Evolution Exam Review

The Burgess Shale deposits: A) Contain fossils exhibiting modern body plans of animals B) Contain early humanoid fossils C) Are too old to represent the vertebrate body plan D) Contain many examples of bacterial fossils

A) Contain fossils exhibiting modern body plans of animals

In the North Pacific Ocean, two groups of the same species of killer whales (Orcinus orca) appear to be forming two different species based on what they eat. One group eats fish while the other eats mammals such as seals. Scientists can tell what they eat based on their teeth because whales that feed on fish have significantly different wear patterns. Which of the following best describes the type of speciation event that is occurring in the whales? A) Sympatric speciation B) Punctuated speciation C) None of these choices D) Geographic speciation E) Allopatric speciation

A) Sympatric speciaton

A "ring species" is an example of parapatric speciation. A) True B) False

A) True

Based on mitochondrial DNA analyses the "Out of Africa" hypothesis about where modern humans came from is currently favored. A) True B) False

A) True

Beta hemoglobin is a conserved protein that is useful for comparing the lineage of species. A) True B) False

A) True

Reduced allele variation results in an increased chance of extinction. A) True B) False

A) True

The Founder Effect is the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. A) True B) False

A) True

The currently available fossil record documents gradual evolutionary changes that can link one group of organisms to another. A) True B) False

A) True

The earliest primates were arboreal and small in size. A) True B) False

A) True

The emergence of many diverse species from a common ancestor is called: A) adaptive radiation B) none of the answers are correct C) allopatric speciation D) genetic drift

A) adaptive radiation

Coevolution: A) is the evolution of two populations of different species in response to selection pressures that individuals from the two populations place on each other. B) occurs between a population and the physical environment in which the population lives. C) is a special type of evolution that differs from Darwinian evolution. D) is the evolution of individuals within a population in response to selection pressure from other individuals in the population.

A) is the evolution of two populations of different species in response to selection pressures that individuals from the two populations place on each other.

A current leading hypothesis about the first system of inheritance in the earliest life forms involved: A) self-replicating RNA molecules aided by ribozymes B) proteins that served as templates for RNA molecules, leading to the formation of DNA C) self-replicating DNA molecules D) self-replicating polypeptides aided by ribosomes

A) self-replicating RNA molecules aided by ribozymes

Birds with average-sized wings survived a severe storm more successfully than other birds in the same population with longer or shorter wings. This illustrates: A) stabilizing selection B) disruptive selection C) directional selection D) artificial selection

A) stabilizing selection

Emergence is a property: A) that is purportedly responsible for the formation of life B) of only chemical & physical systems C) that is not seen in simple systems, such as protocells D) of only living systems

A) that is purportedly responsible for the formation of life

What was "Darwin's Dilemma" with evolution? A) there was a lack of fossil evidence of ancestors to the Cambrian explosion B) necessary evidence was lost in a fire at the University of Edinburgh C) it was not likely that the birds in the Cambrian explosion had any previous ancestors D) there was not any quantitative evidence of evolution

A) there was a lack of fossil evidence of ancestors to the Cambrian explosion

According to the fossil record, the genus Homo first arose in: A) Europe B) Africa C) North America D) Asia

B) Africa

Which of the following traits do humans share with all other species in the order Primates? A) Grasping hand B) All of these choices C) Parental care & sociality D) Larger brain E) Binocular vision

B) All of these choices

Mass extinctions: A) Are caused by human activity and did not occur prior to the expansion of the Earth's human population B) Can be responsible for an adaptive radiation where new species develop to occupy newly opened niche environments C) Mainly serves to "weed out" poorly adapted organisms and make room for more advanced species D) Permanently and irreversibly reduces the total number of species on Earth

B) Can be responsible for an adaptive radiation where new species develop to occupy newly opened niche

Archaea have the simplest known genomes because they are the most ancient microorganisms. A) True B) False

B) False

Predators have learned to associate desirable prey with bright colors. A) True B) False

B) False

Protocell fossils were found in Australia. A) True B) False

B) False

Stromatolites are deposits of plant material found near the primordial ocean. A) True B) False

B) False

The bottleneck effect selects for organisms with the most favorable alleles. A) True B) False

B) False

The discovery of Tiktaalik was so important because it was the missing ancestral link between fish and birds. A) True B) False

B) False

The same criteria are currently used to define both animal and bacterial species. A) True B) False

B) False

Which best describes Homo habilis? A) The possible missing link between early primates and modern looking primates B) Handy man- first to make and use stone tools C) Mated with humans, lived recently (200,000 - 40,000 years ago) D) The upright man-human looking (lived 1.9MYA to 143,000 YA)

B) Handy man- first to make and use stone tools

This person independently converged on the idea of evolution by natural selection: A) Lamarck B) Wallace C) Colbert D) Malthus

