Biology Final Quiz Questions ch 16-18 (evolution)

Which of the following best describes what we can determine about the evolution of the eye?

A variety of species exist that are likely to be similar to common ancestors whose eyes evolved to different degrees over time

Why should we not view lactose intolerance as a disease in adult humans?

Adult humans did not consume dairy products until fairly recently in our evolutionary history.

Most people are lactose intolerant as adults, but nearly everyone produces sufficient lactase as an infant. However, in some cases, genetic mutations can occur that make an infant lactose intolerant. From an evolutionary perspective -- over thousands of years -- why would lactose intolerance in infants be very rare in the population?

Lactose intolerant infants could not digest breast milk and therefore usually died, never having the chance to pass the mutation on to their children

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

Organisms can change their DNA in order to become better adapted to their environment

According to the evolutionary definition of fitness, which of the following organisms below is the fittest?

a female humpback whale that has produced four calves but is now at the end of her life - Because she has produced offspring, she is the fittest

A(n) _______ is a trait that increases an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a specific environment, and may modify a population over generations.

adaptation

The convergence of several lines of evidence from 1937 to 1950 that supported Darwin's theory resulted in what is now called ___________

the modern synthesis - This term implies that the current theory is composed of evidence from a wide variety of sources

Polyploidy is generally thought of as a genetic mistake. However, it can lead to new and different plant species. How is polyploidy important in producing these new species?

By doubling hybrid chromosomes without dividing the cell, new pairs of homologous chromosomes are created, enabling the organism to undergo sexual reproduction. - Many important crops, such as potatoes, coffee, wheat, and cotton, are the results of polyploidy

Which of the following statements about the amoeba population described at the end of the tutorial is true?

It is more vulnerable to extinction due to lack of genetic variation - The amoebas might not have the variation necessary to adapt to future changes in the environment

Horses and donkeys can produce offspring. Why are they still considered separate species?

Their offspring are infertile.

How do the forelimbs of a bat, whale, cat, and gorilla support the theory of evolution?

They all have a similar 1-2-5 bone structure, indicating they all descended from a common ancestor.- This is the most logical conclusion based on the evidence presented.

In which country would you most likely find a higher incidence of lactase persistence?

in a Scandinavian country where people historically raised dairy cattle and made cheese

Groundhogs are closely related to marmots. Based on this information, how are they likely to be changing as the climate warms?

they are getting larger

How do lactase supplements help people who are lactose intolerant?

The supplements provide the enzyme that breaks down the lactose in dairy products.

Which of the following would be an extrinsic reproductive isolating mechanism?

geographic isolation - This is an extrinsic reproductive isolating mechanism.

According to the biological species concept, what is the definition of species?

groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups

A variety of species exist that are likely to be similar to common ancestors whose eyes evolved to different degrees over time

over the course of 400,000 generations

During a class on 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." To correct your fellow student's misconception, what would you say?

Characteristics acquired during an organism's life are not passed on through genes - Only characteristics encoded in genes can be inherited.

Fifteen years after the publication of On the Origin of Species, what was the level of acceptance of Darwin's theory of common descent in the scientific community?

Most naturalists had come to accept Darwin's theory - Oddly enough, there was more acceptance of this work closer to the time that it was published than there is now, despite over a century of confirming evidence

Which of the following mutations would you expect to confer an evolutionary advantage to its respective organism?

a mutation in a desert plant that causes its cuticle to become slightly more waterproof - This could potentially be an advantage for this plant in a severe drought

On what level of organization would you expect to see evolution occur?

populations - It is groups of organisms that evolve

first

proto-

Two species of birds live in the same area, have the same mating season, and frequently encounter each other. Why would individuals from the two species of birds be unlikely to attempt breeding?

because of behavioral isolation - Behavioral isolation will prevent breeding in this situation.

_________ nomenclature is the system of naming organisms by their genus and species.

binomial

Two species live in similar environments but on different continents. Although the species are not closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of ______

convergent evolution - Convergent evolution results in the development of analogous structural similarities

Selection can influence populations in three ways:_________ favors one extreme in a range of phenotypes; ________ favors both extremes in a range of phenotypes; and _________ favors the average phenotype in a population.

directional selection; disruptive selection; stabilizing selection

Which of the following would be an isolating mechanism that results from two species living in two different habitats?

ecological isolation - This is a reproductive isolating mechanism related to habitat isolation.

