Ch.22 Descent with Modification

Which one of the following researchers developed a theory of evolution that was very similar to Charles Darwin's?

Wallace

Which term describes a trait that increases an individual's ability to survive in a particular environment? A) Adaptation B) Evolution C) Fitness D) Heritability

A) Adaptation

A population of organisms will not evolve if _____. A) all individual variation is due only to environmental factors B) the environment is changing at a relatively slow rate C) the population size is large D) the population lives in a habitat without competing species present

A) all individual variation is due only to environmental factors

Which of the following organisms could be produced by artificial selection? A) A dog that serves as the "eyes" for a blind individual. B) A cow that produces a large quantity of milk. C) A chimpanzee that communicates through sign language. D) A rabbit that is housebroken.

B) A cow that produces a large quantity of milk ( A cow's ability to produce milk is a heritable trait that can be manipulated by artificial selection)

If Darwin had been aware of genes and their typical mode of transmission to subsequent generations, with which statement would he most likely have been in agreement? A) If an organism's somatic cell genes change during its lifetime, making it more fit, then it will be able to pass these genes on to its offspring. B) If natural selection can change gene frequency in a population over generations, given enough time and genetic diversity, then natural selection can cause sufficient genetic change to produce new species from old ones. C) If an organism acquires new genes by engulfing, or being infected by, another organism, then a new genetic species will result. D) A single mutation in a single gene in a single gamete, if inherited by future generations, will produce a new species.

B) If natural selection can change gene frequency in a population over generations, given enough time and genetic diversity, then natural selection can cause sufficient genetic change to produce new species from old ones.

Logically, which of these should cast the most doubt on the relationships depicted by an evolutionary tree? A) Some of the organisms depicted by the tree had lived in different habitats. B) Relationships between DNA sequences among the species did not match relationships between skeletal patterns. C) The skeletal remains of the organisms depicted by the tree were incomplete (in other words, some bones were missing). D) Transitional fossils had not been found.

B) Relationships between DNA sequences among the species did not match relationships between skeletal patterns.

Over long periods of time, many cave-dwelling organisms have lost their eyes. Tapeworms have lost their digestive systems. Whales have lost their hind limbs. How can natural selection account for these losses? A) Natural selection accounts for these losses by the principle of use and disuse. B) Under particular circumstances that persisted for long periods, each of these structures presented greater costs than benefits. C) Natural selection cannot account for losses, but accounts only for new structures and functions. D) The ancestors of these organisms experienced harmful mutations that forced them to lose these structures.

B) Under particular circumstances that persisted for long periods, each of these structures presented greater costs than benefits.

Many crustaceans (for example, lobsters, shrimp, and crayfish) use their tails to swim, but crabs have reduced tails that curl under their shells and are not used in swimming. This is an example of _____. A) natural selection B) a vestigial trait C) a homologous structure D) convergent evolution

B) a vestigial trait

Which of the following, if discovered, could refute our current understanding of the pattern of evolution? A) no fossils of soft-bodied animals B) diverse fossils of mammals in Precambrian rock C) radioactive dating of rocks showing that rocks closer to the Earth's surface are younger than lower rock strata D) a modern bird having reptile-like scales on its legs

B) diverse fossils of mammals in Precambrian rock

Which pair of chickens should a farmer breed to produce larger chickens? A) Small hen, small rooster B) Small hen, large rooster C) Large hen, large rooster D) Large hen, small rooster

C) Large hen, large rooster

Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird? Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird? A) bones in the hind limb of a kangaroo B) chitinous struts in the wing of a butterfly C) bones in the flipper of a whale D) bony rays in the tail fin of a flying fish

C) bones in the flapper of the whale

Which of the following statements about natural selection is true? A) Natural selection is a process whereby genes are selected randomly for preservation in the next generation. B) Natural selection can be used by farmers to generate organisms with desirable traits. C) Natural selection occurs in opposition to evolution. D) Natural selection favors individuals that reproduce more than others.

D) Natural selection favors individuals that reproduce more than others.

Parasitic species tend to have simple morphologies. Which of the following statements best explains this observation? A) Parasites have not yet had time to progress, because they are young evolutionarily. B) Parasites do not live long enough to inherit acquired characteristics. C) Parasites are lower organisms, and this is why they have simple morphologies. D) Simple morphologies convey some advantage in most parasites.

D) Simple morphologies convey some advantage in most parasites.

During a study session about evolution, one of your fellow students remarks, "The giraffe stretched its neck while reaching for higher leaves; its offspring inherited longer necks as a result." Which statement is most likely to be helpful in correcting this student's misconception?

Characteristics acquired during an organism's life are generally not passed on through genes.

The role that humans play in artificial selection is to _____.

Choose which organisms reproduce

Varieties of Staphylococcus aureus that are resistant to the drug methicillin _____. A) developed in response to the use of methicillin B) already existed in the population before methicillin was developed C) always have an advantage in every environment D) were strongly selected for as methicillin became widely used to treat bacterial infections E) The second and fourth answers are correct.

E)

Which of the following observations led to Darwin's major inferences? A) Members of a population vary in their heritable traits. B) Body parts that are not used deteriorate over time. C) Organisms only go extinct when catastrophes occur. D) Although organisms can produce huge numbers of offspring, many of these offspring do not survive. E) The first and fourth answers are correct

E) The first and fourth answers are correct

Which term describes the ability of a trait to be passed on to offspring?

Heritability

What must be true of any organ described as vestigial?

It must be homologous to some feature in an ancestor.

In the mid-1900s, the Soviet geneticist Lysenko believed that his winter wheat plants, exposed to increasingly colder temperatures, would eventually give rise to more cold-tolerant winter wheat. Lysenko's attempts in this regard were most in agreement with the ideas of _____.

Lamarck

Members of two different species possess a similar-looking structure that they use in a similar way to perform about the same function. Which of the following would suggest that the relationship more likely represents homology instead of convergent evolution? A) Both species are well adapted to their particular environments. B) The two species share many proteins in common, and the nucleotide sequences that code for these proteins are almost identical. C) The two species live at great distance from each other. D) The structures in adult members of both species are similar in size.

The two species share many proteins in common, and the nucleotide sequences that code for these proteins are almost identical.

An adaptation is _____.

a trait that gives an organism a reproductive advantage in the current environment

Structures as different as human arms, bat wings, and dolphin flippers contain many of the same bones, which develop from similar embryonic tissues. These structural similarities are an example of _____.

homology

Darwin and Wallace's theory of evolution by natural selection was revolutionary because it _____.

dismissed the idea that species are constant and emphasized the importance of variation and change in populations

The greatest number of endemic species is expected in environments that are _____.

isolated and show little ecological diversity

Which of the following is an example of the pattern of evolution? (Overview)

the fossil record of the evolution of modern cetaceans

From his observations of organisms in the Galapagos islands, Darwin reasoned that _____.

organisms had adapted to new environments, giving rise to new species (Darwin reasoned that natural selection had increased the match between the organisms and their environment

Charles Darwin _____.

proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution

Catastrophism was Cuvier's attempt to explain the existence of _____.

the fossil record

Which of the following evidence most strongly supports the common origin of all life on Earth? All organisms _____.

use essentially the same genetic code