ch. 25, 28, 31, (TEST 1) Flashcards
Which of the following factors weaken(s) the hypothesis of abiotic synthesis of organic monomers in early Earth’s atmosphere?
1. the relatively short time between intense meteor bombardment and the appearance of the first life-forms
2. the lack of experimental evidence that organic monomers can form by abiotic synthesis
3. uncertainty about which gases comprised early Earth’s atmosphere
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 2
D) 1 and 3
E) 2 and 3
D) 1 and 3
How were conditions on the early Earth of more than 3 billion years ago different from those on today’s Earth?
A) Only early Earth was intensely bombarded by large space debris.
B) Only early Earth had an oxidizing atmosphere.
C) Less ultraviolet radiation penetrated early Earth’s atmosphere.
D) Early Earth’s atmosphere had significant quantities of ozone.
A) Only early Earth was intensely bombarded by large space debris.
3) What is true of the amino acids that might have been delivered to Earth within carbonaceous chondrites?
A) They had the same proportion of L and D isomers as Earth does today.
B) Their abundance would have been dramatically reduced upon passage through early Earth’s oxidizing atmosphere.
C) There were more kinds of amino acids on the chondrites than are found in living organisms today.
D) They were delivered in the form of polypeptides.
C) There were more kinds of amino acids on the chondrites than are found in living organisms today.
4) Which of the following is the correct sequence of events in the origin of life? I. formation of protobionts II. synthesis of organic monomers III. synthesis of organic polymers IV. formation of DNA-based genetic systems A) I, II, III, IV B) I, III, II, IV C) II, III, I, IV D) II, III, IV, I
C) II, III, I, IV
5) Which of the following is a defining characteristic that all protobionts had in common?
A) the ability to synthesize enzymes
B) a surrounding membrane or membrane-like structure
C) RNA genes
D) the ability to replicate RNA
B) a surrounding membrane or membrane-like structure
6) The first genes on Earth were probably
A) DNA produced by reverse transcriptase from abiotically produced RNA.
B) DNA molecules whose information was transcribed to RNA and later translated in polypeptides.
C) auto-catalytic RNA molecules.
D) oligopeptides located within protobionts.
C) auto-catalytic RNA molecules.
7) The synthesis of new DNA requires the prior existence of oligonucleotides to serve as primers. On Earth, these primers are small RNA molecules. This latter observation is evidence in support of the hypothesized existence of
A) a snowball Earth.
B) earlier genetic systems than those based on DNA.
C) the abiotic synthesis of organic monomers.
D) the delivery of organic matter to Earth by meteors and comets.
E) the endosymbiotic origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts.
B) earlier genetic systems than those based on DNA.
8) Several scientific laboratories across the globe are involved in research concerning the origin of life on Earth. Which of these questions is currently the most problematic and would have the greatest impact on our understanding if we were able to answer it?
A) How can amino acids, simple sugars, and nucleotides be synthesized abiotically?
B) How can RNA molecules catalyze reactions?
C) How did RNA sequences come to carry the code for amino acid sequences?
D) How could polymers involving lipids and/or proteins form membranes in aqueous environments?
E) How can RNA molecules act as templates for the synthesis of complementary RNA molecules?
C) How did RNA sequences come to carry the code for amino acid sequences?
9) If natural selection in a particular environment favored genetic systems that permitted the production of daughter “cells” that were genetically dissimilar from the mother “cells,” then one should expect selection for which of the following?
I. polynucleotide polymerase with low mismatch error rates
II. polynucleotide polymerases without proofreading capability
III. batteries of efficient polynucleotide repair enzymes
IV. polynucleotide polymerases with proofreading capability
V. polynucleotide polymerases with high mismatch error rates
A) I only
B) I and IV
C) I, III, and IV
D) II and V
E) II, III and V
D) II and V
If the half-life of carbon-14 is about 5,730 years, then a fossil that has one-sixteenth the normal proportion of carbon-14 to carbon-12 should be about how many years old? A) 1,400 B) 2,800 C) 11,200 D) 16,800 E) 22,900
E) 22,900
Which measurement would help determine absolute dates by radiometric means?