___________ speciation is the process by which two populations of a single species that share the same geographical area become two seperate species.

sympatric

Darwin collected most of his data for the theory of evolution from ________

the Galapagos Islands - Still a hotbed for evolutionary research, this area is home to widely diverse organisms

other

alto-

same

sym-

equal

equi-

Unlike natural selection, genetic drift is based solely on _________.

chance events - It is solely by chance that certain individuals survive while others perish. This causes the drift in the allele frequency.

When a population becomes geographically separated into two groups that no longer share a gene pool, which of the following can occur?

allopatric speciation

Factors that can be problems in determining relatedness among organisms may include __________ (select all that apply)

- convergent evolution - poor fossil record - analogous traits

Radiometric dating indicates that Earth is approximately ___________________ years old.

4.6 billion - All evidence available, including radiometric evidence, indicates that Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old

Which of the following would be an example of evolution?

A group of moths migrates to a new area, where, after many generations, they develop a new wing coloration.

Charles Darwin is given the credit for formulating the idea of evolution through natural selection. However, another naturalist came up with the same insight at approximately the same time as Darwin. Who was it?

Alfred Russel Wallace - Amazingly, both men came to the same basic conclusions within only a few years of each other.

True or False. In the example described in the tutorial, the red amoebas survived the catastrophic event, and all future generations of amoebas were red because the red amoebas had a higher reproductive rate than the blue ones.

FALSE - After the catastrophic event, all future generations of amoebas were red because all blue amoebas died during the catastrophe.

Which of the following scientists did NOT believe that organisms changed over time, or evolved?

Georges Cuvier - Cuvier thought that after catastrophes that resulted in the extinction of certain organisms, new organisms were created to take their place

What does the principle of common descent imply about humans?

Humans are descended from ancestors shared by all other living organisms. - Because there is only one ancestor in this model, all organisms must share it. That ancestor is the original cell.

Based on your understanding of mutations and the evolutionary process, arrange these organisms in order, starting with the one that would have the closest relationship to humans, and ending with the one that would have the most distant relationship to humans. I. tuna II. yeast III. pig IV. moth V. duck VI. snake

III, V, VI, I, IV, II - According to evolutionary theory, humans are more closely related to other mammals than to protists.

Which of the following events could NOT be caused by a population bottleneck?

Increased population size - By definition, a population bottleneck dramatically reduces the size of a population

Which of the following is one of the vexing problems associated with studying evolution?

It usually takes a very long time for evolution to occur. - Even though evolution is occurring today, it takes long periods to accumulate lots of evidence for change in a population.

Why is the enzyme lactase necessary to digest dairy products?

Lactase breaks down lactose into smaller molecules that can be absorbed by the cells that line the small intestine.

The process by which a species can change through their differential reproductive capacity is known as______

Natural Selection - Organisms are "selected" by nature by their capacity to reproduce.

What was one of the reasons that the principle of natural selection was slow to catch on?

Nobody understood how traits could be reliably passed on through generations. - Modern genetics as we know it did not exist

According to Lamarck, how did the giraffe get such a long neck?

Simply stretching to eat from tall branches over and over again resulted in such a long neck - Although Lamarck had the idea of evolution correct, his mechanism has not stood the test of time.

Often the concept of microevolution (which describes such phenomena as antibiotic resistance in some infectious bacteria) is cited as an accepted form of evolution whereas the large-scale evolution of species is rejected. What aspect of large-scale evolution makes it more difficult to comprehend for some people?

The evolution of species takes so long to occur that one cannot ever "see" it happen, meaning that it is easy for some people to reject. - Although microevolution takes place on a time scale we can see, we'll never be able to actually observe dinosaurs evolving into birds.

Which of the following is the best example of a species that is locally extinct?

The red-breasted nuthatch, missing from part of its range

A giraffe and a mouse (both mammals) have the same number of vertebrae in their neck and spine. Which of the following accounts for this?

The vertebrae in their neck and spine are homologous because they share a common ancestor.

Sharks (which are fish) and dolphins (which are mammals) are both shaped like a torpedo. Which of the following accounts for this?

Their shape arose through convergent evolution, since that shape is beneficial for animals living in the ocean

Lions and tigers can produce offspring (ligers or tigons) but are still considered separate species. Why is this?

They never interbreed in a natural environment. - Part of the definition stipulates natural populations, not ones in a zoo

Which of the following is the best interpretation of the phrase "survival of the fittest" from an evolutionary biologist's perspective?

Those that have the most offspring are the fittest. - The "fit" are simply those that have successfully passed their genes on.

Lactose intolerance in infants is more common in the population today than it was a hundred years ago. Why?

Today there are alternatives to breast milk, such as lactose-free formula and soy milk, so lactose intolerant infants can survive.

