BIO 345 Practice Exam 3
Two extant lizard species (X and Y) are placed in the genus Anolis and a third species (Z) is placed in the genus Draco. Assuming this classification reflects evolutionary relatedness, which of the following phylogenetic trees is correct? A B C D
D
The figure below shows populations of a species around a large lake. If populations 6 and 7 were shown to be different species, it would suggest speciation via what type of geographic mode of speciation? A. Parapatric B. Peripatric C. Allopatric D. Sympatric
A. Parapatric
The picture shown above is called blue-footed booby bird and they have an interesting mating ritual. The male bird performs an elaborate dance and the female decides to accept or reject the male. Other species of birds have different dance moves, so they are completely ignored by the blue-footed booby females. This is an example of what? A. prezygotic isolation B. postzygotic isolation C. mating isolation D. none of the above
A. prezygotic isolation
What is allopatric speciation? A. speciation involving a geographic barrier and population isolation B. speciation of a species in the same geographic area C. speciation by aliens taking one species to extinction D. speciation by one species taking over another species
A. speciation involving a geographic barrier and population isolation
A set of species derived from one common ancestor is defined as which of the following: i) Clade ii) Monophyletic group iii) Paraphyletic group iv) Polyphyletic group A. ii only B. iv only C. i and ii D. iii and iv E. None of the above
C. i and ii
Which pattern best characterizes the history of extinctions on Earth? A. An increasing per capita background extinction rate B. Five major mass extinctions and several lesser episodes of heightened extinction rates C. Three major mass extinctions and several lesser episodes of heightened extinction rates D. Three major mass extinctions and a low background extinction rate
B. Five major mass extinctions and several lesser episodes of heightened extinction rates (lecture 19, slide 56)
Bird and bat wings are ________ characters whereas bird and bat forelimbs are __________ characters. A. Morphological; phenotypic B. Homoplastic; homologous C. Homologous; homoplastic D. Homologous; synapomorphic
B. Homoplastic; homologous (lecture 15, slide 79) - homoplasy/convergence: the evolution of similar traits independently in different evolutionary lineages - homology: possession of a trait by 2 or more species that is derived from a common ancestor - synapomorphy: derived homologous trait that is shared among a group of organisms (e.g., feathers of birds)
Sister species of palm trees on Lord Howe island in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand are a well-known example of potential sympatric speciation. These species are both wind pollinated, which increases potential for gene flow. However, there is little evidence of gene flow between these two palm tree species. Upon closer investigation, flowering time of the palm tree species (reproductive season) is separated by 6 weeks. What type of reproductive isolating mechanism is this? A. Behavioral B. Temporal C. Spatial D. Morphological
B. Temporal (lecture 18, slide 88)
Identify the following groups of the phylogenies below: a. Group I: monophyletic, Group II: paraphyletic, Group III: polyphyletic b. Group I: paraphyletic, Group II: monophyletic, Group III: polyphyletic c. Group I: polyphyletic, Group II: paraphyletic, Group III: monophyletic d. Group I: paraphyletic, Group II: monophyletic, Group III: paraphyletic
a. Group I: monophyletic, Group II: paraphyletic, Group III: polyphyletic (lecture 15, slide 79)
Which of the following phylogenetic trees best represents the data from the table above? Tree A Tree B Tree C Tree D
Tree A
The biological species concept has been widely adopted, but there are also some practical difficulties applying it. Which of the following is NOT one of these difficulties? a. There's no principled way to measure reproductive isolation. b. The concept cannot be applied to extinct species. c. Many populations are allopatric. d. The concept does not apply to clonal organisms e. Testing reproductive isolation in the lab is not always feasible
a. There's no principled way to measure reproductive isolation. All of the answers are correct as being practical difficulties of the BSC except for the top answer that "no principled way to measure RI" -- it is possible to measure e.g. by putting animals from two populations in a cage together -- but this is often not practical / feasible
According to the phylogeny in the figure, which of the following statements is true? a. All chordates have a neural tube. b. Cephalochordates have a neural crest. c. Echinoderms have a neural tube. d. All chordates have a neural crest.
a. All chordates have a neural tube.
