Biology Exam 4

A biologist studied a population of squirrels for 15 years. During that time, the population was never fewer than 30 squirrels and never more than 45. Her data showed that over half of the squirrels born did not survive to reproduce, because of both competition for food and predation. In a single generation, 90% of the squirrels that were born lived to reproduce, and the population increased to 80. Which inference(s) about this population might be true? a. Both A and C could be true. A. The amount of available food may have increased. B. The parental generation of squirrels developed better eyesight due to improved diet; the subsequent squirrel generation inherited better eyesight. C. The number of predators that prey upon squirrels may have decreased.

a. Both A and C could be true.

Which of the following statements best summarizes evolution as it is viewed today? a. It is the differential survival and reproduction of the most-fit phenotypes. b. It is the descent of humans from the present-day great apes. c. It represents the result of selection for acquired characteristics. d. It is synonymous with the process of gene flow.

a. It is the differential survival and reproduction of the most-fit phenotypes.

DDT was once considered a "silver bullet" that would permanently eradicate insect pests. Instead, today DDT is largely useless against many insects. Which of the following should have occurred for this pest eradication effort to be successful in the long run? a. None of the individual insects should have possessed genomes that made them resistant to DDT. b. Larger doses of DDT should have been applied. c. The frequency of DDT application should have been higher. d. All habitats should have received applications of DDT at about the same time.

a. None of the individual insects should have possessed genomes that made them resistant to DDT.

The ______ of SARS CoV-2 virus binds with human host cell protein first, then enters the cell. a. Spike protein b. envelope c. ACE-2 protein

a. Spike protein

A vaccine is an immune booster. In the case of the CoVID, many vaccines contain the Spike protein of the SARS CoV-2 virus. The Spike protein acts as an antigen. True/False? a. True b. False

a. True

A shared ancestral character is a. a character that originated in an ancestor of the taxon. b. shared by all mammals but not found in their ancestors. c. an outgroup character. d. an evolutionary novelty unique to a clade.

a. a character that originated in an ancestor of the taxon.

In a population, _____________________ would not result in evolution. a. a lack of genetic variation b. genetic drift c. gene flow d. natural selection

a. a lack of genetic variation

Inherited characteristics of organisms that allow their survival and reproduction in specific environments is/are _______________________. a. adaptations b. mass extinction c. natural selection d. fossils

a. adaptations

Which of these phrases describes a stable hybrid zone? a. continued production of hybrid individuals b. reduced hybrid fertility c. reduced hybrid viability d. obstacle to gene flow

a. continued production of hybrid individuals

Two species of frogs do not mate, because they live on different islands. This is called _______________________. a. habitat isolation b. mechanical isolation c. temporal isolation d. behavioral isolation

a. habitat isolation

The origin of a new plant species by hybridization, coupled with accidents during cell division, is an example of a. sympatric speciation. b. autopolyploidy. c. habitat selection. d. allopatric speciation.

a. sympatric speciation.

The phylogenetic species concept defines a species as a. the smallest group of individuals that share a common ancestor. b. an ecological niche, interacting with living and nonliving parts of their environment. c. a body shape and other structural features. d. a reproductive isolation.

a. the smallest group of individuals that share a common ancestor.

Systematics is a discipline that attempts to group organisms by _____________________. a. their evolutionary relationships b. Lamarckian classification c. the environments in which they live d. their methods of acquiring food

a. their evolutionary relationships

The SARS CoV-2 virus enters the human host by binding to the ___________ receptor. a. membrane b. ACE-2 c. Spike

b. ACE-2

Which of the following statements about species, as defined by the biological species concept, is (are) correct?I. Biological species are defined by reproductive isolation.II. Biological species are the models used for grouping extinct forms of life.III. The biological species is the largest unit of population in which successful interbreeding is possible. a. I, II, and III b. I and III c. I and II d. II and III

b. I and III

Which of the following is a true statement concerning genetic variation? a. It arises in response to changes in the environment. b. It must be present in a population before natural selection can act upon the population. c. A population that has a higher average heterozygosity has less genetic variation than one with a lower average heterozygosity. d. It is created by the direct action of natural selection. e. It tends to be reduced by the processes involved when diploid organisms produce gametes.

b. It must be present in a population before natural selection can act upon the population.