A) the accumulation of the daughter isotope
B) the loss of parent isotopes
C) the loss of daughter isotopes
D) all three of these
E) only A and B
E) only A and B
Approximately how far back in time does the fossil record extend? A) 3.5 million years B) 5.0 million years C) 3.5 billion years D) 5.0 billion years
C) 3.5 billion years
What is true of the fossil record of mammalian origins?
A) It is a good example of punctuated equilibrium.
B) It shows that mammals and birds evolved from the same kind of dinosaur.
C) It includes transitional forms with progressively specialized teeth.
D) It indicates that mammals and dinosaurs did not overlap in geologic time.
E) It includes a series that shows the gradual change of scales into fur.
C) It includes transitional forms with progressively specialized teeth.
If a fossil is encased in a stratum of sedimentary rock without any strata of igneous rock (for example, lava, volcanic ash) nearby, then it should be
A) easy to determine the absolute age of the fossil, because the radioisotopes in the sediments will not have been “reset” by the heat of the igneous rocks.
B) easy to determine the absolute age of the fossil, because the igneous rocks will not have physically obstructed the deposition of sediment of a single age next to the fossil.
C) easy to determine, as long as there is enough metamorphic rock nearby.
D) difficult to determine the absolute age of the fossil, because the “marker fossils” common to igneous rock will be absent.
E) difficult to determine the absolute age of the fossil, because radiometric dating of sedimentary rock is less accurate than that of igneous rock.
E) difficult to determine the absolute age of the fossil, because radiometric dating of sedimentary rock is less accurate than that of igneous rock.
An early consequence of the release of oxygen gas by plant and bacterial photosynthesis was to
A) generate intense lightning storms.
B) change the atmosphere from oxidizing to reducing.
C) make it easier to maintain reduced molecules.
D) cause iron in ocean water and terrestrial rocks to rust (oxidize).
E) prevent the formation of an ozone layer.
D) cause iron in ocean water and terrestrial rocks to rust (oxidize).
Which of the following statements provides the strongest evidence that prokaryotes evolved before eukaryotes?
A) Prokaryotic cells lack nuclei.
B) The meteorites that have struck Earth contain fossils only of prokaryotes.
C) Laboratory experiments have produced liposomes abiotically.
D) Liposomes closely resemble prokaryotic cells.
E) The oldest fossilized cells resemble prokaryotes.
E) The oldest fossilized cells resemble prokaryotes.
What is true of the Cambrian explosion?
A) There are no fossils in geological strata that are older than the Cambrian explosion.
B) Only the fossils of microorganisms are found in geological strata older than the Cambrian explosion.
C) The Cambrian explosion is evidence for the instantaneous creation of life on Earth.
D) The Cambrian explosion marks the appearance of filter-feeding animals in the fossil record.
E) Recent evidence supports the contention that the Cambrian explosion may not have been as “explosive” as was once thought.
E) Recent evidence supports the contention that the Cambrian explosion may not have been as “explosive” as was once thought.
What is thought to be the correct sequence of these events, from earliest to most recent, in the evolution of life on Earth? 1. origin of mitochondria 2. origin of multicellular eukaryotes 3. origin of chloroplasts 4. origin of cyanobacteria 5. origin of fungal-plant symbioses A) 4, 3, 2, 1, 5 B) 4, 1, 2, 3, 5 C) 4, 1, 3, 2, 5 D) 4, 3, 1, 5, 2 E) 4, 3, 1, 2, 5
C) 4, 1, 3, 2, 5
If it were possible to conduct sophisticated microscopic and chemical analyses of microfossils found in 3.2-billion-year-old stromatolites, then one should be surprised to observe evidence of which of the following within such microfossils? I. double-stranded DNA II. a nuclear envelope III. a nucleoid IV. a nucleolus V. ribosomes A) II only B) III only C) II and IV D) II, III, and IV E) all five of these
C) II and IV
Recent evidence indicates that the first major diversification of multicellular eukaryotes may have coincided in time with the
A) origin of prokaryotes.
