Study Questions - Seelction in Nature
Relevant Readings: chapter 8, 4
1) Variation at the molecular level is certainly NOT all adaptive - what predictions does the neutral model make about this variation that are supported?
2) What prediction does the neutral model make about susbstitution in proteins that is falsified?
3) How does the 'nearly neutral' model solve this dilemma?
4) In what way can 'synonymous' mutations in introns or exons change gene expression and therefor NOT be entirely neutral?
5) Which of these is capitalized, and which are italicized? At least one is neither. The names/words are: homo sapiens ..... hominidae .... hominid.
6) Distinguish between monophyletic, paraphyletic, and polyphyletic. Which is 'not allowed', which is preferred, and which is allowed under ceratin circumstances?
7) What is needed in order to 'root' an unrooted tree?
8) Define plesiomorphy, apomorphy, synapomorphy, and autoapomorphy
9) What is 'Occam's Razor' and 'parsimony'?
10) What is a polytomy, and why do they arise? How might they be resolved?