BIOLOGY 2 - CHAP 22

Which of the following people developed the idea known as the scala naturae, or scale of nature? A) Aristotle B) Darwin C) Wallace D) Hutton E) Lyell Linnaeus

A) Aristotle

Which of the following is not an observation or inference that Darwin made while developing his theory of evolution? A) Interactions between individuals and their environments cause individuals to evolve. B) The unequal abilities of individuals to survive and reproduce will lead to the accumulation of favorable traits in the population over generations. C) All species can produce more offspring than their environments can support, and many of these offspring fail to survive and reproduce. D) Members of a population often vary in their inherited traits. E) Individuals whose inherited traits give them a higher probability of surviving and reproducing in a given environment tend to leave more offspring than do other individuals.

A) Interactions between individuals and their environments cause individuals to evolve.

The upper forelimbs of humans and bats have fairly similar skeletal structures, whereas the corresponding bones in whales have very 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) Natural selection in an aquatic environment resulted in significant changes to whale forelimb anatomy. B) Genes mutate faster in whales than in humans or bats. C) Humans and bats evolved by natural selection, and whales evolved by Lamarckian mechanisms. D) Forelimb evolution was adaptive in people and bats, but not in whales. E) Whales are not properly classified as mammals.

A) Natural selection in an aquatic environment resulted in significant changes to whale forelimb anatomy.

The breeding of plants and animals for particular traits by humans is called __________. A) artificial selection B) natural selection C) sexual recombination D) homology E) paleontology

A) artificial selection

Darwin originally defined evolution as __________. A) descent with modification B) a way to classify organisms based on morphological similarities C) an individual's ability to adapt to its environment D) the passing of acquired characteristics to offspring E) None of the listed responses is correct.

A) descent with modification

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

B) All of the listed responses are correct.

How did Hutton and Lyell's ideas influence Charles Darwin's thinking? A) Darwin reasoned that organisms could pass acquired modifications to their offspring. B) Darwin reasoned that the Earth must be very old and that slow, subtle processes could produce substantial biological changes. C) Darwin reasoned that the Earth must be very young and that sudden events could produce substantial biological changes. D) Darwin used Hutton and Lyell's ideas to develop the scala naturae. E) Darwin speculated that extinctions are common events during the course of time.

B) Darwin reasoned that the Earth must be very old and that slow, subtle processes could produce substantial biological changes.

What does each branch point on an evolutionary tree represent? A) An analogous characteristic shared by all groups to the right of the branch point B) The common ancestor of the lineages beginning there and to the right of it C) Convergent evolution D) A homologous characteristic shared by all groups to the right of the branch point E) A homologous characteristic shared by all groups to the left of the branch point

B) The common ancestor of the lineages beginning there and to the right of it

All known organisms transcribe genetic information to protein molecules via the same genetic code. This finding strongly supports the hypothesis that __________. A) None of the listed responses is correct. B) all organisms are descended from a single common ancestor C) the genetic code will never be broken D) the earliest macromolecules probably arose when lightning struck an oxygen-free atmosphere E) there's only one possible way to encode information in a macromolecule

B) all organisms are descended from a single common ancestor

Animals that possess homologous structures probably __________. A) are not related B) evolved from the same ancestor C) have increased genetic diversity D) by chance had similar mutations independently in the past E) are headed for extinction

B) evolved from the same ancestor

At the time Darwin voyaged on the HMS Beagle, the popularly accepted theory in Western culture that explained the origin of Earth's plants and animals held that the various species __________. A) arose from a single species that had survived the biblical flood B) had been created by divine intervention a few thousand years before C) are all related to one another D) had evolved from now-extinct organisms E) arose continually from nonliving materials by spontaneous generation

B) had been created by divine intervention a few thousand years before

Adaptations are defined as __________. A) characteristics that become larger and stronger during the lifetime of an organism B) inherited characteristics of organisms that enhance their survival and reproduction in specific environments C) characteristics that are acquired during the lifetime of an organism D) characteristics that are not passed to offspring E) inherited characteristics of organisms that reduce their survival and reproduction in specific environments F) characteristics that seem to have marginal, if any, importance to an organism

B) inherited characteristics of organisms that enhance their survival and reproduction in specific environments

A population of zooplankton is exposed to a small number of predatory fish that feed on the larger-sized (adult) zooplankton. Which of the following predictions would most likely occur based on the principles of natural selection? A) The predatory fish will evolve poor eyesight so as to preserve their food supply. B) The predatory fish will evolve smaller mouths so that they do not drive their prey to extinction C) Adult zooplankton will start to reach sexual maturity when they are still relatively small. D) The zooplankton will become sexually mature at larger sizes.

