Australian Marsupials have been geographically isolated from Placental mammals for ~50 million years. In that time, many species in both groups have independently evolved the same adaptations via convergent evolution. The analogous adaptations observed in Placental mammals and Marsupials are best explained by…

Some dinosaurs had small, fluffy feathers called “downy” feathers (similar to down feathers in a pillow), but lacked the type of feathers necessary for flight. These dinosaurs are believed to be the ancestors of modern birds, which have several types of feathers that allow them to fly.  How can we explain the evolution of an “intermediate” trait such as downy feather, if they were functionally useless for flight?

Roundworms are able to reproduce sexually or asexually. The graph below shows the results of an experiment that compared sexual reproduction rates in roundworm populations exposed to three different bacteria treatments: roundworm populations that were never exposed to bacteria (dotted black line) roundworm populations that were periodically exposed to bacteria that were allowed to evolve (solid black line) roundworm populations there were periodically exposed to bacteria that were not allowed to evolve (highlighted in red). In Treatment 3, the rate of sexual reproduction increased, but then, after 8 generations, decreased. What is the most likely cause of this decrease in sexual reproduction?

Florida panthers have been the target of major conservation efforts over the last few decades. Due to increasing development and habitat loss, their population has become fragmented into small reserves. This has resulted in these small, isolated populations becoming severely inbred. How does inbreeding threaten a population’s health? To counter the effects of habitat fragmentation, conservation biologists are developing corridors to allow individuals to move between these isolated populations. These corridors will promote , which will increase genetic variation and reduce inbreeding.

Following selection, 80% of individuals with the “AA” genotype survive, all “Aa” individuals survive and 40% of “aa” individuals survive. Their respective relative fitnesses are…

Which of the following are required for the evolution of reciprocal altruism? Select two correct answers.

The “Out-of-Africa” hypothesis—that the human species originated in Africa and later spread around the world—makes several testable predictions about the distribution of human fossils and genetic variation. What result below would NOT support the “Out-of-Africa” hypothesis?

A taxonomist might use the “molecular clock” technique to…

CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER Use the table below to transcribe and translate the following DNA sequence and identify the final polypeptide strand. DNA: 3′ – TTGCGACCAGGGAACCGA – 5′

Which of the following are required for the evolution of reciprocal altruism? Select two correct answers.