The Following Questions Refer to Figure 27

question 2

Multiple Choice

The following questions refer to Figure 27.1 below, which is the same as Figure 27.10 in the textbook.
In this 8-year experiment, 12 populations of E. coli, each begun from a single cell, were grown in low-glucose conditions for 20,000 generations. Each culture was introduced to fresh growth medium every 24 hours. Occasionally, samples were removed from the populations, and their fitness in low-glucose conditions was tested against that of members sampled from the ancestral (common ancestor) E. coli population.

Figure 27.1
-If it occurs in the absence of any other type of adaptation listed here, which of these is least reasonable in terms of promoting bacterial survival over evolutionary time in a low-glucose environment?

• A)increased efficiency at transporting glucose into the cell from the environment
• B)increased ability to survive on simple sugars, other than glucose
• C)increased ability to synthesize glucose from amino acid precursors
• D)increased reliance on glycolytic enzymes
• E)increased sensitivity to, and ability to move toward, whatever glucose is present in its habitat

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Definitions:

Specialized Functions

Specific tasks or roles that certain organs, tissues, or cells in an organism are adapted to perform.

Differentiation

The process by which cells or tissues undergo a change toward a more specialized form or function, often seen in development.

Immune System

The body's defense mechanism against foreign substances and pathogens.

ERT Method

A technique used in various fields, such as geophysics and medicine, standing for Electrical Resistivity Tomography, which images subsurface structures.