Refer to the figure. The organisms shown here are all "archosaurs." The top six are "dinosaurs," but Crocodiles are not. The node that represents the most recent common ancestor of all archosaurs is _______, and the node that represents the most recent common ancestor of all dinosaurs is _______. a. D; C b. E; A c. E; B d. C; B
a. D; C
With recapitulation, a somatic trait can appear ________ in development or a reproductive trait ________ in development. a. earlier; later b. earlier; earlier c. later; later d. later; earlier
a. earlier; later (lecture 17
In general, which of the following are risk factors for higher rates of extinction? (select all that apply) (lecture 19 WS) a. small population size b. small geographic range size c. large body size d. long generation times e. dietary generalist
a. small population size b. small geographic range size c. large body size d. long generation times
Which of the following is TRUE as relates to the idea of "Species" in biology? (select all that apply) (lecture 17 WS) a. there are many definitions of species that different scientists may use b. many types of data are relevant to defining species (e.g., genetic, morphological, behavioral, ecological) c. defining species is useful because it allows for the diversity of nature to be categorized and quantified d. species names can be considered the "language of biodiversity"
a. there are many definitions of species that different scientists may use b. many types of data are relevant to defining species (e.g., genetic, morphological, behavioral, ecological) c. defining species is useful because it allows for the diversity of nature to be categorized and quantified d. species names can be considered the "language of biodiversity"
According to the phenetic species concept, how many different species of Panda are present in the chart below? Use all three of the morphological traits present to group the species. a. 5 panda Species b. 3 panda species c. 6 panda species d. This would be the Biological species concept not phenetic
b. 3 panda species (lecture 18, slide 55) - refer to recitation WHY? W L N - is one R S F - is another W S F - is the last species
Which of the following is an example of gametic incompatibility? a. A male cat's reproductive organ does not fit a female's reproductive tract. b. A male shark deposits his sperm in a female shark, but those sperm fail to attach to her eggs. c. A male albone produces faster-swimming sperm than another male abalone d. A male coral releases sperm at a different time of day than another male coral.
b. A male shark deposits his sperm in a female shark, but those sperm fail to attach to her eggs. (lecture 18, slide 100) ex = if two different species mate, the sperm may be unable to recognize the egg
This is a real figure from Darwin's book On the Origin of Species -- referring to the phylogenetic tree in this figure, which statement is FALSE? (Figure description: A to L represent unique species, roman numerals I to XIV represent thousands of years, lower case letters represent descendants of the original species) a. Darwin recognized that lineages may go extinct. b. Darwin recognized hybridization happens frequently and so is an important means of genetic change. c. Darwin recognized that not all descendents of an organism's ancestors still exist. d. Darwin thought that evolution might take thousands of generations.
b. Darwin recognized hybridization happens frequently and so is an important means of genetic change. - This one is tricky just by the word "FALSE" in the question -- Darwin did recognize that lineages could go extinct, and the figure shows that, so you selected a TRUE answer.
Congratulations! You received a fellowship to study abroad in Munich, and you decided to join a lab studying the evolution of mice. Your fellow students show you a map of their preliminary data: in the eastern part of Europe the students found a mouse species called Mus musculus (the eastern mouse) and in the western part they found Mus domesticus (the western mouse). Close to campus, they studied one population in great detail, and they were surprised to find hybrid mice. However, the hybrid individuals did not produce fertile offspring. The mechanism of reproductive isolation is: a. Prezygotic reproductive isolation b. Postzygotic reproductive isolation c. Premating reproductive isolation d. Peripatric reproductive isolation
b. Postzygotic reproductive isolation (lecture 18, slide 97) - postzygotic because the hybrid does form, is fully functional, but does not reproduce
A group of scientists is studying Tetragnatha spiders on the island of Hawaii. A large lava flow has divided the spiders' forest habitat into two parts. As a result, a population of Tetragnatha spiders has become isolated on either side of the hardened lava. Which of the following best predicts how the lava flow will affect the spider populations over time? a. Genetic drift will increase the genetic diversity within each spider population, resulting in sympatric speciation. b. The spider population on each side of the lava flow will become reproductively isolated, resulting in allopatric speciation. c. The spider population on each side of the lava flow will adapt to live in different types of vegetation, resulting in sympatric speciation. d. Gene flow between the spider populations will increase, resulting in allopatric speciation.
