Biology 2 Test 1 Sample Questions

If you were using cladistics to build a phylogenetic tree of cats, which of the following would be the best outgroup? A.wolf B.domestic cat C.frog D.leopard

A

According to the theory of evolution by natural selection, anatomical and molecular homologous should __________. A.indicate similar patterns of evolutionary relatedness B.be completely independent of each other C.yield very different hierarchical patterns of relatedness D.indicate identical patterns of evolutionary relatedness E.be understood to have come about by chance alone

A

All known organisms appear to translate genetic information to protein molecules via the same genetic code. This finding strongly supports the hypothesis that __________. A.all organisms are descended from a single common ancestor Bthere's only one possible way to encode information in a macromolecule C.the genetic code is of relatively recent evolutionary origin D.scientists have yet to accurately decipher the genetic code

A

In a comparison of birds and mammals, the condition of having four limbs is A.a shared ancestral character B.a shared derived character C.a character useful for distinguishing birds from mammals D.an example of analogy rather than homology

A

Bird guides once listed the myrtle warbler and Audubon's warbler as distinct species. Recently, these birds have been classified as eastern and western forms of a single species, the yellow-rumped warbler. Which of the following pieces of evidence, if true, would be cause for this reclassification? A.The forms interbreed often in nature, and their offspring survive and reproduce well B.The two forms live in similar habitats and have similar requirements C.The forms have many genes in common D.The two forms are very similar in appearance

A

DNA sequences in many human genes are very similar to the sequences of corresponding genes in chimpanzees. The most likely explanation for this result is that A.humans and chimpanzees share a relatively recent common ancestor B.humans evolved from chimpanzees C.chimpanzees evolved from humans D.convergent led to the DNA similarities

A

During periods of rapid environmental change, what can happen to a species that was well suited to the former environment? A.All of the listed responses are correct. B.The species may go extinct. C.Individuals with particular traits that provide an advantage in the new environment will have higher reproductive success. D.The population may change so much in adapting to the new environment that it is considered a new species. E.Traits that were favorable in the original environment may be detrimental in the new environment.

A

There are 25 individuals in population 1, all with genotype AA, and there are 40 individuals in population 2, all with genotype aa. Assume that these populations are located far from each other and that their environmental conditions are very similar. Based on the information given here, the observed genetic variation most likely resulted from A.genetic drift B.gene flow C.nonrandom mating D.directional selection

A

To Cuvier, the differences in fossils from different strata were evidence for __________. A.local catastrophic events such as droughts or floods B.changes occurring as a result of cumulative but gradual processes C.divine creation D.evolution by natural selection E.continental drift

A

Which of the following is an example of convergent evolution? A.Similarities between the marsupial Tasmanian wolf and the eutherian North American wolf B.The evolution of multiple-drug resistance in MRSA bacteria C.Two very different plants that are found in different habitats but evolved from a fairly recent common ancestor D.The internal structural similarity of all vertebrate forelimbs is an example of anatomically homologous structures. E.The many different bill sizes and shapes of finches on the Galápagos Islands

A.

The largest unit within which gene flow can readily occur is a A.population B.species C.genus D.hybrid

B

The upper forelimbs of humans and bats have fairly similar skeletal structures, whereas the corresponding bones in a whale have different shapes and proportions. However, genetic data suggest that all three kinds of organisms diverged from a common ancestor at about the same time. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for these data? A.Forelimb evolution was adaptive in people and bats, but not in whales B. Natural selection in an aquatic environment resulted in significant changes to whale forelimb anatomy C.Genes mutate faster in whales than in humans or bats D.Whales are not properly classified as mammals

B

Which of the following is an example of analogous structures? A.The tree-like and shrub-like silversword plants of Hawaii descended from a single colonizer B.Wings of a bee and a bird C.Forelimbs of a whale and a seal D.Forelimbs of a bat and a whale E.Skulls of apes and humans

B

Which of the Following is not an observation or inference on which natural selection is based? A.There is heritable variation among individuals B.Poorly adapted individuals never produce offspring. C.Species produce more offspring than the environment can support D.Only a fraction of an individual's offspring may survive

