Which one of the following organisms is a cytoplasmically inherited symbiotic bacterium that can cause extreme female-biased sex ratios in many insects?
Show Hint
- Clostridium
- Escherichia
- Mycobacterium
- Wolbachia
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Wolbachia is a genus of bacteria that is maternally inherited and can manipulate host reproductive systems, causing extreme sex ratio distortions, such as producing more females than males. This bacterium is commonly found in many insect species.
Step 2: Analysis of options.
- (A) Clostridium: These are anaerobic bacteria, not associated with sex ratio manipulation in insects.
- (B) Escherichia: This is a genus of bacteria that includes E. coli, which does not cause sex ratio distortions in insects.
- (C) Mycobacterium: These bacteria are responsible for diseases like tuberculosis but do not cause sex ratio distortion.
- (D) Wolbachia: Wolbachia is known for inducing female-biased sex ratios and is a symbiotic bacterium found in many insect species.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (D) Wolbachia, as it is the bacterium responsible for causing extreme female-biased sex ratios in many insects.
Top Questions on Evolutionary Biology
- Which one or more of the following conditions is/are necessary for the evolution of increased nectar production in an insect-pollinated plant via natural selection?
- GATE EY - 2025
- Applied Ecology & Evolution
- Evolutionary Biology
- A phylogenetic tree representing the evolutionary relationship between various vertebrates is shown below. Given this tree topology, which one or more of the following statements is/are correct?
- GATE EY - 2025
- Applied Ecology & Evolution
- Evolutionary Biology
Consider the following figure of sequence divergence over time. The dashed and solid lines represent synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions, respectively. Which one or more of the following does the figure support?
- GATE EY - 2025
- Applied Ecology & Evolution
- Evolutionary Biology
The figure below shows the reproductive success of two alternative mating strategies, with respect to their frequency in the population. Territorial males (solid line) defend territories to get mates, and Sneaker males (dashed line) obtain mating opportunities without having territories. Which one or more of the following conclusions can be drawn from this figure?
- GATE EY - 2025
- Applied Ecology & Evolution
- Evolutionary Biology
- Aphids feed on both alfalfa and clover plants. A researcher collected and reared different genotypes of aphids from separate alfalfa and clover fields. He then measured the fecundity of both aphid groups when fed on each of the two host plants. The figure summarizes the performance of aphid groups originating from alfalfa (dashed) or clover (solid). Which one or more of the following situations does the figure depict?
- GATE EY - 2025
- Applied Ecology & Evolution
- Evolutionary Biology
Questions Asked in GATE EY exam
Eight students (P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W) are playing musical chairs. The figure indicates their order of position at the start of the game. They play the game by moving forward in a circle in the clockwise direction.
After the 1st round, the 4th student behind P leaves the game.
After the 2nd round, the 5th student behind Q leaves the game.
After the 3rd round, the 3rd student behind V leaves the game.
After the 4th round, the 4th student behind U leaves the game.
Who all are left in the game after the 4th round?
The 12 musical notes are given as \( C, C^\#, D, D^\#, E, F, F^\#, G, G^\#, A, A^\#, B \). Frequency of each note is \( \sqrt[12]{2} \) times the frequency of the previous note. If the frequency of the note C is 130.8 Hz, then the ratio of frequencies of notes F# and C is:
Here are two analogous groups, Group-I and Group-II, that list words in their decreasing order of intensity. Identify the missing word in Group-II.
Abuse \( \rightarrow \) Insult \( \rightarrow \) Ridicule
__________ \( \rightarrow \) Praise \( \rightarrow \) Appreciate
- Had I learnt acting as a child, I ________ a famous film star.
Select the most appropriate option to complete the above sentence. - Which one of the following mechanisms is expected to generate tightly linked genes?
- GATE EY - 2025
- Genetics