AP Bio Chapter 25 Quiz

RNA molecules can both carry genetic information and be catalytic. This supports the proposal that

RNA was the first hereditary information.

Which gas was least abundant in Earths early atmosphere, prior to 2 billion years ago?

02

Approximately how far back in time does the fossil record extend?

3,500,000,000 years

The snowball Earth hypothesis provides a possible explanation for the

A. diversification of animals during the late Proterozoic.

The oxygen revolution changed Earths environment dramatically. Which of the following adaptations took advantage of the presence of free oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere?

A. the evolution of cellular respiration, which used oxygen to help harvest energy from organic molecules

Which of these observations fails to support the endosymbiotic theory for the origin of eukaryotic cells?

A. the existence of structural and molecular differences between the plasma membranes of prokaryotes and the internal membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts

In what way were conditions on the early Earth of more than 3 billion years ago different from those on todays Earth?

B. Only early Earth was intensely bombarded by large space debris.

The synthesis of new DNA requires the prior existence of oligonucleotides to serve as primers. On Earth, these primers are small RNA molecules. This latter observation is evidence in support of the hypothesized existence of

B. earlier genetic systems than those based on DNA.

Which of the following is the correct sequence of these events in the origin of life? I. formation of protobionts II. synthesis of organic monomers III. synthesis of organic polymers IV. formation of DNA-based genetic systems

C. II, III, I, IV

What is true of the fossil record of mammalian origins?

C. It includes transitional forms with progressively specialized teeth.

An explanation for the evolution of insect wings suggests that wings began as lateral extensions of the body that were used as heat dissipaters for thermoregulation. When they had become sufficiently large, these extensions became useful for gliding through the air, and selection later refined them as flight-producing wings. If this hypothesis is correct, insect wings could best be described as

C. exaptations

Which of the following steps has not yet been accomplished by scientists studying the origin of life?

D. formation of protobionts that use DNA to direct the polymerization of amino acids

The loss of ventral spines by modern freshwater sticklebacks is due to natural selection operating on the phenotypic affects of Pitx1 gene

D. silencing (loss of expression).

As rat pups mature, the growth of their snouts and tails outpaces growth of the rest of their bodies, producing the appearance of sexually mature males. It is found that sexually mature female rats prefer to mate with mutant, sexually mature males that possess snouts and tails with juvenile proportions. Which of the following terms is (are) appropriately applied to this situation?

E. A, B, and C

Adaptive radiations can be a direct consequence of four of the following five factors. Select the exception.

E. an adaptive radiation in a group of organisms (such as plants) that another group uses as food

There are at least a dozen known species in the extinct genus Lystrosaurus. If each species was suited to a quite different environment, then this relatively large number of species is likely due to

adaptive radiation.

An organism has a relatively large number of Hox genes in its genome. Which of the following is not true of this organism?

b. It must have multiple paired appendages along the length of its body.

Although absolute distinctions between the "most evolved" protobiont and the first living cell are unclear, biologists generally agree that one major difference is that the typical protobiont could not

perform controlled, precise reproduction.

Which measurement would help determine absolute dates by radiometric means?

the accumulation of the daughter isotope AND the loss of parent isotopes, A and B only

Which of the following statements provides the strongest evidence that prokaryotes evolved before eukaryotes?

the oldest fossilized cells resemble prokaryotes