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The population of Japanese sika deer in central Japan was determined each year from 2005 to 2014. The sika deer population underwent logistic growth starting at 26,000 deer in 2005 and stabilized at 58,000 deer between 2012 and 2014. Based on these data, the rmax for this population was determined to be 0.57. Central Japan contains a variety of habitats, including forests and grasslands. Sika deer benefit from the resources in grasslands more than forests; if deforestation occurred, producing more grasslands in the region, the carrying capacity for sika deer population would increase. What would the population size of sika deer be one year after the carrying capacity increased to 70,000 as a result of deforestation? Assume rmax does not change.

More than 90 percent of the nitrogenous waste that is processed and excreted by humans is derived from the breakdown of proteins. Most of the remaining nitrogenous waste material is derived from the breakdown of

The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a small fish found in both marine and freshwater environments. Marine stickleback populations consist mainly of individuals with armor-like plates covering most of their body surface (completely plated). Approximately 10,000 years ago, some marine sticklebacks colonized freshwater environments. After many generations in the freshwater environments, the freshwater stickleback populations lacked the armor plating (low plated) typical of marine stickleback populations. Over the period between 1957 and 2005, one freshwater population, in Lake Washington, a lake in a coastal region of the northwestern United States, changed from having a majority of individuals of the low-plated phenotype to having more individuals of the completely-plated phenotype than of the low-plated phenotype. Figure 1 shows the distribution of plated phenotypes in Lake Washington sticklebacks at four time points between 1957 and 2005. There are 5 tick marks along the horizontal axis. Centered between each tick mark, from left to right, are the numbers 1957, 1968, 1976, and 2005. The vertical axis is label Percentage of Fish, and the numbers appearing on it, from bottom to top, are zero,20, 40, 60, 80, and 100. The graph shows 11 bars and a key indicates black bars are completely plated, shaded bars are partially plated, and white bars are low plated. From left to right, the data reads as approximately:1957: completely plated,no bar; partially plated, 10; low plated, 90.1968: completely plated, 7; partially plated, 24; low plated 70. 1976: completely plated, 40; partially plated, 35; low plated 24. 2005: completely plated, 50; partially plated, 35; low plated 15. A single gene, ectodysplasin (EDA), is thought to be responsible for the variation in the number of armor plates in sticklebacks. Figure 2 shows a phylogenetic tree constructed by comparing DNA sequences of the EDA gene from a number of stickleback populations with low-plated or completely plated phenotypes. Figure 3 shows a phylogenetic tree constructed by comparing the sequences of 25 genes that were randomly selected from the same populations as shown in Figure 2. In both figures, shaded populations display the completely plated phenotype. The figures show two phylogenetic trees titled Figure 2, Phylogeny based on EDA gene only, and Figure 3, Phylogeny based on 25 random genes. Shaded populations indicated completely plated phenotypes. Figure 2 on the left divides Populations 1 through 8 as low plated, and Populations 9 through 15 as completely plated.A large branch connects all low plated phenotypes to all completely plated phenotypes. On the top branch, a tree connects Populations 1 and 2 only, and a branch then connects them to Population 3. A branch then connects Populations 1 through 3 to Population 4. A tree connects Populations 5 and 6 only, and a branch is then connected from Populations 5 and 6 to Populations 1 through 4. This tree is then connected to Population 7.On the bottom branch, a tree connects Populations 8 and 9, and a tree connects Populations 10 and 11. A branch then connects Populations 8 and 9 to Populations 10 and 11. This branch is then connected to Population 12. A tree connects Populations 8 through 12 to Population 13, a branch connects Population 14 to Populations 8 through 13, and a branch connects Population 15 to Populations 8 through 14. Figure 3 on the right has a tree that connects Population 15 to Populations one through 14. A tree connects Populations 4 and 6 and a single branch extends to the tree connecting Population 15 to Populations one through 14. A tree connects Populations 14 and 7, and a branch connects this set to Population 5. A branch then connects this set to Population 12, another branch connects this set to Population 13, and another branch connects this set to Population 8. A tree connects Populations 11 and 9, a branch connects this set to Population 10, another branch connects this set to Population 1, another branch connects this set to Population 3, and another branch connects this set to Population 2. A tree connects Populations 14, 7, 5, 12, 13, and 8 to Populations 11, 9, 10, 1, 3 and 2. Evolution of a new trait typically takes many generations. Yet a dramatic shift in the extent of armor plating in the Lake Washington stickleback population occurred in the 50 years following the cleanup of the lake. Which of the following best describes the mechanism of the rapid evolution of the armor phenotype in the Lake Washington sticklebacks?