B) switch to an oxidizing atmosphere.
C) melting that ended the “snowball Earth” period.
D) origin of multicellular organisms.
E) massive eruptions of deep-sea vents.
C) melting that ended the “snowball Earth” period.
Which of these observations gives the most support to the endosymbiotic theory for the origin of eukaryotic cells?
A) the existence of structural and molecular differences between the plasma membranes of prokaryotes and the internal membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts
B) the similarity in size between the cytosolic ribosomes of prokaryotes and the ribosomes within mitochondria and chloroplasts
C) the size disparity between most prokaryotic cells and most eukaryotic cells
D) the observation that some eukaryotic cells lack mitochondria
B) the similarity in size between the cytosolic ribosomes of prokaryotes and the ribosomes within mitochondria and chloroplasts
Which event is nearest in time to the end of the period known as snowball Earth?
A) oxygenation of Earth’s seas and atmosphere
B) evolution of mitochondria
C) Cambrian explosion
D) evolution of true multicellularity
E) Permian extinction
C) Cambrian explosion
The snowball Earth hypothesis provides a possible explanation for the
A) diversification of animals during the late Proterozoic era.
B) oxygenation of Earth’s seas and atmosphere.
C) colonization of land by plants and fungi.
D) origin of oxygen-releasing photosynthesis.
E) existence of prokaryotes around hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.
A) diversification of animals during the late Proterozoic era.
Which of the following characteristics should have been possessed by the first animals to colonize land?
1. were probably herbivores (ate photosynthesizers)
2. had four appendages
3. had the ability to resist dehydration
4. had lobe-finned fishes as ancestors
5. were invertebrates
A) 3 only
B) 3 and 5
C) 1, 3, and 5
D) 2, 3, and 4
E) 1, 2, 3, and 4
C) 1, 3, and 5
The first terrestrial organisms probably were considered which of the following? 1. burrowers 2. photosynthetic 3. multicellular 4. prokaryotes 5. eukaryotes 6. plants and their associated fungi A) 2 and 4 B) 3 and 5 C) 1, 3, and 5 D) 2, 3, and 6 E) 2, 3, 5, and 6
A) 2 and 4
If two continents converge and are united, then the collision should cause
A) a net loss of intertidal zone and coastal habitat.
B) the extinction of any species adapted to intertidal and coastal habitats.
C) an overall decrease in the surface area located in the continental interior.
D) a decrease in climatic extremes in the interior of the new supercontinent.
E) the maintenance of the previously existing ocean currents and wind patterns.
A) a net loss of intertidal zone and coastal habitat.
On the basis of their morphologies, how might Linnaeus have classified the Hawaiian silverswords?
A) He would have placed them all in the same species.
B) He would have classified them the same way that modern botanists do.
C) He would have placed them in more species than modern botanists do.
D) He would have used evolutionary relatedness as the primary criterion for their classification.
C) He would have placed them in more species than modern botanists do.
An organism has a relatively large number of Hox genes in its genome. Which of the following is true of this organism?
A) These genes are fundamental, and are expressed in all cells of the organism.
B) The organism must have multiple paired appendages along the length of its body.
C) The organism has the genetic potential to have a relatively complex anatomy.
D) Most of its Hox genes owe their existence to gene fusion events.
E) Its Hox genes cooperate to bring about sexual maturity at the proper stage of development.
C) The organism has the genetic potential to have a relatively complex anatomy.
Bagworm moth caterpillars feed on evergreens and carry a silken case or bag around with them in which they eventually pupate. Adult female bagworm moths are larval in appearance; they lack the wings and other structures of the adult male and instead retain the appearance of a caterpillar even though they are sexually mature and can lay eggs within the bag. This is a good example of A) allometric growth. B) paedomorphosis. C) sympatric speciation. D) adaptive radiation. E) changes in homeotic genes.
B) paedomorphosis.
The loss of ventral spines by modern freshwater sticklebacks is due to natural selection operating on the phenotypic effects of Pitx1 gene A) duplication (gain in number). B) elimination (loss). C) mutation (change). D) silencing (loss of expression).