C) Adult zooplankton will start to reach sexual maturity when they are still relatively small.

The modern idea of extinction as a common occurrence in Earth's history was first proposed in the early 19th century writings of __________. A) Wallace B) Aristotle C) Cuvier D) Lamarck E) Lyell

C) Cuvier

Darwin's explanation of how adaptations arise centered on __________. A) use and disuse B) inheritance of acquired characteristics C) natural selection D) artificial selection

C) natural selection

Carolus Linnaeus is considered to be the founder of __________, and he __________. A) evolution; first proposed that acquired characteristics are inherited B) genetics; described the mechanism for descent with modification C) the binomial classification system; thought that resemblances among different species reflected the pattern of their creation D) paleontology; believed in catastrophism E) uniformitarianism; believed the same geologic forces are operating today that occurred in the past

C) the binomial classification system; thought that resemblances among different species reflected the pattern of their creation

Homologies that appear to have marginal, if any, importance to an organism are called __________. A) acquired characteristics B) None of the listed responses is correct. C) vestigial structures D) adaptations E) mutations F) homologous structures

C) vestigial structures

How does our understanding of genetics today refute Lamarck's principle of the inheritance of acquired characteristics? A) Parts of the body that are used extensively will become stronger and be passed to offspring. B) Experiments in genetics show that traits acquired during an individual's lifetime are inherited in the way proposed by Lamarck. C) Parts of the body that are not used will deteriorate over time. D) Experiments in genetics show that traits acquired during an individual's lifetime are not inherited in the way proposed by Lamarck. E) All organisms are perfect and permanent.

D) Experiments in genetics show that traits acquired during an individual's lifetime are not inherited in the way proposed by Lamarck

On an evolutionary tree, __________. A) organisms that are positioned close to each other are closely related B) the concept of descent with modification is not well-represented C) scientists are sure of the correct placement and relationships of all organisms D) homologous characteristics form a nested pattern

D) homologous characteristics form a nested pattern

Which of the following is correct regarding natural selection? A) Natural selection is a process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than do individuals without those traits. B) Individuals do not evolve; populations do. C) Over time, natural selection can increase the correspondence between organisms and their environments. D) If an environment changes, or if individuals move to a new environment, natural selection may result in adaptation to these new conditions, sometimes giving rise to new species. E) All of the listed responses are correct.

E) All of the listed responses are

Which of the following is not an observation or inference on which natural selection is based? A) Individuals whose characteristics are best suited to the environment generally leave more offspring than those whose characteristics are less well suited. B) Poorly adapted individuals never produce offspring. C) Only a fraction of an individual's offspring may survive. D) Species produce more offspring than the environment can support. E) There is heritable variation among individuals.

E) There is heritable variation among individuals.

Even though rodents known as sugar gliders and flying squirrels are members of distinctly different groups of organisms and live on different continents, they possess similar characteristics. This is an example of __________. A) adaptation B) use and disuse C) acquired characteristics D) homology E) convergent evolution

E) convergent evolution

An important challenge to traditional (pre-1860) ideas about species was the observation that seemingly dissimilar organisms such as hummingbirds, humans, and whales have similar skeletal structures. This most directly suggested to biologists that __________. A) All of the listed responses are correct. B) only the best-adapted organisms can survive only the best-adapted organisms can survive C) advantageous changes can be passed along to offspring D) most evolution occurs rapidly following a mass extinction E) dissimilar organisms might have evolved from a distant, common ancestor

E) dissimilar organisms might have evolved from a distant, common ancestor

In Darwin's view of descent with modification, __________. A) an organism's traits only affect its own survival B) individuals can evolve C) environmental changes have no effect on the organisms living in that environment D) natural selection only operates when an organism needs to evolve E) natural selection can improve the match between an organism and its environment

E) natural selection can improve the match between an organism and its environment

A(n) __________ is the smallest unit that can evolve. A) adaptation B) individual C) species D) community E) population

E) population

Organisms found only in specific places in the world are referred to as __________. A) homologous B) tetrapods C) analogous D) convergent E) introduced species F) endemic

F) endemic