Simpsons Diversity Index is a way to quantify the diversity of a community.  The equation can be written as: D = N(N-1) / ∑ n ( n– 1)  Where: D = Diversity index N = Total number of individuals of all species n = Number of individuals of a specific species   Community A has 3 species (A, B, C). There are 5 individuals of each species. (N=15) Community B has 6 species (A, B, C, D, E). There are 3 individuals each of species A, B, and C. There are 2 individuals each of species D, E, and F. (N=15) Community C has 5 species (A, B, C, D, E). There are 3 individuals each of species. (N=15)   Which community has the highest species diversity?  

Commercial bananas are grown as a monoculture, with all banana plants cloned from one original banana plant. The commercial strains of bananas are seedless, so each new banana plant has to be manually planted from a cutting of an existing banana root. In the 1950s, the Gros Michel banana strain, the dominant export banana at that time, was destroyed by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. A new Fusarium resistant variety, the Cavendish banana, was developed and is currently the banana strain grown for export. Recently, a Fusarium strain that successfully attacks the Cavendish strain has been documented. Which of the following best provides reasoning supporting a method that would help protect commercial banana crops from infection by pathogenic organisms such as Fusarium fungi?

The enzyme lactase aids in the digestion of lactose, a sugar found in the milk of most mammals. In most mammal species, adults do not produce lactase. Continuing to produce lactase into adulthood in people is called lactase persistence. A number of different alleles have been identified that result in lactase persistence. Figure 1 shows the percentage of people in different geographic areas parts of the Old World that exhibit lactase persistence. of Europe, most of Africa, and parts of Asia with distributions of 5 ranges of percent of lactase persistence across the regions. The ranges of percent are 81 to 100 percent, 61 to 80 percent, 41 to 60 percent, 21 to 40 percent, and 0 to 20 percent. The smallest portion of the map is in the 81 to 100 percent range and represents all of the United Kingdom, Denmark, small regions of southern Sweden, and small parts of western Norway. A small portion of the map is in the 61 to 80 percent range and represents most of northern Europe, including the rest of Sweden, Norway, regions of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Northern Germany, Northern France, and also Senegal in Africa. A large portion of the map is in the 41 to 60 percent range and represents the rest of Western Europe, central Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Pakistan. The largest portion of the map is in the 21 to 40 percent range and represents northern and southern Africa, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, parts of Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and almost all of Russia. A small portion of the map is in the 0 to 20 percent range and represents a small region in western Russia, a large portion of Kazakhstan, and southern Spain. Figure 1. Distribution of lactase persistence in Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia Which of the following best explains the distribution of lactase persistence in the areas shown in Figure 1 ?

A new mutation that arose in one copy of gene X in a somatic cell resulted in the formation of a tumor. Which of the following pieces of evidence best describes how the new mutation directly caused the tumor?

A survey reveals that 25 percent of a population of 1,000 individuals have attached earlobes (are homozygous recessivefor the trait). For the following questions, assume that the population fits the parameters of the Hardy-Weinberg law. Unlike most natural populations, this population is best characterized in which of the following ways?