Which of the following statements about speciation is correct? a. Natural selection chooses the reproductive barriers for populations. b. Speciation is a basis for understanding macroevolution. c. It always takes millions of years for speciation to occur. d. The goal of natural selection is speciation.

b. Speciation is a basis for understanding macroevolution.

Darwin's observation of the Galápagos Islands finches' various beaks and behaviors could be explained by a. modification with descent. b. adaptations forged by natural selection. c. adaptations to the specific foods available on their mainland. d. inherited traits that did not survive.

b. adaptations forged by natural selection.

How did Mendel's model of inheritance help explain Darwin's theory of natural selection? a. by observations of individuals differences in traits b. by proposing mechanism of how organisms transmit discrete heritable units c. by leading to evolutionary change d. by explaining natural selection of genetic differences

b. by proposing mechanism of how organisms transmit discrete heritable units

Which process is NOT a source of genetic variation? a. forming new alleles by mutation b. consuming different foods when a certain food is hard to find c. sexual reproduction d. altering gene number

b. consuming different foods when a certain food is hard to find

Which of these phrases describes a stable hybrid zone? a. obstacle to gene flow b. continued production of hybrid individuals c. reduced hybrid fertility d. reduced hybrid viability

b. continued production of hybrid individuals

Charles Darwin was the first person to show evidence that __________________. a. Earth is older than a few thousand years b. evolution occurs c. organisms do not change over time d. adaptations are a result of changes in DNA

b. evolution occurs

Previous SARS virus pandemics were contained by public health measures. The SARS CoV-2 virus cannot be similarly contained because it is ________. a. results in symptomatic infections b. highly infectious c. slow to mutate

b. highly infectious

After geographic separation, what process would be the last step before reproductive isolation? a. mutation b. natural selection c. gene pool divergence d. genetic drift

b. natural selection

The outer structure of SARS CoV-2 virus is most like ________. a. other non-enveloped viruses. b. other enveloped viruses.

b. other enveloped viruses.

Which of the following are problematic when the goal is to construct phylogenies that accurately reflect evolutionary history? a. monophyletic taxa b. polyphyletic and paraphyletic taxa c. polyphyletic taxa d. paraphyletic taxa

b. polyphyletic and paraphyletic taxa

Recently, two species of birds were reclassified as the eastern and western types of a single species, the yellow-rumped warbler. One piece of evidence that was used to reclassify the warblers might be that they interbreed and ___________________. a. live in similar habitats b. produce live, fertile offspring c. eat similar foods d. are active at the same time of day

b. produce live, fertile offspring

A group whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce living, fertile offspring is called a(n) ______________________. a. community. b. species c. ecosystem d. biosphere

b. species

Which of Darwin's ideas had the strongest connection t Darwin having read Malthus's essay on human population growth? a. descent with modification b. that the ancestors of the Galapagos finches had come from South American mainland c. variation among individuals in a population

b. that the ancestors of the Galapagos finches had come from South American mainland

Which of Darwin's ideas had the strongest connection to Darwin having read Malthus's essay on human population growth? a. descent with modification b. the struggle for existence c. that the ancestors of the Galápagos finches had come from the South American mainland d. variation among individuals in a population

b. the struggle for existence

If two species are members of very different taxonomic groups, but have one similar physical characteristic, this may be an example of ______________________. a. mass extinction b. artificial selection c. convergent evolution d. divergent evolution

c. convergent evolution

In evolution, which driving factor most consistently requires a small population as a precondition for its occurrence? a. mutation b. natural selection c. genetic drift d. nonrandom mating

c. genetic drift

If the original finches that had been blown over to the Galápagos Islands from South America had already been genetically different from the parental population of South American finches, even before adapting to the Galápagos, this would have been an example of a. the bottleneck effect. b. the founder effect. c. genetic drift and the founder effect. d. genetic drift.

c. genetic drift and the founder effect.

