Study Questions - Sexual Selection
Readings - nothing really in book
1. What is 'meiotic drive' (or 'segregation distortion')? How is such a gene maintained in a population, even though it is seelcted against? Provide an example.
2. Transposable elements are the best example of 'selfish genes' and gene selection. Explain this statement in the context of the negative effects they can have at the organismal level.
3. Organells that reproduce independent of cell division can be seelcted for their own reproductive success, even if it compromises the reproductive rate of their hosts. Descfribe the example with mitochondrial populations in yeast.
4. Cells replicate, too, independent of organismal reproduction. Describe how the unregulated growth and division of cells is balanced at the organismal level.
5. Kin selection is selection among kin groups, based on the inclusive fitness of individuals. Explain the trade-off where genes that reduce the fitness of the organism can actually be selected for at the kin-group level.
6. In group selection, a group of altruists might prosper over a group of cheaters. Describe the bacterial mat experiment in this context.
7. What is 'species selection', and how can it produce trends in evolution? Use sexual reproduction as an example.
8. How can the evolution of a characteristic affect a species likelihood of speciation? Use beetles as an example.