To investigate the influence of predation risk on ray behavior, a student observed and counted the large marine animals swimming in a shallow, nearshore section of a coral reef ecosystem. The time of each observation was recorded relative to the time of high tide. The student noted that at low tide, when the water level is low, many of the large animals are forced out of the study area and into the deeper waters of the outer reef. During high tides, when the water level is high, the large animals are able to reenter the study area. Over a three-day period, the student observed a total of 604 individual rays belonging to three species: cowtail rays, giant shovelnose rays, and black stingrays. For each ray that was sighted, its body length was estimated and its status as either alone (ungrouped) or found with other rays (grouped) was noted. Occasionally, rays were observed sifting through the sandy substrate of the study area to capture food items such as molluscs and crustaceans. In one instance, an injured ray with bite marks that were likely sustained in a shark attack was sighted. In addition to the rays, the student observed lemon sharks (n = 46) and blacktip reef sharks (n = 39). The results of the study are presented in the figures below. The horizontal axis is labeled “Mean Body Length, in meters,” and the numbers 0 through 1.5, in increments of 0.5, are indicated. The vertical axis gives the three categories of the graph, each of which contains two subcategories. The three categories are Cowtail Rays, Giant Shovelnose Rays, and Black Stingrays. The subcategories are Ungrouped and Grouped. The data are presented as follows. Note that all values are approximate. Cowtail Rays: Ungrouped have a mean body length of 1.5 meters, and the error bar spans plus or minus 0.03. Grouped have a mean body length of 1.35 meters, and the error spans plus or minus 0.05. Giant Shovelnose Rays: Ungrouped have a mean body length of 1.6 meters, and the error bar spans plus or minus 0.04. Grouped have a mean body length of 1.35 meters, and the error spans plus or minus 0.08. Black Stingrays: Ungrouped have a mean body length of 1.4 meters, and the error bar spans plus or minus 0.02. Grouped have a mean body length of 1.3 meters, and the error spans plus or minus 0.05. Figure 1. Comparison of mean body lengths of the grouped and ungrouped rays that were observed in a nearshore section of a coral reef ecosystem. Error bars represent 2SEx̄ The graph shows the mean number of rays per group in the study area relative to stages of the tide cycle. The horizontal axis is labeled “Time Relative to High Tide, in hours,” and the numbers negative 3 through positive 1, in increments of 1, are indicated. The vertical axis is labeled “Mean Group Size,” and the numbers 0 through 6, in increments of 1, are indicated. The line is composed of five points connected by line segments, and error bars are shown for each point. The five points are listed as follows. Note that all values are approximate. Point 1. Time relative to High Tide, negative 3 hours. Mean Group Size, 0.9 plus or minus 0 point 4. Point 2. Time relative to High Tide, negative 2 hours. Mean Group Size, 2 point 5 plus or minus 0 point 2. Point 3. Time relative to High Tide, negative 1 hours. Mean Group Size, 4 point 4 plus or minus 0 point 9. Point 4. Time relative to High Tide, 0 hours. Mean Group Size, 4 point 6 plus or minus 0 point 1. Point 5. Time relative to High Tide, positive 1 hours. Mean Group Size, 3 point 6 plus or minus 0 point 3. Figure 2. Mean numbers of rays per group in the study area at different stages of the tide cycle. High tide occurs at T = 0 hours. The graph shows the relative proportions of rays in groups at different stages of the tide cycle. A key indicates that three different lines represent giant shovelnose rays or black stingrays or cowtail rays. The horizontal axis is labeled “Time relative to High Tide, in hours,” and the numbers negative 3 through positive 1, in increments of 1, are indicated. The vertical axis is labeled “Relative Proportion of Rays Found in Groups” and has an arrowhead at the top end. The line for each type of ray is composed of five points connected by line segments, and error bars are shown for most points. The data for each time point are as follows. Point 1. Time relative to High Tide, negative 3 hours. The proportion of each type of ray is similar, and there are very few of each type. Point 2. Time relative to High Tide, negative 2 hours. The number of cowtail rays increased slightly, and there are about twice as many giant shovelnose rays and six times as many black stingrays as cowtail rays. Error bars are shown for only the cowtail rays and giant shovelnose