Practice Questions

TLS Online TPP Program

#Question id: 12097

The herbaceous plant Achillea lanulosa is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere. Phenotypic variation in the species has been extensively studied along an altitudinal gradient from sea level to over 3,000 meters. In California there is conspicuous variation in height; alpine plants are only several centimeters tall while those in the San Joaquin Valley may reach a height of 1.8 meters. Adaptation to different local environments also results in variation in physiological processes such as photosynthetic rate, resistance to cold, and the timing of dormancy.

Which of the following methods would be best to determine whether the phenotypic variation in Achillea lanulosa is due to genotypic variation?

#Unit 10. Ecological Principles

Determining whether viable hybrids between phenotypically different populations can be produced
Looking for chromosomal differences between populations at the extremes of the altitudinal range
Determining whether phenotypic differences are maintained when plants from different altitudes are grown under the same environmental conditions
Assessing the amount of phenotypic variation within populations along the entire altitudinal range