In the eighteenth century the French naturalist Jean Baptiste de Lamarck believed that an animal's use or disuse of an organ affected that organ's development in the animal's offspring. βββ
Intro to Topic Β·Lamarckianism
Environmentally induced adaptations can somehow be inherited.
Mama giraffe stretched its neck out to reach tall leaves (that's the environmentally induced adaptation). Somehow baby giraffe is able to inherit a long neck.
Scientists newly discovered numerous examples. I'm expecting to read on to find examples of where a mama organism's environmentally induced adaptation gets passed onto her babies.
Environmentally induced adaptation in this case is the loss of cell walls in bacteria. This adaptation (loss of cell wall) does get passed onto subsequent generations of bacteria. The mechanism of inheritance is not via genes but rather via the interaction among genes.
Virus can infect fruit flies and add a gene which will get passed on. If infected flies are kept warm during reproduction, the virus is eliminated and so is the gene.
If anΒ E. coli bacterium with a certain kind of gene comes into contact with another without that kind of gene, the gene can be inserted into latter, which will then get passed onto its offspring.
The causal mechanism found in E. coli could have helped to speed up evolution. For example, complex cells could have acquired photosynthesis by having come into contact with bacterium that possessed the photosynthesis gene.
Implications Β·Gene inheritance can be "vertical" or "horizontal"
"Vertical" inheritance is what we are familiar with, inheritance of genes from from ancestors. "Horizontal" inheritance is what the previous paragraphs described: from viruses, plasmids, bacteria, or other environmental agents.
Conclusion Β·Horizontal transmission may be the mechanism for inheritance that Lamarck needed
Passage Style
Phenomenon-hypothesis
Single position
17.
According to the passage, the βββββββββββ ββ ββββββββ βββββββββββββββ ββ ββββββββββββ βββββββββββ βββββββ ββββ ββββββββββ
Question Type
Stated
At the end of P3, the passage states that the E. coli example is βespecially noteworthy for its suggestion that inheritance of acquired characteristics may have helped speed up evolution.β Either youβll use a strong low-res summary / memory to recall that the author mentioned something particularly significant at the end of P3, or youβll just have to use process of elimination on this question while looking back at the passage.
a
may affect the βββββ ββ βββββ ββββββββββββββ ββββββ
Photosynthesis was simply an example of what was significant β inheritance of acquired characteristics can affect speed of evolution. In any case, the photosynthesis example involved the speed with which photosynthesis was acquired by an organism, not the speed at which photosynthesis occurs.
b
may help to βββββββ βββ βββββββ ββ βββββββ βββββββββ
This isnβt stated as something particularly significant about the inheritance of acquired characteristics. The phrase βnatural selectionβ is mentioned at the end of P3, but itβs not used in reference to explaining the process of natural selection. Donβt pick this answer just because you see the phrase βnatural selectionβ at the end of the paragraph.
c
may occur without βββββββββ βββ βββββββββββ ββ βββββ
This isnβt stated as something particularly significant about the inheritance of acquired characteristics. It is true that inheritance of acquired characteristics may occur without affecting the composition of genes, but the author just didnβt say that this is particularly significant. What he said is particularly significant is the impact on the speed of evolution.
d
may influence the ββββ ββ βββββ βββββββββ ββββββββββ
Stated at the end of P3.
e
may be changed ββ βββββββ βββββ ββββββββββββ ββββββββββ
This isnβt stated as something particularly significant about the inheritance of acquired characteristics. It is true that inheritance of acquired characteristics may be changed or stopped under experimental conditions, but the author just didnβt say that this is particularly significant. What he said is particularly significant is the impact on the speed of evolution.
Difficulty
89% of people who answer get this correct
This is a moderately difficult question.
It is slightly harder than the average question in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%138
147
75%156
Analysis
Stated
Phenomenon-hypothesis
Science
Single position
Answer Popularity
PopularityAvg. score
a
1%
158
b
3%
159
c
6%
160
d
89%
167
e
1%
154
Question history
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