D) silencing (loss of expression).
Larval flies (maggots) express the Ubx gene in all of their segments, and thereby lack appendages. If this same gene continued to be expressed throughout subsequent developmental stages, except in the head region, and if the result was a fit, sexually mature organism that still strongly resembled a maggot, this would be an example of
A) paedomorphosis.
B) homochrony.
C) heterochrony.
D) Two of the responses above are correct.
D) Two of the responses above are correct.
How many of the following statements concerning the loss of hind limbs during whale evolution are true?
1. It is well documented by a series of transitional fossils.
2. It explains why modern whales have vestigial pelvic girdles.
3. It involved changes in the sequence or expression of Hox genes.
4. It is an example of macroevolution.
5. It, and the loss of limbs by snakes, are an example of similar adaptations to a similar environment.
A) Only one statement is true.
B) Two statements are true.
C) Three statements are true.
D) Four statements are true.
E) All five statements are true.
D) Four statements are true.
The existence of the phenomenon of exaptation is most closely associated with which of the following observations that natural selection cannot fashion perfect organisms?
A) Natural selection and sexual selection can work at cross-purposes to each other.
B) Evolution is limited by historical constraints.
C) Adaptations are often compromises.
D) Chance events affect the evolutionary history of populations in environments that can change unpredictably.
B) Evolution is limited by historical constraints.
One explanation for the evolution of insect wings suggests that wings began as lateral extensions of the body that were used as heat dissipaters for thermoregulation. When they had become sufficiently large, these extensions became useful for gliding through the air, and selection later refined them as flight-producing wings. If this hypothesis is correct, modern insect wings could best be described as
A) adaptations.
B) mutations.
C) exaptations.
D) isolating mechanisms.
E) examples of natural selection’s predictive ability.
C) exaptations.
If one organ is an exaptation of another organ, then what must be true of these two organs?
A) They are both vestigial organs.
B) They are both homologous organs.
C) They are undergoing convergent evolution.
D) They are found together in the same hybrid species.
E) They have the same function.
B) They are both homologous organs.
Many species of snakes lay eggs. However, in the forests of northern Minnesota where growing seasons are short, only live-bearing snake species are present. This trend toward species that perform live birth in a particular environment is an example of A) natural selection. B) sexual selection. C) species selection. D) goal direction in evolution. E) directed selection.
C) species selection.
In the 5-7 million years that the hominid lineage has been diverging from its common ancestor with the great apes, dozens of hominid species have arisen, often with several species coexisting in time and space. As recently as 30,000 years ago, Homo sapiens coexisted with Homo neanderthalensis. Both species had large brains and advanced intellects. The fact that these traits were common to both species is most easily explained by which of the following? A) species selection B) uniformitarianism C) sexual selection D) convergent evolution
A) species selection
The existence of evolutionary trends, such as increasing body sizes among horse species, is evidence that
A) a larger volume-to-surface area ratio is beneficial to all mammals.
B) an unseen guiding force is at work.
C) evolution always tends toward increased complexity or increased size.
D) in particular environments, similar adaptations can be beneficial in more than one species.
E) evolution generally progresses toward some predetermined goal.
D) in particular environments, similar adaptations can be beneficial in more than one species.
Fossil evidence indicates that several kinds of flightless dinosaurs possessed feathers. If some of these feather-bearing dinosaurs incubated clutches of eggs in carefully constructed nests, this might be evidence supporting the claim that
A) dinosaurs were as fully endothermal (warm-blooded) as modern birds and mammals.
B) their feathers originally served as insulation, and only later became flight surfaces.
C) the earliest reptiles could fly, and the feathers of flightless dinosaurs were vestigial flight surfaces.
D) the feathers were plucked from the bodies of other adults to provide nest-building materials.
E) all fossils with feathers are actually some kind of bird.
B) their feathers originally served as insulation, and only later became flight surfaces.
Assuming that the rate of sea-floor spreading was constant during the 1-million-year period depicted above, Earth's magnetic field has undergone reversal at an average rate of once every A) 10,000 years. B) 25,000 years. C) 100,000 years. D) 250,000 years. E) 1,000,000 years.