B.Poorly adapted individuals never produce offspring

A fruit fly has a gene with two alleles, A1 and A2. Tests show that 70% of the gametes produced in the population contain the A1 allele. If the population is in Hardy-Weinburg equilibrium, what proportion of the flies carry both Al and A2? A.0.7 B.0.49 C.0.42 D.0.21

C

Male of different species of the fruit fly Drosophilia that live in the same parts of the Hawaiian Islands have different elaborated courtship rituals. These rituals involve fighting other males and making stylized movements that attract females. What type of reproductive isolation does this represent? A.habitat isolation B.temporal isolation C.Behavioral isolation D.gametic isolation

C

Not two people are genetically identical,except for identical twins. The main source of genetic variations among humans is A.new mutations that occurred in the preceeding generation B.genetic drift C.the reshuffling of alleles in sexual reproduction D. Environmental effects

C

The remnants of pelvic and leg bones in a snake __. A.are homologous structures B.resulted from artificial selection C.are vestigial structure D.provide evidence for inheritance of acquired characteristics

C

To apply parsimony to constructing a phylogeny tree, A.choose the tree that assumes all evolutionary changes are equally probable B.choose the tree that assumes all evolutionary changes are equally probable C.choose the tree that represents the fewest evolutionary changes, in either DNA sequences or morphology D.choose the tree with the fewest branch points

C

Within six months of effectively using methicillin to treat S. aureus infections in a community, all new infections were caused by MRSA. How can this result best be explained? A.A patient must have become infected with MRSA from another community B.In response to the drug, S. aureus began making drug-resistant versions of the protein targeted by the drug C.Some drug-resistant bacteria were present at the start of treatment, and natural selection increased their frequency D.S. aureus evolved to resist vaccines

C.

According to the punctuated equilibria model, A) natural selection is unimportant as a mechanism of evolution. B) given enough time, most existing species will branch gradually into new species. C) most evolution occurs in sympatric populations. D) most new species accumulate their unique features relatively rapidly as they come into existence, then change little for the rest of their duration as a species.

D

Based on the tree below, which statement is not correct? -------------------------------------Salamander [________[------------------------------Lizard ------------------------------Goat --------------------------Human (I did my best) A. The salamanders lineage is a basal taxon B.Salamanders are a sister group to the group containing lizards,goats,and humans C.Salamanders are as closely related to goats as to humans D.Lizards are more closely related to salamanders than to humans

D

If the reptiles are designated as a taxon, and the birds are excluded from this group, the taxon is __. A.an order B.polyphyletic C.monophyletic D.paraphyletic E.a clade

D

Natural selection changes allele frequencies because ___________ survive and reproduce better than others A.alleles B.loci C.species D.individuals

D

Sparrows with average-sized wings survive severe storms better than those with longer or shorter wings, illustrating A.the bottleneck effect B.disruptive selection C.the reshuffling of alleles in sexual reproduction D. environmental effects

D

The work of which individual is most directly associated with the principle of parsimony? A.Linnaeus B.Darwin C.Lamarck D.Occam E.Lyell

D

Three living species X, Y, and Z share a common ancestor T, as do extinct species U and V. A grouping that consists of species T, X, Y, and Z (but not U or V) makes up A.a monophyletic taxon B.an ingroup,with species U as the outgroup C.a polyphyletic group D.a paraphyletic group

D

Which of the following factors would not contribute to allopatric specialization? A.A population becomes geographically isolated from the parent population B.The separated population is small, and genetic drift occurs C.The isolated population is exposed to different selection pressures than the ancestral population D.Gene flow between the two population is extensive

D

Which of the following observations helped Darwin shape his his concept of descent with modification? A.Species diversity declines further from the equator B.Fewer species live on islands than on the nearest equator C.Birds live on islands located farther from the mainland than the birds maximum nonstop flight distance D.South American temperate plants are more similar to the tropical plants of South America than to temperate plants of Europe

D.

Sister taxa are defined as those that __. A.occupy the same geographic location B.reproduce only asexually C.make up a lineage in which one is descended from the other D.are members of the same family E.are each other's closest relatives

E.