Bio 102 Exam Practice Questions

The geographic distribution of a population is influenced by A. resources. B. behavior. C. predator avoidance. D. environment. E. All of the above factors

E

The similarity between the forearm of a human and an alligator suggests that A. humans most likely once laid eggs. B. humans are actually reptiles (crocodilians). C. alligators are descended from mammals. D. mammals are descended from reptiles. E. alligators and humans share common ancestry.

E

The term _______ describes the interacting populations (e.g., moose and ticks) within an ecosystem. A. predator-prey relationships B. competition C. habitat D. niche E. community

E

Which is necessary for natural selection to proceed? A. Variation within a population B. A mechanism of inheritance C. Acquisition of adaptations D. Generations reproducing over time E. All of the above are needed

E

Which of the following can be used to monitor the health of a wild animal? A. Scat B. Bones C. Urine D. DNA E. All of the above

E

Which of the following can threaten the ability of a population to adapt to changing environmental conditions? Answers: A. A bottleneck B. The founder effect C. Genetic drift D. Inbreeding E. All of the above

E

Which of the following statements about genetic drift is NOT true? A. Changes in allele frequencies may benefit the population B. Over time, genetic drift decreases the genetic diversity of a population C. Changes in allele frequencies are always random D. Changes in allele frequencies may harm the population E. Genetic drift has the greatest influence on large populations

E

Which similarities have been shown in development of vertebrate embryos? A. Pharyngeal pouches B. Limb buds C. A post-anal tail D. Position of eyes on the head E. All of the above

E

Which statement about natural selection is true? A. Natural Selection does not equal "evolution." B. Natural Selection is non-teleological. C. Natural Selection is not a random process. D. A and B above E. A, B, and C above

E

Allele frequencies of a population can change through A. natural selection. B. genetic drift. C. mutations in the gene pool. D. founder effect. E.All of the above means

E

Carrying capacity is the _____. A. number of individuals in a given area B. total plant biomass minus the animal biomass in a given area C. total plant biomass of a given area D. total biomass of a given area E. maximum number of individuals of a population that an area can support

E

In sedimentary rocks, the _____ fossils tend to be found _____. A. most recent; in the bottom layers B. older; in the top layers C. oldest; in layers throughout the rock D. younger; in the deeper layers E. older; in the deeper layers

E

All of the following are true of natural selection EXCEPT which of the following? A. It works best in genetically uniform populations. B. It results in populations better suited to their environment than their predecessors. C. It is the process by which evolution occurs. D. It results in some individuals surviving better and reproducing more than others. E. It results in a change in allele frequencies over time.

A

Antibiotic resistance is an example of which pattern of natural selection? A. Directional selection B. Bifurcating selection C. Stabilizing selection D. Intermediate selection E. Diversifying selection

A

Comparative anatomy ultimately links organisms to A. a family tree. B. a common descendant. C. a common ancestor. D. a relative.

A

Gene flow can be described as changes in allele frequency due to A. populations mating with other populations. B. non-random mating of the population. C. populations undergoing natural selection. D. mutation. E. mating within an isolated population.

A

True or False: Charles Lyell believed that most geological change is slow and gradual and that past events could be explained by processes observed today. A. True B. False

A. True

"The descendants of highly trained musicians will inherit the abilities acquired by their parents." This statement, which has no scientific support by the way, would have been most readily accepted by A. Charles Darwin B. Jean Baptiste Lamarck C. John Ray D. William Paley

B

A flock of birds represents a _________ distribution pattern while birds on a power line with six inches of space between each bird represents a _________ distribution pattern. A. clumped; random B. clumped; uniform C. random; clumped D. random; uniform E. uniform; random

B

An example of stabilizing selection is A. Darwin's finches. B. human birth weight. C. MRSA in humans. D. peppered moths. E. a mule.