b. The spider population on each side of the lava flow will become reproductively isolated, resulting in allopatric speciation. (lecture 18, slide 64) - The lava flow has caused the spider populations to become geographically isolated. With no gene flow between the populations, they will become reproductively isolated due to selective forces, genetic drift, and random mutations. Eventually, they will evolve into separate species. This type of speciation due to geographic separation is called allopatric.
There are 3 types of rodents with the following genotypes... AAT ATC GAA AAA ATG GAT AAA ATC GAT How should a phylogenetic tree be drawn according to parsimony with this data and how are they species related? a. Tree with the most changes, 2 and 3 are more related to each other than to 1 b. Tree with least changes, 2 and 3 are more related to each other than to 1 c. Tree with least changes, 2 and 1 are more related to each other than to 3 d. Tree with most changes, 1 and 3 are more related to each other than to 2
b. Tree with least changes, 2 and 3 are more related to each other than to 1 (lecture 15, slide 97)
Based on what we've discussed, which of the following is true of mass extinctions? (lecture 19 WS) a. mass extinction events are completely random, like rolling a dice to see who will survive b. mass extinction events change the environment radically (and perhaps randomly), but within the new environment it is non-random who survives c. mass extinctions are the exact same as background extinctions, only bigger
b. mass extinction events change the environment radically (and perhaps randomly), but within the new environment it is non-random who survives
What characteristics of a species would you predict would evolve due to species-level natural selection? (recall the biological species definition based on reproductive isolation) (lecture 14 WS) a. traits that promote the differential survival of species (over millions of years) b. traits that promote differential reproduction of species IF those species can also survive c. traits that promote genetic diversity within species d. being an ecological generalist e. all of the above
e. all of the above
Coevolution of Central American ants in the Pseudomyrmex ferrigineus group and swollen-thorn acacias (Vachellia species) is a type of ____, because ______. (lecture 14 WS) a. adaptation; the Vachellia species develop swollen thorns for the ants to eat b. mutualism; ants receive nesting space in the form of swollen thorns and food from nectaries and leaf-tip food bodies, and Vachellia trees receive protections from ants by removing or repelling herbivores and competing plants c. natural selection; ants find the swollen thorn of Vachellia perfect nesting space d. mosaic; ants damage the swollen thorn of Vachellia while nesting and the trees kill the ants with their sharp thorns
b. mutualism; ants receive nesting space in the form of swollen thorns and food from nectaries and leaf-tip food bodies, and Vachellia trees receive protections from ants by removing or repelling herbivores and competing plants
Is it possible to know with certainty, how many times a given trait has evolved? (lecture 17 WS) a. yes, science is all-knowing if we try hard enough b. no, but we can get a probabilistic estimate of the likelihood of different evolutionary scenarios c. what is truth?