B) Wallace

During the Cambrian explosion approximately 535 to 525 million years ago: A) great forests produced peat layers that were later transformed into coal B) animals rapidly diversified in the oceans C) a massive volcanic eruption nearly wiped out life on Earth D) all modern species of animals suddenly appeared

B) animals rapidly diversified in the oceans

Archaea: A) gave rise to protocells B) are one of the three domains of life C) all of the answers are correct D) are found primarily in oceans

B) are one of the three domains of life

Roses native to India are grown at a plant-breeding center in Arizona, where those with the thickest leaves survive and reproduce best in the drier climate. This evolutionary adaptation of roses to their new environment is due to _____. A) genetic drift B) directional selection C) stabilizing selection D) disruptive selection

B) directional selection

Which of the following options lists major events in the history of life on Earth in the proper order, from earliest to most recent? A) first eukaryotes; photosynthesis; colonization of land by plants and fungi; then prokaryotes B) first prokaryotes; photosynthesis; then eukaryotes; colonization of land by plants and fungi C) first prokaryotes; then eukaryotes; photosynthesis; colonization of land by plants and fungi D) first prokaryotes; photosynthesis; colonization of land by plants and fungi; then eukaryotes

B) first prokaryotes; photosynthesis; then eukaryotes; colonization of land by plants and fungi

Which of the following are main categories of evidence that scientists use to study evolution? A) anatomical B) fossils and anatomical and molecular/biochemical C) molecular/biochemical D) fossils and molecular/biochemical fossils

B) fossils and anatomical and molecular/biochemical

A small population of tortoises has been isolated on a small, remote island in the Galapagos for over 10,000 generations. While the population's characteristics are still similar to the ancestral mainland species, male sperm exhibit a variety of abnormalities and female fertility is much lower than on the mainland. What process may have been acting on this island's population? A) gene flow B) genetic drift C) sexual selection D) very large stabilizing selection E) disruptive selection

B) genetic drift

Speciation without geographic isolation is called ________ speciation. A) allopatric B) sympatric C) incomplete D) diversifying

B) sympatric

Which best describes Ida (Darwinius masillae)? A) first upright walking ancestor (lived 3.2 MYA) B) the possible missing link between primate/hominid evolution C) handy man- first to make and use stone tools D) mated with humans, lived recently (200,000 - 40,000 years ago)

B) the possible missing link between primate/hominid evolution

Which of the following is the first distinctively hominid trait to appear in the fossil record? A) small teeth and relatively delicate jaws B) upright walking (bipedalism) C) increased brain size D) sophisticated stone tools

B) upright walking (bipedalism)

What compounds and conditions did Stanley Miller need to perform his 1953 experiment to simulate an early atmosphere? A) water vapor, CO2, O2, NH3 and Lightning B) water vapor, H2, CH4, NH3 and Lightning C) water vapor, CO2, H2, NH3 and Heat D) water vapor, CO2, CH4, NH3 and Lightning

B) water vapor, H2, CH4, NH3 and Lightning

Which best describes the Permian Mass Extinction Event? A) Wiped out the dinosaurs B) Asteroid impact(s) & rapid global cooling C) Highest mass extinction death rate D) Most recent mass extinction

C) Highest mass extinction death rate

The most recent evidence examining the relationship between modern humans and Neanderthals comes from analysis of: A) the age of fossil footprints of H. sapiens. B) comparison of Neanderthal social/cultural characteristics to that of human social characteristics. C) Neanderthal genes in European lineage H. sapiens. D) the types of tools that were made by Neanderthals as compared to those of H. sapiens.

C) Neanderthal genes in European lineage H. sapiens.

A population of grasshoppers in the Kansas prairie has two color phenotypes, green and brown. Typically, the prairie receives enough water to maintain healthy, green grass. Assume a bird that eats grasshoppers moves into the prairie. How will this affect natural selection of the grasshoppers? A) Predation will cause the brown grasshoppers to mutate into green grasshoppers. B) Both green and brown grasshoppers should be eaten and their relative numbers should remain constant. C) The brown phenotype should be more easily seen by the predator and decrease in frequency. D) The green phenotype should be more easily seen by the predator and decrease in frequency.

C) The brown phenotype should be more easily seen by the predator and decrease in frequency.

