Population Genetics Quizzes: Test Your Understanding

Question 1

What is a primary cause of genetic drift in a population?

Accepted Answer

Small population size

Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Non-random mating

Answer

Strong natural selection

Question 2

Which of the following populations is more susceptible to experiencing genetic drift?

Accepted Answer

A small, isolated population

Answer

A large, randomly mating population

Answer

A population with a high mutation rate

Answer

A population with a high gene flow rate

Question 3

Which of the following is not a mechanism of genetic drift?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Founder effect

Answer

Bottleneck effect

Answer

Isolation by distance

Question 4

Which of the following factors can increase the effective population size?

Accepted Answer

Greater number of breeding individuals

Answer

Increased gene flow

Answer

Reduced allele frequency variance

Answer

Stronger natural selection

Question 5

Genetic drift can have both positive and negative effects on populations. True or False?

Accepted Answer

True

Answer

False

Question 6

The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium describes a population that is:

Accepted Answer

Not evolving

Answer

Evolving rapidly

Answer

At risk of extinction

Answer

Experiencing a bottleneck effect

Question 7

Genetic drift is most likely to occur in:

Accepted Answer

Small populations

Answer

Large populations

Answer

Populations with high mutation rates

Answer

Populations with low genetic diversity

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a factor influencing the rate of genetic drift?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Population size

Answer

Mutation rate

Answer

Gene flow

Question 9

Which evolutionary force is not random?

Accepted Answer

Selection

Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Gene flow

Question 10

The founder effect is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Non-random genetic drift

Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Gene duplication

Question 11

In a population that is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, what is the expected genotype distribution?

Accepted Answer

p^2 AA : 2pq Aa : q^2 aa

Answer

p^2 AA : q^2 aa

Answer

p AA : q Aa

Answer

p^2 AA : p^2 Aa : q^2 aa

Question 12

What is the primary effect of genetic drift on allele frequencies in a population?

Accepted Answer

It randomizes allele frequencies

Answer

It increases allele frequencies

Answer

It decreases allele frequencies

Answer

It has no effect on allele frequencies

Question 13

What is the bottleneck effect?

Accepted Answer

A sudden reduction in population size

Answer

A gradual increase in population size

Answer

The random drift of alleles through a population

Answer

The non-random mating of individuals within a population

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of gene flow?

Accepted Answer

Migration

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Natural selection

Question 15

What is the primary effect of gene flow on allele frequencies in a population?

Accepted Answer

It can increase or decrease allele diversity depending on the direction of gene flow and the allele frequencies in the source and recipient populations

Answer

It increases allele diversity

Answer

It decreases allele diversity

Answer

It has no effect on allele diversity

Question 16

What is the primary role of reproductive isolation in speciation?

Accepted Answer

It prevents gene flow between populations

Answer

It increases genetic diversity within populations

Answer

It promotes natural selection within populations

Answer

It has no role in speciation

Question 17

How can knowledge of genetic drift guide conservation strategies?

Accepted Answer

Identify populations vulnerable to genetic drift.

Accepted Answer

Promote gene flow to minimize genetic drift.

Answer

Prioritize preserving individuals with common alleles.

Answer

Disregard genetic drift in conservation planning.

Question 18

In a population at equilibrium according to the Hardy-Weinberg principle, what is the proportion of homozygous recessive individuals?

Accepted Answer

q^2

Answer

p^2

Answer

2pq

Answer

0

Question 19

Which of the following processes leads to a reduction in genetic diversity within a population?

Accepted Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Selection

Question 20

The effective population size represents:

Accepted Answer

The number of individuals actively contributing to the gene pool

Answer

The total number of individuals in the population

Answer

The number of possible genotypes in the population

Answer

The average number of offspring produced by each individual

Question 21

The founder effect is a phenomenon that can occur when:

Accepted Answer

A small group establishes a new population, leading to reduced genetic diversity

Answer

A large group establishes a new population, leading to increased genetic diversity

Answer

A population becomes isolated, leading to increased genetic diversity

Answer

A population becomes isolated, leading to reduced genetic diversity

Question 22

How can genetic engineering techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas9, affect the genetic variation within populations?

Accepted Answer

Increase genetic diversity by introducing new alleles.

Accepted Answer

Reduce genetic diversity by removing alleles linked to undesirable traits.

Answer

Have no effect on the genetic diversity of populations.

Answer

Be used exclusively to alter human genomes.