Typically fertilization results in __________

a cell with the appropriate number of chromosomes - Fertilization typically results in the combination of gametes and an appropriate number of chromosomes for the given organism

Which of the following best describes the likely evolutionary steps that led to a complex eye like we see in humans?

a flat sheet of light-sensitive cells; light-sensitive cells in a cup; a pinhole camera without a lens; a pinhole camera with a lens

Behavioral isolation occurs when __________

a particular mating ritual must be performed before reproduction can take place

__________ speciation is the process by which two populations of a single species become two species following a geographic separation.

allopatric

Speciation that results from the geographic isolation of populations is known as______

allopatric speciation

When a population becomes geographically separated so that it no longer shares a gene pool, __________ can occur

allopatric speciation - Allopatric speciation can occur in this situation

A key element in shaping Darwin's principle of natural selection came from_________

an essay by T. R. Malthus

Opponents of evolution often remark that it ______

cannot be observed happening - It can be difficult for nonscientists to believe things they cannot see

with or together with

co-

What are the two core principles of the theory of evolution?

common descent with modification and natural selection - These are the fundamental principles of the theory of evolution.

The phenomenon in which distantly related organisms evolve similar features is known as ______

convergent evolution - There are numerous examples of this.

A population is said to be in ___________ if its allele frequencies remain constant from one generation to the next.

equilibrium

true, good

eu-

Two populations of tree frogs live on opposite sides of the Rocky Mountains. They do not interbreed because they do not come into contact with one another. Which type of isolating mechanism is at work here?

extrinsic isolation - These two species are geographically isolated.

Reproductive isolating mechanisms keep species from interbreeding in one of two ways: __________ isolating mechanisms are geographical barriers that prevent contact between species; ___________ isolating mechanisms are differences in anatomy, physiology, or behavior that prevent mating between species.

extrinsic; intrinsic

A "mad" scientist believed that he could create a new species by forming a hybrid between humans and chimpanzees. He collected eggs from female chimps and sperm from human males and then allowed the two kinds of gametes to come together in a test tube. The human sperm were incapable of fertilizing the chimpanzee eggs because of the lack of a proper receptor on the surface of the egg. Which isolating mechanism was working to keep these two species separate?

gamete isolation - Different surface receptors may be found on the gametes of different species. An improper receptor will not be recognized, and thus no fertilization can occur.

The movement of alleles from one population to another by the migration of individuals is called ________

gene flow - Gene flow describes the movement of alleles from one population to another.

A large population of cockroaches is devastated by a natural disaster, resulting in a significantly smaller population with a different set of allele frequencies from the original population. What has happened to this population?

genetic bottlenecking - This population has effectively been bottlenecked.

An organism's genetic makeup--its actual combination of alleles--is known as its _______

genotype

Darwin partly devised his principle of common descent from__________

his discovery that the wide variety of birds he collected on the Galapagos were all separate species of finches - He had initially thought that they were completely different birds (such as wrens and warblers) and was astounded that they could all be the same type yet have such wide varieties,

a(n) __________ is a common structure in different species that results from a shared ancestry.

homology

In formulating his ideas on natural selection, Darwin relied on information from what other scientific disciplines?

human population dynamics - Darwin had read T. R. Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population before formulating his theory.

Hybridization between a horse and a donkey to produce a mule is a form of which type of reproduction isolation?

hybrid inviability - Hybrid inviability is a form of post-reproductive isolating mechanisms.

Which of the following is a post-mating reproductive isolation method?

hybrid sterility - This is a post-reproductive isolation mechanism.

In a large population that inhabits a diversity of habitats, which of the following do you think is most important in distributing a beneficial mutation that arises in one part of the population to another part of the population?

migration - Known as gene flow, this allows the mutation to spread throughout the population

a(n) ________ is a change in the base sequence of an organism's DNA.

mutation

The differential adaptation of individual organisms to their environment selects the traits that will be passed on with greater frequency from one generation to the next. This process is called ________

natural selection - This is the major force behind evolution

Allopatric speciation can occur when __________

one population of the same species is separated geographically and can no longer interbreed - Allopatric speciation would occur in this situation

father

pater (or patr-)

An organism's traits--including its outward appearance, behavior, and other observable or measurable features--is known as its _________

phenotype

Which of the following is the correct hierarchical sequence of taxonomic groups, beginning with the most inclusive group and proceeding to the most exclusive?