In ocean animals called sea urchins, red sea urchins and purple sea urchins both release sperm and eggs into the water. Interbreeding does not occur because it is difficult for egg and sperm of different species to fuse and fertilized eggs do not develop. This is an example of ________________________. a. habitat isolation b. temporal isolation c. genetic isolation d. behavioral isolation

c. genetic isolation

Which of the following must exist in a population before natural selection can act upon that population? a. sexual reproduction b. variation among individuals caused by environmental factors c. genetic variation among individuals d. All of the above are correct.

c. genetic variation among individuals

Artificial selection is a. patterns of evolution. b. past extinction. c. human-directed selective breeding. d. slower than natural selection.

c. human-directed selective breeding.

Convergent evolution is the appearance of _______________________________. a. very different structures in unrelated species b. similar structures in closely related species c. similar structures in unrelated species d. very different structures in closely related species

c. similar structures in unrelated species

During prolonged drought, which statement about Galapagos finches and their beak size is true? a. Some finches with small beaks grew larger beaks during the drought. b. Finches with all beak sizes were equally able to survive. c. Finches with smaller beaks survived. d. Finches with larger, stronger beaks survived.

d. Finches with larger, stronger beaks survived.

How does phylogeny differ from systematics? a. in the hierarchy of classification b. in the naming of organisms c. in classifying organisms d. in the classification of organisms by evolutionary history

d. in the classification of organisms by evolutionary history

You are confronted with a box of preserved grasshoppers of various species that are new to science and have not been described. Your assignment is to separate them into species. There is no accompanying information as to where or when they were collected. Which species concept will you have to use? a. biological b. ecological c. phylogenetic d. morphological

d. morphological

Linnaeus was a "fixist" who believed that species remained fixed in the form in which they had been created. Linnaeus would have been uncomfortable with a. the scientific discipline known as taxonomy. b. classifying organisms using the morphospecies concept. c. nested, ever-more inclusive categories of organisms. d. phylogenies.

d. phylogenies.

Some molecular data place the giant panda in the bear family (Ursidae) but place the lesser panda in the raccoon family (Procyonidae). Consequently, the morphological similarities of these two species are probably due to a. sexual selection. b. inheritance of acquired characteristics. c. inheritance of shared derived characters. d. possession of analogous structures.

d. possession of analogous structures.

Darwin studied birds, such as finches and mockingbirds, in the islands of _____________________________. a. the Caribbean b. Hawaii c. Micronesia d. the Galapagos

d. the Galapagos

The various taxonomic levels (genera, classes, etc.) of the hierarchical classification system differ from each other on the basis of a. morphological characters that are applicable to all organisms. b. the relative genome sizes of the organisms assigned to each. c. how widely the organisms assigned to each are distributed throughout the environment. d. their inclusiveness.

d. their inclusiveness.

What is the founder effect? a. a series of chance events that change allele frequency b. a selection of the best-suited traits for the environment c. a sudden change in the environment that reduces the size of the population d. when a few individuals become isolated from a larger population, and their gene pool differs from that source population

d. when a few individuals become isolated from a larger population, and their gene pool differs from that source population

Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) and one-seeded juniper (J. monosperma) have overlapping ranges. If pollen grains (which contain sperm cells) from one species are unable to germinate and make pollen tubes on female ovules (which contain egg cells) of the other species, then which of these terms are applicable? sympatric species prezygotic isolation postzygotic isolation allopatric species habitat isolation reduced hybrid fertility a. 2 and 4 b. 1, 2, 5, and 6 c. 1, 3, and 6 d. 2, 4, and 5 e. 1 and 2

e. 1 and 2

The SARS CoV-2 virus is a ____________ sense RNA virus. This means it is most like _________________. Chose from plus/minus for 1st blank and mRNA/RNA/DNA for 2nd blank.

plus, mRNA