Question 23

In small populations, genetic drift can have a significant impact. Which of the following is a potential consequence of genetic drift?

Accepted Answer

Loss of genetic diversity

Answer

Increased genetic diversity

Answer

Directional selection

Answer

Stabilizing selection

Question 24

Bottlenecks are a specific type of genetic drift that can significantly alter the genetic composition of a population. Which of the following is a mechanism that can cause a bottleneck?

Accepted Answer

A drastic reduction in population size due to a natural disaster

Answer

Natural selection favoring a particular phenotype

Answer

Gene flow between two populations

Answer

Epistasis between multiple genes

Question 25

In a population, the frequency of the dominant allele (A) is 0.8. What is the probability that an individual in this population will be homozygous recessive (aa)?

Accepted Answer

0.04

Answer

0.16

Answer

0.64

Answer

0.40

Question 26

Which of the following is a measure of the genetic variation within a population?

Accepted Answer

Heterozygosity

Answer

Linkage disequilibrium

Answer

Mutation rate

Answer

Effective population size

Question 27

Which of the following is an example of a selective pressure that can influence the genetic variation within a population?

Accepted Answer

Predation

Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Random mating

Question 28

In population genetics, what is a neutral allele?

Accepted Answer

An allele that does not affect the fitness of an individual

Answer

An allele that is always recessive

Answer

An allele that is always dominant

Question 29

Which of the following is a consequence of bottlenecks on genetic variation within a population?

Accepted Answer

Reduced genetic variation

Answer

Increased genetic variation

Answer

Directional selection

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT a requirement for a population to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

Accepted Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Random mating

Answer

Large population size

Answer

No mutations

Question 31

A small, isolated finch population experiences a severe storm, significantly reducing its size. Which evolutionary force is most likely to have the greatest impact on the genetic diversity of this finch population?

Accepted Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Mutation

Question 32

A bacterial population is exposed to a new antibiotic, resulting in the survival of only those bacteria with resistance. Which evolutionary process is primarily responsible for this outcome?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Mutation

Question 33

A group of individuals from a mainland population establish a new population on an isolated island, introducing new alleles into the island population. Which evolutionary force is responsible for this change?

Accepted Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Genetic drift

Question 34

In a lizard population, individuals with longer legs are more successful in catching prey. Over time, the average leg length in the population increases. What evolutionary mechanism is driving this change?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Mutation

Question 35

A fruit fly population is exposed to a new pesticide, leading to an increase in the frequency of individuals with a gene for pesticide resistance. What is the most likely explanation for this increase?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Gene flow

Question 36

In a snail population with two alleles for shell color (brown: B, white: b), the frequency of the brown allele (B) is 0.7. Assuming Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, what is the expected frequency of heterozygous individuals (Bb) in this population?

Accepted Answer

0.42

Answer

0.91

Answer

0.7

Answer

0.21

Question 37

A population of butterflies exhibits a 60% frequency of blue wing color and a 40% frequency of red wing color. Assuming this trait is controlled by a single gene with two alleles, what is the frequency of the allele for blue wings?

Accepted Answer

0.6

Answer

0.8

Answer

0.7

Answer

0.4

Question 38

A small, isolated population of rabbits experiences a significant reduction in size due to a disease outbreak. Which evolutionary force is most likely to act on the population's gene pool in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Mutations

Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Gene flow

Question 39

Two populations of birds, initially of the same species, have become geographically separated and evolved distinct traits over time. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Allopatric speciation

Answer

Adaptive radiation

Answer

Convergent evolution

Answer

Sympatric speciation

Question 40

A population of flowers relies on a specific insect for pollination. The insect preferentially visits flowers with a particular flower color. Over time, the population exhibits an increased frequency of that flower color. This change is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Directional selection

Answer

Stabilizing selection

Answer

Disruptive selection

Question 41

The introduction of a new allele into a population through migration is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Recombination

Answer

Genetic drift

Question 42

In a population of mice, the allele for brown fur (B) is dominant over the allele for white fur (b). If the frequency of the B allele is 0.7, what is the expected frequency of the bb genotype?

Accepted Answer

0.09

Answer

0.49

Answer

0.21

Answer

0.7

Question 43

Which of the following statements accurately describes genetic drift?

Accepted Answer

It is more pronounced in populations with smaller sizes.

Answer

It is primarily driven by environmental pressures.

Answer

It consistently leads to an increase in genetic diversity.

Answer

It is a predictable force of evolution.