Anth 450 Modern Human Biological Variation
Dr. Darlene Applegate
Fall 2007
Review Materials for Final Exam
Study Guide
Practice
Questions
STUDY GUIDE
MATERIAL COVERED
- Population Studies
- Polymorphisms
- Variation in Polygenic Traits
- Adaptation to Environmental Stress
- Behavioral Genetics
POPULATION
STUDIES
- What is genetic distance? How is genetic distance calculated? How
are genetic distances represented?
- What is a haplotype? What is a haplogroup?
- What is the genotypic and phenotypic evidence for the origin and
history of Native Americans?
POLYMORPHISMS
- What do the following terms mean?
- polymorphism
- transient polymorphism
- balancing polymorphism
- replacement polymorphism
- heterosis
- frequency-dependent selection
- directional selection
- haplogroup
- haplotype
- antigen
- What minimum allele frequencies are required for a trait to be
polymorphic?
- How common are
polymorphic traits in humans?
- How does a polymorphism originate? How is a polymorphism
maintained?
- Regarding the sickle allele polymorphism ...
- What is the physiological function of hemoglobin?
- How did the sickle allele arise?
- What effect does the sickle allele have on the morphology and
physiological function of hemoglobin?
- What major health problems are associated with sickle cell
disease?
- How do fitness values vary polytypically for the three sickle
cell hemoglobin genotypes?
- In what populations does a polymorphism exist for the sickle
cell allele?
- What are the evolutionary explanations for this polymorphism?
- Regarding the ABO blood group polymorphism ...
- Including the two most common subgroups of allele A, what
genotypes are possible for the four blood phenotypes in the ABO system?
- How do antibodies respond to foreign substances in the body?
- Which allele is most common among human populations? What is
the range in this allele frequency? In which populations is the allele
frequency the highest?
- What is the relationship between disease and ABO polymorphisms?
VARIATION IN POLYGENIC TRAITS
- What do the following terms mean?
- polygenic trait
- canalization
- secularization (secular change) (see Chapter
10)
- What are examples of human polygenic traits?
- How are polygenic traits inherited?
- What is the relative contribution of genetics vs. environment in
the expression of polygenic traits?
- What is the difference between narrow-sense heritability and
broad-sense heritability? (see Chapter 9)
- How is human body morphology
quantified/measured? (see Chapter 10)
- How do human
populations vary in overall body morphology (Bergmann's rule) and
appendage
(Allen's rule) morphology?
- How do human populations
vary in skin pigmentation? (see Chapter
11)
ADAPTATION
TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS
- What do the following terms mean?
- adaptation (noun and verb)
- physiological adaptation
- developmental adaptation
- genetic adaptation
- behavioral adaptation
- cultural adaptation
- acclimatization (acclimation)
- hypoxia
- What are the five types of human adaptation (listed above)? What
are examples of each?
- What are types of environmental stresses to which humans must
adapt?
- What are the primary fitness issues or problems with heat stress?
Cold stress? High altitude stress?
- How do humans adapt to heat stress? Cold stress? Hypoxia?
- Why do human populations
vary in overall body morphology and
appendage morphology?
- Why do human populations
vary in skin pigmentation? (see Chapter
11 and focus only on the most widely accepted hypotheses)
BEHAVIORAL GENETICS
- What types of questions are investigated in behavioral genetics?
- What are the two approaches or methods used in behavioral
genetics?
- According to the "human violence is innate" school, why are
humans
violent?
According to the "human violence is learned" school, why are humans
violent?
- What biological correlates are there for sexual orientation? What
are the evolutionary implications of homosexuality? (see Chapter
13)
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
1. Genetic distances are
calculated based on
of several
populations.
A. genotype frequencies
B. allele frequencies
C. gene frequencies
D. phenotype frequencies
E. Any of these
frequencies may be used.
2. Which of the following is(are) an allele(s) found
almost exclusively among Native Americans and populations in the
area(s) from which Native Americans likely derived?
A. S
B. A1, A2
C. Dia
D. N
E. Ka, Kb
3. What is the minimum allele frequency (of the least
common allele) required for a trait to be considered polymorphic?
A. 0.001
B. 0.005
C. 0.01
D. 0.05
E. 0.1
4. The O allele is the most common among all humans
for the ABO gene locus. What is the allele frequency range for O?
A. 0.20 to 0.38
B. 0.60 to 0.90
C. 0.55 to 0.80
D. 0.40 to 1.00
E. 0.63 to 0.75
5. All of the following are polygenic traits in
humans except
A. body form.
B. nose shape.
C. skin pigmentation.
D. facial shape.
E. tongue rolling.
6. Regarding adaptation,
A. physiological,
genetic, and developmental adaptations are irreversible.
B. physiological,
genetic, and developmental adaptations are biologically based.
C. behavioral and
sociological adaptations are culturally based.
D. physiological,
developmental, and behavioral adaptations operate on the group level.
E. All of these are
correct.
7. True or False: Genetic distances are represented
using matrices, dendrograms, scatter plots, and regression formulas.
8. True or False: A haplogroup, which is used in population
studies, is a set of alleles from linked gene loci that are inherited
as a unit from one parent.
9. True or False: Many disease-causing pathogens resemble
A-B-O antigens and, in persons with the appropriate blood types, are
not recognized as foreign substances to which the immune system should
respond.
10. True or False: Physiological adaptations
to heat stress are vasodilation and sweating, while physiological
adaptations to cold stress are vasoconstriction, shivering, insulation,
and increased basal metabolic rate.
Click here for answers to sample
objective questions.
ESSAY
QUESTIONS
1. Discuss the sickle cell polymorphism in humans, including how
it originated, how it affects human physiology and health, polytypic
variation in fitness values, polytypic variation in allele frequencies,
and why it became established.
2. Discuss the fitness issues associated with high altitude
stress and discuss the biological adaptations to hypoxia.
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