D) 250,000 years.
Which of the following reasons may explain why the sediment core lacks fossils of dragonflies with 3-feet wingspans?
1. This particular sediment core includes the correct stratum, but the part of the stratum captured by the core lacks such fossils.
2. The sea was not present at this site during the time that 3-feet dragonflies existed.
3. Dragonflies have no hard parts, such as exoskeletons, to fossilize.
4. The sediments containing these fossils at this site may have been eroded away during a time when the sea had receded from this site.
5. Dragonflies are terrestrial; therefore, fossils of terrestrial organisms should not be expected in the sediments of seas.
A) 1 only
B) 3 only
C) 5 only
D) 2 or 4
E) 1, 2, or 4
E) 1, 2, or 4
In order to properly interpret sediment cores, it is necessary to apply the principle of A) catastrophism. B) superposition. C) punctuated equilibrium. D) uniformitarianism. E) gradualism.
B) superposition.
Assuming the existence of fossilized markers for each of the following chemicals, what is the sequence in which they should be found in this sediment core, working from ancient sediments to recent sediments? 1. chitin coupled with protein 2. chlorophyll 3. bone 4. cellulose A) 2, 4, 3, 1 B) 2, 4, 1, 3 C) 4, 2, 1, 3 D) 4, 2, 3, 1
B) 2, 4, 1, 3
In order to assign absolute dates to fossils in this sediment core, it would be most helpful if
A) we knew the order in which the fossils occurred in the core.
B) the sediments had not been affected by underwater currents during their deposition.
C) volcanic ash layers were regularly interspersed between the sedimentary strata.
D) metamorphic rock strata alternated with sedimentary rock strata.
E) fossils throughout the column had equal ratios of a parental radioisotope to its daughter isotope.
C) volcanic ash layers were regularly interspersed between the sedimentary strata.
Hawaii is the most southeastern of the seven islands and is also closest to the sea-floor spreading center from which the Pacific plate originates, which lies about 5,600 km further to the southeast. Assuming equal sedimentation rates, what should be the location of the thickest sediment layer and, thus, the area with the greatest diversity of fossils above the oceanic crust?
A) between the island of Hawaii and the sea-floor spreading center
B) around the base of the island of Hawaii
C) around the base of Kauai, the oldest of the Hawaiian islands
D) where the islands are most concentrated (highest number of islands per unit surface area)
C) around the base of Kauai, the oldest of the Hawaiian islands
Soon after the island of Hawaii rose above the sea surface (somewhat less than 1 million years ago), the evolution of life on this new island should have been most strongly influenced by A) genetic bottleneck. B) sexual selection. C) habitat differentiation. D) founder effect.
D) founder effect.
Upon being formed, oceanic islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands, should feature what characteristic, leading to which phenomenon?
A) mass extinctions, leading to bottleneck effect
B) major evolutionary innovations, leading to rafting to nearby continents
C) a variety of empty ecological niches, leading to adaptive radiation
D) adaptive radiation, leading to founder effect
E) overcrowding, leading to rafting to nearby lands
C) a variety of empty ecological niches, leading to adaptive radiation
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 bays.
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.
C) resemble structures formed by bacterial communities that are found today in some warm, shallow, salty bays.
The oxygen revolution changed Earth’s environment dramatically. Which of the following took advantage of the presence of free oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere?
A) the evolution of cellular respiration, which used oxygen to help harvest energy from organic molecules
B) the persistence of some animal groups in anaerobic habitats
C) the evolution of photosynthetic pigments that protected early algae from the corrosive effects of oxygen
D) the evolution of chloroplasts after early protists incorporated photosynthetic cyanobacteria
E) the evolution of multicellular eukaryotic colonies from communities of prokaryotes
A) the evolution of cellular respiration, which used oxygen to help harvest energy from organic molecules
Which factor most likely caused animals and plants in India to differ greatly from species in nearby southeast Asia?
A) The species have become separated by convergent evolution.
