations 5 and 6 to Populations 1 through 4. This tree is then connected to Population 7.On the bottom branch, a tree connects Populations 8 and 9, and a tree connects Populations 10 and 11. A branch then connects Populations 8 and 9 to Populations 10 and 11. This branch is then connected to Population 12. A tree connects Populations 8 through 12 to Population 13, a branch connects Population 14 to Populations 8 through 13, and a branch connects Population 15 to Populations 8 through 14. Figure 3 on the right has a tree that connects Population 15 to Populations one through 14. A tree connects Populations 4 and 6 and a single branch extends to the tree connecting Population 15 to Populations one through 14. A tree connects Populations 14 and 7, and a branch connects this set to Population 5. A branch then connects this set to Population 12, another branch connects this set to Population 13, and another branch connects this set to Population 8. A tree connects Populations 11 and 9, a branch connects this set to Population 10, another branch connects this set to Population 1, another branch connects this set to Population 3, and another branch connects this set to Population 2. A tree connects Populations 14, 7, 5, 12, 13, and 8 to Populations 11, 9, 10, 1, 3 and 2. Evolution of a new trait typically takes many generations. Yet a dramatic shift in the extent of armor plating in the Lake Washington stickleback population occurred in the 50 years following the cleanup of the lake. Which of the following best describes the mechanism of the rapid evolution of the armor phenotype in the Lake Washington sticklebacks?

Individuals of a particular species of ground beetle are either light tan or dark brown. Light-tan beetles are predominant in habitats with light-colored sandy soils, and dark-brown beetles are predominant in habitats with dark-colored loam soils. In an experiment designed to determine the survival rates of light-tan beetles and dark-brown beetles in different habitats, 500 light-tan beetles and 500 dark-brown beetles were released in each of four habitats. Each beetle had been marked with a small spot of red paint on the underside of its abdomen before it was released. One week after the beetles had been released, any marked beetles that could be found were recaptured. The results are presented in the table below. It is assumed that differences in the numbers of beetles recaptured are directly related to differences in survival rates. Columns 2 thru 5 have 2 sub-columns each. The top row contains the column labels: columns one is blank; Column two: Habitat 1: Sandy soil, no insectivorous birds present. Column three: Habitat 2: Sandy soil, insectivorous birds present. Column four: Habitat 3: Loam soil, no insectivorous birds present. Column five: Loam soil, insectivorous birds present. From top to bottom the data is as follows: Row two: Color of Beetle: Habitat 1, sub-column one, Light tan; sub-column two, Dark brown. Habitat 2, sub-column one, Light tan; sub-column two, Dark brown. Habitat 3, sub-column one, Light tan; sub-column two, Dark brown. Habitat 4, sub-column one, Light tan; sub-column two, Dark brown. Row three: Number Released: Habitat 1, sub-column one, five hundred; sub-column two, five hundred. Habitat 2, sub-column one, five hundred; sub-column two, five hundred. Habitat 3, sub-column one, five hundred; sub-column two, five hundred. Habitat 4, sub-column one, five hundred; sub-column two, five hundred. Row four: Number Recaptured: Habitat 1, sub-column one, one hundred thirty; sub-column two, one hundred fourteen. Habitat 2, sub-column one, one hundred twenty-three; sub-column two, twenty-two. Habitat 3, sub-column one, sixty-five; sub-column two, seventy-four. Habitat 4, sub-column one, thirteen; sub-column two, eighty-seven. If all insectivorous birds and remaining beetles were removed from habitat 2 and 500 additional dark-brown beetles and 500 additional light-tan beetles were then released into habitat 2, which of the following is the best estimate of the number of additional dark-brown beetles that would be expected to be recaptured in habitat 2 after one more week?

The TAS2R38 gene encodes a receptor protein that influences the ability to taste bitterness. The gene has two alleles: a dominant, wild-type allele that enables an individual (taster) to taste bitterness and a recessive, mutant allele that interferes with the ability of an individual (nontaster) to taste bitterness. Three single nucleotide mutations in the coding region of the TAS2R38 gene are associated with the nontaster allele. The nucleotides present at the three positions are shown in the table below. Nucleotide Variation in the TAS2R38 Gene Position in the Nucleotide Sequence 145 785 886 Human nontaster G T A Human taster C C G Bonobo C C G Chimpanzee C C G Gorilla C C G A cladogram representing the evolutionary relatedness of selected primates is shown below. From left to right, the branches are as follows: Orangutan, Gorilla, and Chimpanzee. Past the branches, the main line is labeled Human. Another branch, labeled Bonobo, is connected to the Chimpanzee branch. Toxic substances often have a bitter taste that causes animals who try to eat such substances to spit them out rather than swallow them. Additional data suggest that gorilla populations have a very low frequency of nontasters. Which of the following best describes the likely evolution of the TAS2R38 locus in the gorilla population?

The specimens are arranged in three rows that read: Bottom Row: Mussels, Giant Tubeworms, and Shrimp. Middle Row: Zoarcid Fish and Dandelion Siphonophores. Top Row: Octopuses and Blind Crabs. In the bottom row, there is one arrow from Mussels to Octopuses; there is one arrow from Giant Tubeworms to Zoarcid Fish; and there are three arrows from Shrimp to Zoarcid Fish, Dandelion Siphonophores, and Blind Crabs. In the middle row, there is one arrow from Zoarcid Fish to Octopuses; and there is one arrow from Dandelion Siphonophores to Blind Crabs. In the top row, there is one horizontal arrow from Blind Crabs to Octopuses. The food web above represents feeding relationships in a biological community near a deep-sea hydrothermal vent. Hydrothermal vents are geysers on the seafloor that gush super-heated, mineral-rich water. The seawater surrounding hydrothermal vents typically contains carbon dioxide (CO2), molecular hydrogen (H2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and methane (CH4). Sunlight, however, fails to reach the seafloor where deep-sea hydrothermal vents are located. As part of an investigation, researchers collected living specimens from an area near a deep-sea hydrothermal vent. Mussels in the collection were found to be dependent on molecular hydrogen in seawater. Also, the researchers discovered multiple species of bacteria living in the gills of the mussels. Mussels use gills for filter-feeding and gas exchange with the surrounding seawater. On the basis of their experimental results, the researchers hypothesized that some bacteria living in the gills of the mussels are capable of chemosynthesis. On the basis of the food web, which of the following members of a deep-sea biological community is most likely to also have a symbiotic relationship with chemosynthetic organisms?