Mastering Biology ( The History of Life on Earth)

Retention of juvenile body features into sexual maturity is referred to as the presence of __________. A) analogous organs B) exaptation C) paedomorphosis D) vestigial structures E) adaptive radiation

paedomorphosis

Single-called prokaryotes had the Earth to themselves for approximately ______________. A) 1.5 million years B) 1.5 billion years C) 3 billion years D) 150,000 years E) 3 million years

1.5 billion years

What were the two major "problems" that had to be solved before plants, animals, and fungi could move into terrestrial habitats? A) support and absorption ' B) reproduction and locomotion C) reproduction and prevention of dehydration D) cell division and absorption of nutrients E) prevention of dehydration and locomotion

Reproduction and prevention of dehydration

Which of the following is the correct ordering divisions of the geologic record from largest to smallest? A) epoch, era, period, eon B) eon, era, period, epoch C) period, epoch, era, eon D) epoch, period, era, eon E) eon, period, epoch, era

eon, era, period, epoch

Which of the following is a true statement concerning the history of Earth's biological diversity? A) there has been a steady increase in biological diversity at the level of families since the beginning of the Paleozoic era B) the majority of species that ever lived are now extinct C) prior to the origin of humans, no extinction event had ever affected more than 20% of species D) most animal phyla did not originate until after the last mass extinction event E) typically, extinctions occur only during periods of disruptive change to the global environment

The majority of species that ever lived are now extinct.

In the species selection model, __________ is to macroevolution as __________ is to microevolution. A) exaptation; adaptation B) genotype; phenotype C) disruptive selection; balancing selection D) differential speciation success; differential reproductive success E) allopatric speciation; sympathetic speciation

differential speciation success; differential reproductive success

If the wings of extant flying birds originally arose as thermoregulatory devices in ancestral reptiles, then the bird wings could be accurately described as __________. A) analogous organs B) exaptations C) vestigial structures D) degenerate structures E) anticipatory structures

exaptations

Fossilized stromatolites _________________. A) all date from 2.7 billion years ago B) formed around deep-sea vents C) resemble structures formed by bacterial communities that are found today in some warm, shallow, salty days D) provide evidence that plants moved onto land in the company of fungi around 500 million years ago E) contain the first undisputed fossils of eukaryotes and date from 2.1 billion years ago

resemble structures formed by bacterial communities that are found today in some warm, shallow, salty bays

Which of the following would not have been a consequence of tectonic plate movements bringing previously separated land masses together in the formation of the supercontinent of Pangaea about 250 million years ago? A) ocean basins became deeper B) shallow coastal seas were drained C) allopatric speciation increased D) interior regions of the supercontinent became extremely cold and dry E) habitat destruction led to extinctions

Allopathic speciation increased

Although they originated around 180 million years ago, mammals underwent an adaptive radiation starting approximately 65 million years ago. Why? A) mammals were not well-adapted to the climate that existed before about 65 million years ago B) mammals were mostly nocturnal until 65 million years ago C) between 180 and 65 million years ago, mammals were outcompeted by the well-established dinosaurs D) fur evolved in mammals around 65 million years ago, enabling them to withstand colder temperatures E) all of the listed responses are correct

Between 180 and 65 million years ago, mammals were outcompeted by the well-established dinosaurs.

The ration of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a fossil can be used to determine the age of the fossil because ______________. A) carbon-14, unlike carbon-12, decays at a continuous rate after the death of an organism B) the amount of carbon-14 in most environments has steadily decreased since the origin of Earth C) more recently evolved organisms are more efficient in assimilating carbon-14 D) the process of fossilization entails absorption of carbon-14 at a continuous rate from surrounding sediment E) meteorite impacts at known times have periodically increased the amount of carbon-14 on Earth

Carbon-14, unlike carbon-12, decays at a continuous rate after the death of an organism.

The original atmosphere of Earth had little oxygen. What was the likely first source of oxygen that led to an oxygen atmosphere? A) cone-bearing plants B) Cyanobacteria C) flowering plants D) mycorrhizae E) eukaryotic algae

Cyanobacteria

Adaptive radiations can be a direct consequence of four of the following five factors. Select the exception A) an adaptive radiation in a group of organisms that another group uses as food B) vacant ecological niches C) genetic drift D) colonization of an isolated region that contains suitable habitat and few competitor species E) evolutionary innovation

Genetic drift

Why is the four-stage hypothesis for the abiotic origin of life useful? A) it can be proven B) it is true C) it provides a reason for the origin of living things D) it leads to predictions that can be tested E) it proves that RNA was the first genetic molecule

It leads to predictions that can be tested.

The correct order of the geologic eras, from most ancient to most recent, is ___________. A) paleozoic, Cenozoic, Mesozoic B) Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic C) Proterozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Paleozoic D) Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Proterozoic E) Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic

Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic

Why is RNA, rather than DNA, thought to have been the first genetic material? A) The nucleotide building blocks of RNA are much simpler than those of DNA B) RNA is the only genetic material of the simplest living multicellular organisms C) RNA can also function as a catalyst D) RNA molecules are more stable than DNA molecules E) Unlike DNA, RNA is copied without mistakes

RNA can also function as a catalyst

What evidence most strongly suggests that an impact by an asteroid or meteorite may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? A) fossils show that dinosaurs suffered from cold and starvation B) there have been several near misses in recent years C) the dinosaurs disappeared rather abruptly, virtually overnight D) sedimentary rocks contain a layer of iridium, a mineral uncommon on Earth E) most dinosaur fossils are fragmented, indicating that they were crushed by the asteroid

Sedimentary rocks contain a layer of iridium, a mineral uncommon on Earth.

