Cell Structure and Function
Which of the following is not a function of the endoplasmic reticulum?
Storage of calcium ions
Protein synthesis
Synthesis of lipids
Detoxification of drugs and alcohol
Which organelle contains its own DNA and is thought to have originated from an ancestral prokaryote through endosymbiosis?
Centriole
Golgi apparatus
Peroxisome
Mitochondrion
In what way might a bottleneck event affect genetic diversity and evolution in cheetahs?
Mutation rates dramatically increase after a bottleneck event ensuring rapid recovery from any loss of diversity experienced during the event.
Genetic drift becomes negligible post-bottleneck because the remaining individuals' genotypes are too similar to allow random fluctuations.
It may drastically reduce genetic diversity making future adaptations more difficult due to limited genetic variations upon which natural selection can act.
The bottleneck increases genetic diversity as only those cheetahs that adapt quickly will survive and reproduce post-event.
What impact might increased ultraviolet (UV) radiation have on phytoplankton communities at the base of an oceanic food web?
Decrease in population size due to damaged DNA and cellular structures.
Enhanced photosynthesis rates due to greater energy supply from increased UV radiation levels.
Increase in diversity assuming UV radiation drives mutation rate and genetic variability.
Little change as phytoplankton develops sunblocks or other protective mechanisms over time.
Which of the following organelles is believed to have originated from an engulfed bacterium?
ribosomes
Endoplasmic reticulum
mitochondria
nucleus
What long-term effect might the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have on an agricultural ecosystem's dynamic equilibrium?
More efficient energy transfer up food chains owing to GMO-enhanced nutritional content
Increased carbon sequestration thanks to GMO crops with higher biomass
Disruption in genetic diversity through cross-breeding with wild relatives
Accelerated decomposition rates due to enhanced GMO crop residues
How could gene flow between two populations affect the allelic frequencies associated with resistance to a pesticide in pest insects?
It can decrease variation within both populations if they are equally resistant or susceptible.
It has no effect on allelic frequencies as resistance is determined solely by mutation rates within each population.
It will always reduce the fitness of one population by diluting adaptive alleles with maladaptive ones.
It can introduce resistant alleles into a susceptible population, increasing its overall resistance frequency.

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Which response best illustrates an anthropogenic disturbance that could shift an aquatic ecosystem from a state of dynamic equilibrium?
A temporary increase in river flow rate after heavy rainfall events.
Invasive algae growth following a natural drop in predator fish populations.
Sustained industrial effluent discharge altering water chemistry.
Natural seasonal variations in water temperature affecting fish breeding cycles.
Considering interspecific interactions within a coral reef system, how might competitive exclusion be avoided between two similar coral species competing for space?
By synchronous spawning events that ensure equal distribution of offspring.
By occupying different niches such as varying depths or light exposures.
Due to predation, which reduces densities of both coral competitors evenly.
Through mutualistic relationships where both coral types provide resources for each other.
What approach might yield insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the coevolution of nuclear pores and transported molecules?
Screen for mutations in nuclear pore complex proteins using CRISPR-Cas9 techniques within a single species.
Experimentally evolve cultures of unicellular eukaryotes under controlled conditions that select for changes in nuclear transport efficiency.
Map out protein-protein interactions within nuclear pore complexes across a range of species.
Perform computational simulations based on evolutionary algorithms to reveal possible pathways for efficient molecule transport.