B) The climates of the two regions are similar.
C) India is in the process of separating from the rest of Asia.
D) Life in India was wiped out by ancient volcanic eruptions.
E) India was a separate continent until 45 million years ago.
E) India was a separate continent until 45 million years ago.
Adaptive radiations can be a direct consequence of four of the following five factors. Select the exception.
A) vacant ecological niches
B) genetic drift
C) colonization of an isolated region that contains suitable habitat and few competitor species
D) evolutionary innovation
E) an adaptive radiation in a group of organisms (such as plants) that another group uses as food
B) genetic drift
Which of the following steps has not yet been accomplished by scientists studying the origin of life?
A) synthesis of small RNA polymers by ribozymes
B) abiotic synthesis of polypeptides
C) formation of molecular aggregates with selectively permeable membranes
D) formation of protocells that use DNA to direct the polymerization of amino acids
E) abiotic synthesis of organic molecules
D) formation of protocells that use DNA to direct the polymerization of amino acids
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) paedomorphosis.
C) a change in a developmental gene or its regulation that altered the spatial organization of body parts.
D) heterochrony.
E) gene duplication.
C) a change in a developmental gene or its regulation that altered the spatial organization of body parts.
A swim bladder is a gas-filled sac that helps fish maintain buoyancy. The evolution of the swim bladder from lungs of an ancestral fish is an example of A) an evolutionary trend. B) exaptation. C) changes in Hox gene expression. D) paedomorphosis. E) adaptive radiation.
B) exaptation.
Which gas was least abundant in Earthʹs early atmosphere, prior to 2 billion years ago?
A) O2 B) CO2 C) CH4
D) H2O E) NH3
A) O2
In their laboratory simulations of the early Earth, Miller and Urey observed the abiotic synthesis of A) amino acids. B) complex organic polymers. C) DNA. D) liposomes. E) genetic systems.
A) amino acids.
Which of the following has not yet been synthesized in laboratory experiments studying the origin of life?
A) liposomes
B) liposomes with selectively permeable membranes
C) oligopeptides and other oligomers
D) protobionts that use DNA to program protein synthesis
E) amino acids
D) protobionts that use DNA to program protein synthesis
In what way were conditions on the early Earth of more than 3 billion years ago different from those on todayʹs Earth?
A) Only early Earth had water vapor in its atmosphere.
B) Only early Earth was intensely bombarded by large space debris.
C) Only early Earth had an oxidizing atmosphere.
D) Less ultraviolet radiation penetrated Earthʹs early atmosphere.
E) Earthʹs early atmosphere had significant quantities of ozone.
B) Only early Earth was intensely bombarded by large space debris.
What is true of the amino acids that might have been delivered to Earth within carbonaceous chondrites?
A) They had the same proportion of L and D isomers as Earth does today.
B) The proportion of the amino acids was similar to those produced in the Miller-Urey
experiment.
C) There were fewer kinds of amino acids on the chondrites than are found in living
organisms today.
D) They were delivered in the form of polypeptides.
B) The proportion of the amino acids was similar to those produced in the Miller-Urey
experiment.
Although absolute distinctions between the ʺmost evolvedʺ protobiont and the first living cell are unclear, biologists generally agree that one major difference is that the typical protobiont could not
A) possess a selectively permeable membrane boundary. B) perform osmosis.
C) grow in size.
D) perform controlled, precise reproduction.
E) absorb compounds from the external environment.
D) perform controlled, precise reproduction.
RNA molecules can both carry genetic information and be catalytic. This supports the proposal that
A) RNA was the first hereditary information.
B) protobionts had an RNA membrane.
C) RNA could make energy.
D) free nucleotides would not have been necessary ingredients in the synthesis of new
RNA molecules.
E) RNA is a polymer of amino acids.
A) RNA was the first hereditary information.
What probably accounts for the switch to DNA-based genetic systems during the evolution of life on Earth?
A) DNA is chemically more stable and replicates with fewer errors (mutations) than RNA.
B) Only DNA can replicate during cell division.
C) RNA is too involved with translation of proteins and cannot provide multiple
functions.