b. no, but we can get a probabilistic estimate of the likelihood of different evolutionary scenarios
How do we actually know the age of given fossils? (lecture 19 WS) a. gnomes told us b. radiometric decay of unstable isotopes in rocks c. radiometric decay of stable isotopes in rocks d. molecular clock models e. tiktok capybara song
b. radiometric decay of unstable isotopes in rocks
Given the data shown here, how do we know that finch songs are inherited culturally rather than genetically? (lecture 15 WS) a. son songs are most similar to maternal grandfather songs b. son songs are most similar to paternal grandfather and father songs c. son songs are not related to any previous songs, so likely they are learned from the radio
b. son songs are most similar to paternal grandfather and father songs
Based on the phylogenetic species concept, which of the following species are not valid species? The colored dashed represent shared and derived characteristics. a. A, B, & D b. C & D c. A & D d. B & D e. Not enough information
c. A & D WHY? Use of the Phylogenetic Species Concept here is to identify the groups of populations (=branches) that are united by shared derived trait (=colored dashes in the figure). - A is only part of the species defined by the green trait - B is a full species - C is a full species - D is a mix of populations defined by the orange and black trait (so not a species)
In hybrid sterility, at what stage does reproductive isolation occur? a. Behavioral b. Temporal c. Post-zygotic d. Pre-zygotic
c. Post-zygotic (lecture 18) - Hybrid sterility is an example of post-zygotic reproductive isolation. In the case of hybrid sterility, hybridization can occur between 2 species, however the resulting hybrids are unable to produce; the hybrids are sterile.
Please refer to the below figure. Imagine you have a phylogeny that you are sure is correct that includes five species. You examine a gene sequence and discover that species A and E differ by 100 base pairs, species B and E differ by 101 base pairs, species C and E differ by 180 base pairs, and species D and E differ by 183 base pairs. What would you say is the most likely pattern of evolutionary rates among these species? a. Rates of evolution have been equal in all lineages. b. Species D has increased rate of change much more than the other species. c. Rates of evolution increased for species C and D after they diverged from their common ancestor with species B. d. Rates of evolution decreased for species B after it diverged from its common ancestor with species C and D.
c. Rates of evolution increased for species C and D after they diverged from their common ancestor with species B.
Naomi Pierce et al. demonstrated that Jalmenus butterfly larvae benefit from their Iridomyrmex ant partners in a coevolutionary mutualism. Because it is a costly mutualistic relationship for both species, Pierce et al. hypothesized that communication between the species would be favored by natural selection. What were the results of their tests for communication? a. Stridulating by the butterfly larvae repelled significantly more ants, making it less likely for the larvae to survive. b. Stridulating by the ants attracted significantly more butterfly larvae, making it less likely for the larvae to survive. c. Stridulating by the butterfly larvae attracted significantly more ants to the larvae, making it more likely for the larvae to survive. d. Stridulating by the ants repelled significantly more butterfly larvae, making it more likely for the larvae to survive.
c. Stridulating by the butterfly larvae attracted significantly more ants to the larvae, making it more likely for the larvae to survive. WHY
Which of the following describes how parapatric speciation differs from peripatric speciation? a. Parapatric speciation and peripatric speciation do not differ b. There is no contact between the two diverging populations in parapatric speciation c. There can be contact between the two diverging populations in parapatric speciation d. Parapatric speciation is a subgroup of peripatric speciation e. There can be contact between the two diverging populations in parapatric speciation
c. There can be contact between the two diverging populations in parapatric speciation (lecture 18, slide 80) - in peripatric speciation, there can be no contact between diverging populations - In parapatric speciation, the 2 diverging species still have geographic contact but there is selection against genetic exchange due to a heterozygote disadvantage. Parapatric speciation differs from peripatric speciation because there is no contact between diverging populations in peripatric speciation.