rays. The upper end of the cowtail rays error bar touches the lower end of the giant shovelnose rays error bar. Point 3. Time relative to High Tide, negative 1 hours. The number of cowtail rays is double the number at negative two hours, and there are about three times as many giant shovelnose rays and five times as many black stingrays as cowtail rays. Error bars are shown for each point. The error bar range for the cowtail rays is very narrow; the error bars for the black stingrays and giant shovelnose rays are broad, but do not overlap. Point 4. Time relative to High Tide, 0 hours. The number of cowtail rays is about three quarters the number at negative one hours, and there are about twelve times as many giant shovelnose rays and nine times as many black stingrays as cowtail rays. The error bar range for the cowtail rays is very narrow; the error bars for the black stingrays and giant shovelnose rays are broad, and the upper end of the black stingrays error bar touches the lower end of the giant shovelnose rays error bar. Point 5. Time relative to High Tide, positive 1 hours. The number of cowtail rays is just slightly greater than the number at 0 hours, and there are about seven times as many giant shovelnose rays and five times as many black stingrays as cowtail rays. The error bar range for the cowtail rays is very narrow; the error bars for the black stingrays and giant shovelnose rays are broad, and the upper end of the black stingrays error bar touches the lower end of the giant shovelnose rays error bar. Figure 3. Relative proportions of rays in groups at different stages of the tide cycle for each of the three different populations. High tide occurs at T = 0 hours. The graph shows the mean numbers of lemon sharks and blacktip reef sharks at different stages of the tide cycle. A key indicates that one line represents lemon sharks, and the other line represents blacktip reef sharks. The horizontal axis is labeled “Time Relative to High Tide, in hours,” and the numbers negative 3 through positive 1, in increments of 1, are indicated. The vertical axis is labeled “Mean Number of Sharks,” and the numbers 0 through 10, in increments of 1, are indicated. The two curves are composed of five points connected by line segments. No error bars are shown. The five points of each line are listed as follows. Note that all values are approximate. The following five points are indicated on the line representing lemon sharks. Point 1. Time relative to High Tide, negative 3 hours. Mean Number of Sharks, 4.2. Point 2. Time relative to High Tide, negative 2 hours. Mean Number of Sharks, 9. Point 3. Time relative to High Tide, negative 1 hours. Mean Number of Sharks, 1.5. Point 4. Time relative to High Tide, 0 hours. Mean Number of Sharks, 0. Point 5. Time relative to High Tide, positive 1 hours. Mean Number of Sharks, 1. The following five points are indicated on the line representing blacktip reef sharks. Point 1. Time relative to High Tide, negative 3 hours, Mean Number of Sharks, 0.3. Point 2. Time relative to High Tide, negative 2 hours, Mean Number of Sharks, 0.3. Point 3. Time relative to High Tide, negative 1 hour, Mean Number of Sharks, 4. Point 4. Time relative to High Tide, 0 hours, Mean Number of Sharks, 7. Point 5. Time relative to High Tide, positive 1 hour, Mean Number of Sharks, 9. Figure 4. Mean numbers of lemon sharks and blacktip reef sharks in the study area at different stages of the tide cycle. High tide occurs at T = 0 hours. Based on the results of the study, which of the following is the most likely connection between behavior and evolutionary fitness in a nearshore coral reef environment?

Figure 1 illustrates a model of the molecules involved in DNA replication and their placement relative to each other. The D N A is coiled on the left side of the figure but separated into two single strands on the right side. The right end of the upper separated strand is labeled 3 prime, and the left end of the same strand, in the coiled region, is labeled 5 prime. The right end of the lower separated strand is labeled 5 prime, and the left end of the same strand, in the coiled region, is labeled 3 prime. A circle labeled Topoisomerase is wrapped around the coiled portion of the D N A close to the single stranded region on the right. A triangle labeled Helicase is positioned in the single stranded region at the point where the coiled strands are separating. A very short segment of R N A is bound to the far right end of the upper separated single strand of D N A. Figure 1. Model including molecules involved in DNA replication Which of the following correctly explains where DNA replication will begin on the strand oriented 5’→3′, reading from left to right?