A rabbit population consists of animals that are either very dark on top or very light on top. The color pattern is not related to sex. No rabbit shows intermediate coloration (medium darkness). This pattern might result from: A) stabilizing selection B) directional selection C) disruptive selection D) sexual selection

C) disruptive selection

Which of the following options list the taxonomic categories in the correct order from most specific to most general? A) genus, family, class, order, phylum B) family, genus, order, phylum, class C) genus, family, order, class, phylum D) family, genus, class, order, phylum

C) genus, family, order, class, phylum

In coevolution with moths and bats: A) all of the answers are correct B) moths developed larger wings to better escape from bats C) moths developed ears or ability to detect sonar and avoid predation by bats D) bats developed better eye-sight to again be successful at preying on moths

C) moths developed ears or ability to detect sonar and avoid predation by bats

The reason that pea hens mate with peacocks with large tails and many eye spots is that: A) peacocks that survive predation are more physically fit and make better mates. B) the male will draw predators to it and this indirectly protects the pea hen and offspring from predation. C) the size and spot density are indicative of peacock fitness shown as an increased survival rate of chicks. D) flashy displays by males are used to trick females into mating with them

C) the size and spot density are indicative of peacock fitness shown as an increased survival rate of chicks.

"Lucy" who belongs to the group __________, was a bipedal hominin with a brain smaller than that of humans. A) Ardipithecus B) Homo habilis C) Homo erectus D) Australopithecus

D) Australopithecus

The K-T boundary is geologically identifiable because scientists found evidence of a massive asteroid impact in the form of depositions of: A) Zircons B) Carbon C) Iodine D) Iridium

D) Iridium

Which of the following is not a quality of binocular vision A) Depth perception B) Advantageous when navigating in trees C) Excellent focus D) Large field of view

D) Large field of view

What concept did the video on the Christmas Island crabs emphasize? A) The importance of paleontology B) How speciation of one species to two species occurs C) How organisms can become invasive species D) More offspring will be produced than can possibly survive E) The emergence of the first tetrapod

D) More offspring will be produced than can possibly survive

Male bower birds build large, elaborate structures up to six feet high that they decorate with flowers, colored pebbles, and shiny objects. During the breeding season they use these structures as stages to display and court females. What process could drive the evolution of these remarkable bowers? A) Fluctuating directional selection B) Stabilizing selection C) Disruptive selection D) Sexual selection E) All of the choices are false

D) Sexual selection

The figures are histograms of the distribution of Geospirza fortis beak widths observed by Rosemary & Peter Grant in 1976 and in 1978 on Daphne Major Island. Which of the following statements either can be inferred or is supported by the data presented? A) In comparison to 1976, the beak width of the average G. fortis tends to be smaller in 1978. B) The total population of G. fortis on the island increased between 1976 and 1978. C) The population underwent a stabilizing selection. D) The G. fortis on this island is evolving toward having larger beak sizes.

D) The G. fortis on this island is evolving toward having larger beak sizes.

The forelimbs of humans, cats, and bats have a number of detailed similarities in their construction. What best explains these similarities? A) The forelimbs are similar because there is only one workable way to construct a useful arm, leg, or wing. B) The similarities are coincidental. C) The forelimbs are similar because of adaptation through the process of natural selection. D) The forelimbs are similar because all of these organisms inherited the basic forelimb design from a common ancestor.

D) The forelimbs are similar because all of these organisms inherited the basic forelimb design from a common ancestor.

The North American Pronghorn far outraces any predators remaining on the North American continent. If maintaining this speed means bearing fewer offspring, which of the following is the most likely to happen given enough time? A) This species will go extinct B) This species will become even faster C) This species will split into two new species D) This species will slow down E) None of the choices are correct

D) This species will slow down

Two populations of organisms belong to the same biological species when they A) use different types of behaviors or physical features to attract mates. B) have anatomical features that make it difficult for organisms from the different populations to mate. C) can't mate with each other, because mating occurs at different times. D) encounter each other, mate, and produce viable, fertile offspring under natural conditions.

D) encounter each other, mate, and produce viable, fertile offspring under natural conditions.

When there seems to be no contemporary selective forces that can explain the traits of recent organisms, such as the New Zealand Moa, evolutionary biologists often invoke the idea of: A) natural selection B) convergence C) allopatric speciation D) ghost of predation past E) parapatric speciation

D) ghost of predation past

The endosymbiotic theory explains A) the origin of all organelles in eukaryotic cells B) how bacterial cells can invade eukaryotic cells and cause disease C) all of the choices are correct D) how mitochondria and chloroplasts originated from free-living cells

D) how mitochondria and chloroplasts originated from free-living cells

How does the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite locate planets? A) shoots a laser at a suspected location and observe the reflection B) measures the elemental makeup of suspected areas in space C) capture light from planets D) watch and keep track of the light of a star

D) watch and keep track of the light of a star

How did scientists change the behavior of the male polygamous Montane Vole to become monogamous? A) gave the male polygamous vole vitamins that changed its behavior B) put a male polygamous vole with a single female vole in isolation until they mated C) put two male polygamous voles together with one female monogamous vole for them to compete for sexual selection D) none of the answers are correct E) transferred to the male polygamous vole a gene for a hormone that caused monogamy

E) transferred to the male polygamous vole a gene for a hormone that caused monogamy