Ch. 22

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 zooplankton will become sexually mature at larger sizes. B)The predatory fish will evolve poor eyesight so as to preserve their food supply. C)Adult zooplankton will start to reach sexual maturity when they are still relatively small. D)The first and the third listed responses are both good predictions. E)The predatory fish will evolve smaller mouths so that they do not drive their prey to extinction.

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

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

All of the listed responses are correct.

Which of the following is correct regarding natural selection? A)Over time, natural selection can increase the correspondence between organisms and their environments. B)Individuals do not evolve; populations do. C)All of the listed responses are correct. D)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. E)None of the listed responses is correct. F)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.

All of the listed responses are correct.

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

Aristotle

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

Cuvier

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 used Hutton and Lyell's ideas to develop the scala naturae. C)None of the listed responses is correct. D)Darwin speculated that extinctions are common events during the course of time. E)Darwin reasoned that the Earth must be very young and that sudden events could produce substantial biological changes. F)Darwin reasoned that the Earth must be very old and that slow, subtle processes could produce substantial biological changes.

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

What does it mean to describe evolution as a scientific theory? A)Evolution does not explain how organisms have changed over time. B)Evolution is not observable. C)Evolution is narrow in scope and focuses only on very specific examples. D)Evolution is not testable. E)Evolution is a broad model that is supported by many observations and much experimental evidence.

Evolution is a broad model that is supported by many observations and much experimental evidence.

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

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

Paleontology, the study of fossils, was developed by __________. A)Charles Lyell B)James Hutton C)Charles Darwin D)Georges Cuvier E)Aristotle

Georges Cuvier

On an evolutionary tree, __________. A)the concept of descent with modification is not well-represented B)scientists are sure of the correct placement and relationships of all organisms C)homologous characteristics form a nested pattern D)None of the listed responses is correct. E)organisms that are positioned close to each other are closely related

Homologous characteristics form a nested pattern

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)All species can produce more offspring than their environments can support, and many of these offspring fail to survive and reproduce. C)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. D)The unequal abilities of individuals to survive and reproduce will lead to the accumulation of favorable traits in the population over generations. E)Members of a population often vary in their inherited traits.

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)Genes mutate faster in whales than in humans or bats. B)Whales are not properly classified as mammals. C)Natural selection in an aquatic environment resulted in significant changes to whale forelimb anatomy. D)Humans and bats evolved by natural selection, and whales evolved by Lamarckian mechanisms. E)Forelimb evolution was adaptive in people and bats, but not in whales.

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

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

Poorly adapted individuals never produce offspring.

What insight did Darwin gain from reading Thomas Malthus's essay on human suffering? A)Population size usually remains relatively stable. B)All of the listed responses are correct. C)Favorable characteristics of a population accumulate over time. D)Natural selection should be capable of considerable modifications over hundreds of thousands of generations. E)Organisms have the capacity to overreproduce.

Population size usually remains relatively stable.

The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus has developed resistance to some antibiotic drugs. How did this resistance come about? A)Genetic recombination of alleles during sexual reproduction in the bacteria produced antibiotic resistant genes. B)Some members of the bacteria populations possessed some sort of genetic variation for antibiotic resistance that was selected for when the bacteria was exposed to the drugs. C)Some members of the bacteria populations acquired resistance genes by being exposed to the antibiotic. D)Some members of the bacteria populations possessed some sort of genetic variation for antibiotic resistance that was selected against when the bacteria was exposed to the drugs. E)Some members of the bacteria populations mutated and developed resistance.

Some members of the bacteria populations possessed some sort of genetic variation for antibiotic resistance that was selected for when the bacteria was exposed to the drugs.

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

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)the earliest macromolecules probably arose when lightning struck an oxygen-free atmosphere C)all organisms are descended from a single common ancestor D)there's only one possible way to encode information in a macromolecule E)the genetic code will never be broken

all organisms are descended from a single common ancestor

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

artificial selection

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)acquired characteristics B)use and disuse C)homology D)All of the listed responses are correct. E)adaptation F)convergent evolution

convergent evolution

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

descent with modification

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)only the best-adapted organisms can survive B)dissimilar organisms might have evolved from a distant, common ancestor C)advantageous changes can be passed along to offspring D)All of the listed responses are correct. E)most evolution occurs rapidly following a mass extinction

dissimilar organisms might have evolved from a distant, common ancestor

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

endemic

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

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)are all related to one another B)arose from a single species that had survived the biblical flood C)had evolved from now-extinct organisms D)arose continually from nonliving materials by spontaneous generation E)had been created by divine intervention a few thousand years before

had been created by divine intervention a few thousand years before

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

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

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

natural selection

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

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

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

population

Carolus Linnaeus is considered to be the founder of __________, and he __________. A)paleontology; believed in catastrophism 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)uniformitarianism; believed the same geologic forces are operating today that occurred in the past E)evolution; first proposed that acquired characteristics are inherited

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)homologous structures B)acquired characteristics C)None of the listed responses is correct. D)mutations E)adaptations F)vestigial structures

vestigial structures