B

Frog species mate at different times of the year. This is an example of which type of reproductive isolation? A. Gametic isolation B. Temporal isolation C. Post-zygotic isolation D. Behavioral isolation E. Mechanical isolation

B

Mating rituals are an example of which type of reproductive isolation? A. Post-zygotic isolation B. Behavioral isolation C. Gametic isolation D. Temporal isolation E. Mechanical isolation

B

Portions of animals that become fossils usually have these structures. A. Legs B. Bony skeletons or hard shells C. Hair or hide D. Fingernails or claws E. Any of the above structures

B

The dissimilarities of the physical appearance of vertebrate adults can be explained by A. analogous structures. B. differential gene expression. C. vestigial structures. D. descent from a common ancestor. E. species variation.

B

What type of speciation occurs when one population becomes geographically isolated from other populations? A. Sympatry B. Allopatry C. Parapatry D. Geopatry E. Homeopatry

B

When the allele frequencies in a population's gene poll change randomly, which mechanism is NOT responsible? A. Founder effect B. Natural selection C. Genetic drift D. Mutations in the gene pool E. Bottlenecks

B

Which is NOT a density dependent factor? A. Parasitism B. Drought C. Predation D. Disease E. Competition

B

Which of the following statements about the evolutionary process is NOT true? A. Evolution can be described as "descent with modification." B. Apes, in time, will improve themselves to become like today's humans. C. Evolution involves a change in the genetic makeup of a population over time. D. Evolution is a change in the proportions of different genetic alleles in the population over time

B

Why is Tiktaalik considered a transitional fossil? A. It appears to be undergoing very rapid evolutionary change B. It has features of both aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates C. It is now extinct D. It is a genetic hybrid between aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates E. It was found between land and water

B

A number of mosquito populations today are resistant to specific insecticides, even though those insecticides were highly effective when they were first introduced. Biologists believe that insecticide resistance evolved in mosquitoes because A.mosquitoes needed to develop insecticide resistance to survive after the insecticide was used. B.current mosquito populations are phenotypically variable and exhibit differential fitness in different environments. C.a few mosquitoes were probably resistant to the insecticide before it was ever used. These survived and passed that trait on to their offspring. D.the presence of the insecticide caused some mosquitoes to develop resistance; they survived and passed the trait to their offspring. E. individual mosquitoes built up an immunity to an insecticide after being exposed to it.

C

A population of Australian wallabies is found to have many more homozygous individuals than expected. What does this result indicate? A. Allelic diversity is unexpectedly high B. The population size is very small C. Inbreeding is probably occurring D. The population is likely to be healthy but may not remain healthy for much longer E. The population is likely to be healthy

C

The total number of wolves inhabiting Isle Royale is defined as a _____. A. pack B. community C. population D. species E. group

C

Which is NOT a biotic factor that could affect a population? A. Predator density B. Community interactions C. Water availability D. Vegetation E. Prey density

C

Homology in comparative anatomy refers to organisms having A. similar structures but no common ancestor. B. body parts with similar size and function. C. a similar shape and size. D. similar structures and a common ancestor. E. similar structures but not functions.

D

According to Darwin, A. natural selection requires neither divine nor human intervention for evolution to occur. B. organisms are born than can survive or are able to reproduce. C. natural selection can be described as the "inheritance of acquired characteristics." D. A and B above E. A, B, and C above

D

From studies of predator prey relationships, it could be predicted that an increase of zebra on a savannah would be followed by a subsequent A. increase in herbivores. B. decrease in gazelles. C. decrease in lions. D. increase in lions. E. decrease in herbivores.

D

Some snakes have small remnants of legs that they now use for clasping during mating. These leg remnants are A. homologous legs. B. embryonic wings. C. faulty genitals. D. vestigial characteristics. E. primitive arms.

D

The discovery of a transitional fossil is important because A. it supports paleontology. B. it supports geologic timescale. C. it supports relative dating. D. it supports evolution and natural selection. E. it supports relative and radiometric dating.

D

The founder effect causes A. stabilizing selection. B. an increase in allele frequencies. C. an increase in genetic variation. D. a loss of genetic diversity. E. genetic drift.

D

The term _______ describes all interacting species—moose, ticks, wolves and their surrounding environment, trees and vegetation, and climate. A. biosphere B. biome C. habitat D. ecosystem E. community

D