Basic Concepts in Genetics and Evolution Quiz

Gregor Mendel pioneered the study of heredity through his work with pea plants.

Heredity is the transmission of genetic traits from parents to offspring.

An allele is one of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome.

Meiosis is the type of cell division that produces gametes, each containing half the chromosome number of the parent cell.

Genetic drift refers to the random fluctuations of allele frequencies in a population due to chance events.

Photosynthesis is a biological process involving the conversion of light energy into chemical energy, not an evolutionary mechanism.

Biogeography examines the geographical distribution of plants and animals and the factors that influence their distribution.

Charles Darwin proposed the theory of natural selection in his seminal work 'On the Origin of Species.'

Adaptation refers to traits that enhance an organism's survival and reproduction in its environment, increasing its fitness.

Convergent evolution occurs when unrelated species evolve similar traits due to similar environmental pressures or niches.

Descent with modification, proposed by Charles Darwin, suggests that species evolve over time through natural selection.

Disruptive selection is a type of natural selection that favors the survival of individuals at both extremes of a trait's distribution.

The founder effect is a genetic drift scenario in which a small group of individuals establishes a new population isolated from the original population.

Gene flow is the transfer of genetic variation from one population to another through the movement of individuals or gametes.

Stabilizing selection is a type of natural selection that favors individuals with intermediate phenotypes and acts against those with extreme phenotypes.