What is a regulatory enhancer of a gene? a. the chromatin in areas surrounding the gene b. a section of DNA that targets proteins for degradation and thus stops the expression of the unwanted genes c. a section of DNA that lies outside of that gene but is involved in regulating the timing and level of that gene's expression d. a functionless gene copy that is the result of gene duplication
c. a section of DNA that lies outside of that gene but is involved in regulating the timing and level of that gene's expression (lecture 17, slide 44)
A plant metapopulation exists throughout the floodplain of a small river. Throughout this range it is pollinated by native beetle species, but the primary pollinator changes from a single species in the northern part of the range to a mix of species in the midrange and a different, single beetle pollinator in the southern part of the range. The southern beetle pollinator feeds on the flower corolla while laying its eggs; other beetle pollinators do not. In the midrange, flowers that are damaged by beetle herbivory are excised from the plant in favor of flowers that are pollinated by nonherbivorous beetles, but this does not occur in the southern part of the range. This is an example of ________ coevolution. a. diffuse b. antagonist c. mosaic d. mutualistic
c. mosaic (lecture 14, slide 75) - mosaic coevolution = 2 interactive species that have mutual benefits in one way (mutualism) but negative impact (antagonistic) in another
Process "B" shown in the figure is an example of which of the following? a. recapitulation via hypermorphosis b. recapitulation via acceleration c. paedomorphosis via progenesis d. paedomorphosis via neoteny
c. paedomorphosis via progenesis (lecture 17, slide 26, slide 39)
Estimates of speciation rates that are based only on living taxa today will be... (lecture 19 WS) a. approximately correct b. too high c. too low
c. too low
Which of the following describes a coevolutionary relationship? (lecture 14 WS) a. The gazelle population of the savannah has evolved quick speed because faster gazelles have escaped predation and bred more than slower gazelles b. Squirrels in areas with pinecones have evolved stronger jaws to help them eat the seeds, and the pine trees have evolved rounder pinecones that are harder for the squirrels to eat c. Both finches and parrots are selected for deeper, stronger beaks in years when only large, hard seeds are available d. All of the above describe coevolutionary relationships e. None of the above on its own, describes a coevolutionary relationship
d. All of the above describe coevolutionary relationships
A squid and a falcon share a trait. At the opening of their mouth is a large beak, often sharp and meant to tear their prey apart. However, it can be seen immediately from their forms, locations of living, and closest genetic relatives, that the octopus and the falcon did not get their beaks from a common ancestor. The beaks evolved through_____________. They both had a similar need to rip throat-sized chunks from a prey animal. While it might not be pretty, evolution does tend to produce similar results given similar circumstances. a. Homology b. Synapomorphy c. Bayesian inference d. Convergence
d. Convergence (lecture 16, slide 8) - homoplasy: similar traits that evolved convergently (e.g., wings of birds and bats)
Which of the following is a difference between genetic and cultural transmission? a. Only cultural transmission involves the transfer of information. b. Only genetic transmission is prone to errors (mutations). c. Only cultural transmission works both vertically and horizontally. d. Cultural transmission involves the transmission of information through social learning, while genetic transmission is transmission of information through inheritance.
d. Cultural transmission involves the transmission of information through social learning, while genetic transmission is transmission of information through inheritance. (lecture 15, slide 22)
Considering that you know about natural selection, is organ-level selection likely to exist? (lecture 14 WS) a. Yes, all 3 criteria are satisfied for selection among organs b. Yes, because organs have their own rules c. No, because organs do not vary among individuals d. No, because organs do not reproduce themselves e. No, because organs are not heritable over generations
d. No, because organs do not reproduce themselves
In the Anthropocene, which of the following are risk factors for higher rates of extinction? (multiple answers) (lecture 19 WS) a. eating and deriving nutrients from plastic b. being able to live in cities c. being domesticated by humans d. having small geographic ranges e. having large body size
d. having small geographic ranges e. having large body size
In cancer, what is the fitness alignment between the organism and the somatic cells? (lecture 14 WS) a. completely aligned (mutualistic) b. partially aligned c. independent d. misaligned (antagonistic)
d. misaligned (antagonistic)
What is the fundamental idea for the principle of parsimony as it relates to inferring accurate phylogenetic trees? a. convergent evolution should always be considered b. use the phylogenetic tree with the highest maximum likelihood c. using outgroups to root a phylogeny d. use the phylogenetic tree with the fewest number of evolutionary changes
d. use the phylogenetic tree with the fewest number of evolutionary changes