D) DNA forms the rod-shaped chromosomes necessary for cell division.
E) Replication of RNA occurs too slowly.
A) DNA is chemically more stable and replicates with fewer errors (mutations) than RNA.
If relatively small carbonaceous chondrites from space were a significant source of Earthʹs original amino acids, then which two of these would have been most important in permitting their organic materials to survive impact with Earth?
I. Carbonaceous chondrites must contain no D-amino acids.
II. Earthʹs early atmosphere must have had little free oxygen.
III. The chondrites must have arrived on Earth before 4.2 billion years ago.
IV. Earthʹs early atmosphere must have been dense enough to dramatically slow the
chondrites before they impacted.
V. The chondrites must have impacted land, rather than a large body of water.
A) I & II B) II & III C) II&IV
D) II & V E) III & IV
C) II&IV
How many half-lives should have elapsed if 6.25% of the parent isotope remains in a fossil at the time of analysis?
A) one B) two C) three D) four E) five
D) four
Approximately how far back in time does the fossil record extend? A) 6,000 years B) 3,500,000 years C) 6,000,000 years D) 3,500,000,000 years E) 5,000,000,000,000 years
D) 3,500,000,000 years
Arrange these events from earliest to most recent.
1. emission of lava in what is now Siberia at time of Permian extinctions
2. emission of lava that solidified at the same time as iron-bearing terrestrial rocks began to rust
3. emission of lava that solidified at the same time as rusted iron precipitated from seawater
4. emission of lava in what is now India at time of Cretaceous extinctions
A) 3, 1, 2, 4
B) 3, 2, 1, 4
C) 3,1,4,2
D) 1, 3, 2, 4
E) 1, 2, 3, 4
B) 3, 2, 1, 4
Which free-living cells were the earliest contributors to the formation of Earthʹs oxidizing atmosphere? A) cyanobacteria B) chloroplasts C) mitochondria D) seaweeds E) endosymbionts
A) cyanobacteria
Which of these observations fails to support the endosymbiotic theory for the origin of eukaryotic cells?
A) the existence of structural and molecular differences between the plasma membranes of prokaryotes and the internal membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts
B) the existence of size differences between the cytosolic ribosomes of eukaryotes and the ribosomes within mitochondria and chloroplasts
C) the existence of size differences between some prokaryotic cells and mitochondria
D) the existence of rRNA sequence differences between the cytosolic ribosomes of
eukaryotes and the ribosomes within mitochondria and chloroplasts
A) the existence of structural and molecular differences between the plasma membranes of prokaryotes and the internal membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts
A major evolutionary episode that corresponds in time most closely with the formation of Pangaea was the A) origin of humans. B) Cambrian explosion. C) Permian extinctions. D) Pleistocene ice ages. E) Cretaceous extinctions.
C) Permian extinctions.
The observation that tusks were limited to males in several species, and were apparently not used in food-gathering, is evidence that the tusks probably
A) were used by males during the sex act.
B) served as heat-dissipation structures.
C) are homologous to claws.
D) were insignificant to the survival and/or reproduction of dicynodonts.
E) were maintained as the result of sexual selection.
E) were maintained as the result of sexual selection.
Which of these is the most likely explanation for the existence of dicynodont fossils on modern-day Antarctica?
A) They arrived there aboard ʺraftsʺ of vegetation, and quickly adapted to the bitterly cold climate.
B) Earthʹs polar regions were once so warm (especially immediately after the ʺsnowball Earth periodʺ) that reptiles and mammal-like reptiles flourished there.
C) The landmass that is now the Antarctic continent was formerly located at a more-northerly position, and was also united to other landmasses.
D) Dicynodonts originated on the island continent of Antarctica and went extinct as the continent migrated to its current position at the South Pole.
C) The landmass that is now the Antarctic continent was formerly located at a more-northerly position, and was also united to other landmasses.
Dicynodonts survived the Permian extinction and, therefore, existed during both the A) Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras.
B) Proterozoic and Archaean eons. C) Proterozoic and Phanerozoic eons. D) Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.