The Miller and Urey abiotic synthesis experiment (and subsequent, similar experiments) showed that _________________. A) life can be created in a test tube B) long chains of DNA can form under abiotic conditions C) simple organic molecules can form spontaneously under conditions like those thought to prevail early in Earth's history D) the earliest life-forms introduced large amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere E) the "concentration gap" probably prevented simple organic molecules from polymerizing

Simple organic molecules can form spontaneously under conditions like those thought to prevail early in Earth's history.

Which of the following is not a unique anatomical feature of mammals that can be recognized in the fossil record? A) A set of three bones-the hammer, anvil, and stirrup—that transmit sound in the middle ear B) A lower jaw composed of a single bone C) Teeth differentiated into incisors, canines, premolars, and molars D) A dentary-squamosal hinge connecting the upper and lower jaws E) temporal fenestra

Temporal fenestra

Which of the following is a true statement about the current status of Earth's biodiversity? A) the current decrease in biodiversity due to human actions represents the largest mass extinction ever B) the current rate of extinctions is as high as 1,000 times the typical rate seen in the fossil record C) many extinctions have occurred recently, but the rate of extinctions is decreasing D) the number of marine families is lower than it was prior to the last mass extinction, at the end of the Mesozoic era E) as global temperatures continue to increase, species diversity will likely increase as well

The current rate of extinctions is as high as 1000 times the typical rate seen in the fossil record.

What was one ecological change that occurred following the Permian mass extinction? A) each species lost in the extinction was replaced by a species from the same lineage and filling the same ecological role B) marine community diversity increased at the expense of terrestrial adaptive radiations C) the number of marine genera has decreased steadily to the present day D) mammal species became a smaller component of terrestrial food webs E) the percentage of marine predators increased

The percentage of marine predators increased.

Which evidence supports the hypothesis that mitochondria and plastids evolved from prokaryotic endosymbionts? A) they have a single circular chromosome similar to bacterial chromosomes B) they have flagella similar to bacterial flagella C) they have a single circular chromosome similar to bacterial chromosomes; their ribosomes are more like prokaryotic ribosomes than eukaryotic ribosomes D) their ribosomes are more like prokaryotic ribosomes than eukaryotic ribosomes E) they divide by a process similar to meiosis

They have a single circular chromosome similar to bacterial chromosomes; their ribosome are more like prokaryotic ribosomes than eukaryotic ribosomes.

Prior to the Cambrian explosion, all large animals had what characteristic in common? A) they were all predators B) they were all terrestrial C) they were members of only a few phyla D) they were all chordates E) they were all soft-bodied

They were all soft-bodied

You are watching a movie in which one of the characters excitedly claims to have found human remains in Asia dated 10 million years old. The date was obtained by carbon-14 dating. What is your reaction? A) this can't possible be true because humans weren't around 10 million years ago B) this would be a surprising finding because so far there is no evidence that humans existed that long ago C) this is a perfectly reasonable finding D) this can't possibly be true because the earliest humans came from Africa, not Asia E) this can't possible be true because carbon-14 dating can only be used to about 75,000 years

This can't possibly be true because carbon-14 dating can only be used back to about 75,000 years.

A genetic change that caused a certain Hox gene to be expressed along the tip of a vertebrate limb bud instead of farther back helped make possible the evolution of the tetrapod limb. This type of change is illustrative of ___________. A) the influence of environment on development B) a change in a developmental gene or in its regulation that altered the spatial organization of body parts C) paedomorphosis D) heterochrony E) gene duplication

a change in a developmental gene or in its regulation that altered the spatial organization of body parts

The fossil record is _____________. A) a small but unbiased sample of life on Earth B) biased in favor of species that existed for a long time C) useful for developing, but not testing, hypotheses D) now complete enough to detail the evolution of most terrestrial species E) useful only in describing the evolution of vertebrates

biased in favor of species that existed for a long time

Macroevolution differs from microevolution in that macroevolution ____________. A) is much more rapid than microevolution B) includes broad evolutionary changes above the species level C) is the evolution of multicellular, rather than unicellular, life D) includes only the evolution that has occurred in the most recent era E) refers specifically to the evolution of large size in vertebrates

includes broad evolutionary changes above the species level

The early atmosphere may not have been as reducing as originally postulated by Haldane, Oparin, Miller, and Urey. In light of current thinking about the composition of the early atmosphere, what is regarded as a likely place for the abiotic synthesis of organic molecules to have occurred? A) dust particles in the atmosphere B) near volcanoes C) banded iron formations D) the surface of ancient oceans E) stromatolite mounds

near volcanoes

The amphibians, reptiles, and mammals comprise which group? A) therapsids B) synapsids C) cynodonts D) arthropods E) tetrapods

tetrapods

Which of the following is an internal structure that appears in eukaryotic cells and is also present in more ancient prokaryotic cells? A) nuclear envelope B) vesicles C) mitochondria D) endoplasmic reticulum E) well-developed cytoskeleton

vesicles