phylum, class, order, family - The taxonomic hierarchy is kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species

many

poly-

The condition in which one or more entire sets of chromosomes have been added to the genome of a diploid organism is known as ________

polyploidy

Before more recent examples of sympatric speciation, scientists thought that this type of speciation occurred rapidly through _______

polyploidy - Although most common in plants, polyploidy is also thought to have played a role in vertebrate evolution

The presence of multiple copies of a genome in plants is referred to as __________

polyploidy - This is the term for multiple copies of a genome

a(n) ___________ consists of all the members of a species that live together in a specific geographic region.

population

As climate change continues, species in which of the following marine ecosystems are likely to benefit the most?

rocky areas near shore

The primary role of natural selection in evolution was supported by the discovery of the ______.

role of individual genes in inheritance - Mendel proved that inheritance did not occur by blending but through the inheritance of individual genes.

Gametes from the same individual can combine to create in a process called __________

self fertilization - This is the process of combining an individual's own genetic material.

In a certain species of insect, brightly colored individuals are more likely to be eaten, but they are still often seen because they are significantly more likely to attract mates. What is this scenario an example of?

sexual selection - Even though it is dangerous, being brightly colored has been selected for.

__________ is the general term for the process by which new species form.

speciation

What conclusion did George Cuvier come to after his inspection of the fossil record?

species could go extinct - nobody believed that this was possible before

The consistency of human infant birth weight is an example of __________

stabilizing selection

Microevolution can be defined as a change in ______.

the allele frequency within a population over a relatively short time - this is evolution at its smallest scale

Of the following structures, which is homologous to the wing of a bat?

the flipper of a whale - The flipper of a whale, although it serves a different purpose, is similar in morphology to a bat's wing. All the bones present in the wing of a bat are found in the genes of a whale flipper.

In 1789, British sailors aboard the HMS Bounty mutinied and, along with women from Tahiti, established a colony on Pitcairn Island in the Pacific Ocean. This is an example of ________

the founder effect - All the inhabitants of the island today are descendants of six British sailors and their Tahitian wives.

What does the wide variety of different types of animal eyes represent?

the intermediate forms that probably occurred in the common ancestors of today's animals

Natural selection operates on ___________

the phenotypes of whole organisms - It is the phenotype of a whole organism, or even the whole population of organisms, that is subject to selection pressures

What does the science of cladistics tell us about the origins of birds?

they are closely related to dinosaurs - The most parsimonious explanation of the origin of birds is that they evolved from dinosaurs

Possible intrinsic reproductive isolating mechanisms include __________ (select all that apply)

- mating at different times of year or times of day - incompatibility between eggs and sperm that prevent fertilization - singing a different mating song than another species

In allopatric speciation __________ (select all that apply).

- populations are geographically isolated - populations accumulate genetic changes over time that result in physical or behavioral changes that eventually block successful interbreeding - gene flow between populations is greatly reduced because of geographic separation

The evolution of a single species into a number of new species by filling new ecologic niches is known as ________

adaptive radiation - This is a type of evolution is characteristic of new oceanic islands.

a(n) _________ is a structure that resembles one found in a different species, but results from convergent evolution rather than shared ancestry.

analogy

Which of the following is the best definition of evolution?

any genetically based phenotypic change in a population over successive generations - This change must be inheritable and therefore must be genetic in nature.

When should a lactase supplement be taken in order to be most effective, and why?

at the same time the dairy product is consumed, so that the lactase will be in contact with the lactose

Hybridization between different plant species that results in offspring that have more than two sets of chromosomes is called __________.

polyploidy - Polyploidy produces more than two sets of chromosomes. In this case it is allopolyploidy because the chromosomes are from more than one species.

Uranium-238 is a radioactive element that will decay into lead-206. It has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, which means that after 4.5 billion years exactly one-half of the total amount of uranium-238 that you started with will have decayed into lead-206. Suppose you were given a 100-gram solid block of uranium-238, and you buried it in the ground. Nine billion years from now, if someone dug it up and analyzed it, how much uranium-238 would be left?

25 grams - In the first 4.5 billion years, 50 grams of uranium-238 will have decayed. In the next 4.5 billion years, half of the remaining 50 grams that are left will have decayed, leaving only 25 grams

Which of the following places is likely to have the highest level of local extinction?

A tropical forest in Guyana

In a scientific name such as Canis familiaris, the first word refers to the _______

genus - A species name always has two words, the genus and the particular member of that genus.

All of the following are types of intrinsic isolation EXCEPT ______

geographic isolation - this is extrinsic isolation

You are a herpetologist studying how milk snakes in Minnesota respond to climate change. Which of the following would be a morphological change?

they are increasing in average length