E) Carboniferous and Permian periods.
A) Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras.
There are at least a dozen known species in the extinct genus Lystrosaurus. If each species was suited to a quite different environment, then this relatively large number of species is likely due to A) sexual selection. B) adaptive radiation. C) heterochrony. D) polyploidy. E) species selection.
B) adaptive radiation.
The dicynodonts survived the mass extinction that was most closely correlated in time, if not in cause, with
A) snowball Earth.
B) a large (10 km) meteor striking the Earth.
C) an intense period of sun-spot formation, with subsequent increase in solar radiation.
D) the formation of Pangaea and lava flows that covered large portions of Pangaea.
E) the pleistocene Ice Age.
D) the formation of Pangaea and lava flows that covered large portions of Pangaea.
As rat pups mature, the growth of their snouts and tails outpaces growth of the rest of their bodies, producing the appearance of sexually mature males. It is found that sexually mature female rats prefer to mate with mutant, sexually mature males that possess snouts and tails with juvenile proportions. Which of the following terms is (are) appropriately applied to this situation? A) sexual selection B) paedomorphosis C) allometric growth D) B and C only E) A, B, and C
E) A, B, and C
A hypothetical mutation in a squirrel population produces organisms with eight legs rather than four. Further, these mutant squirrels survive, successfully invade new habitats, and eventually give rise to a new species. The initial event, giving rise to extra legs, would be a good example of A) punctuated equilibrium. B) species selection. C) habitat selection. D) changes in homeotic genes. E) allometry.
D) changes in homeotic genes.
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 bays.
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.
C) resemble structures formed by bacterial communities that are found today in some
warm, shallow, salty bays.
Select the factor most likely to have caused the animals and plants of India to differ greatly from species in nearby Southeast Asia.
A) The species have become separated by convergent evolution. B) The climates of the two regions are similar.
C) India is in the process of separating from the rest of Asia. D) Life in India was wiped out by ancient volcanic eruptions.
E) India was a separate continent until 55 million years ago.
E) India was a separate continent until 55 million years ago.
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 to make possible the evolution of the tetrapod limb. This type of change is illustrative of
A) the influence of environment on development.
B) paedomorphosis.
C) a change in a developmental gene or in its regulation that altered the spatial organization of body parts.
D) heterochrony.
E) gene duplication.
C) a change in a developmental gene or in its regulation that altered the spatial organization of body parts.
Protists are alike in that all are A) unicellular. B) eukaryotic. C) symbionts. D) monophyletic. E) autotrophic.
B) eukaryotic.
Biologists have long been aware that the defunct kingdom Protista is paraphyletic. Which of these statements is both true and consistent with this conclusion?
A) Many species within this kingdom were once classified as monerans.
B) Animals, plants, and fungi arose from different protist ancestors.
C) The eukaryotic condition has evolved only once among the protists, and all eukaryotes are descendants of that first eukaryotic cell.
D) Chloroplasts among various protists are similar to those found in prokaryotes.
E) Some protists, all animals, and all fungi share a protist common ancestor, but these
protists, animals, and fungi are currently assigned to three different kingdoms.
E) Some protists, all animals, and all fungi share a protist common ancestor, but these
protists, animals, and fungi are currently assigned to three different kingdoms.
The strongest evidence for the endosymbiotic origin of eukaryotic organelles is the similarity between extant prokaryotes and which of the following? A) nuclei and chloroplasts B) mitochondria and chloroplasts C) cilia and mitochondria D) mitochondria and nuclei E) mitochondria and cilia
B) mitochondria and chloroplasts
According to the endosymbiotic theory of the origin of eukaryotic cells, how did mitochondria originate?
A) from infoldings of the plasma membrane, coupled with mutations of genes for proteins in energy-transfer reactions
B) from engulfed, originally free-living prokaryotes
C) by secondary endosymbiosis
D) from the nuclear envelope folding outward and forming mitochondrial membranes
E) when a protoeukaryote engaged in a symbiotic relationship with a protobiont
B) from engulfed, originally free-living prokaryotes