Chapter 12: The Origin and Diversification of Life on Earth

Question 1

Homo sapiens is the name of a species. Homo is the name of a genus. Hominidae is the name of a family. Primate is the name of an order. Mammal is the name of a:

1. class.
2. variety.
3. domain.
4. phylum.
5. kingdom.

Answer 1

class

Question 2

Populations of Larus gulls around the North Pole show an unusual pattern of reproductive isolation. Each population is able to interbreed with its neighboring populations, but populations separated by larger geographic distances are not able to interbreed. This type of species complex is known as a:

1. ring species.
2. circular species.
3. peripatric species.
4. contiguous species.
5. linked species.

Answer 2

ring species

Question 3

Researchers have found that mixtures of phospholipids placed in water or salt solutions tend to spontaneously form:

1. DNA molecules.
2. methane.
3. prokaryotic organisms.
4. small spherical units that resemble living cells.
5. RNA molecules.

Answer 3

small spherical units that resemble living cells

Question 4

__________________ isolating mechanisms include hybrid mortality and hybrid infertility.

1. Prezygotic
2. Biochemical
3. Sympatric
4. Postzygotic
5. Barrier

Answer 4

Postzygotic

Question 5

Why is it that interspecies hybrids usually don’t survive long after fertilization?

1. mRNA codons call for different amino acids in the two different parent species.
2. The process of transcribing mRNA is fundamentally different in different species.
3. Different species use different monomers as building blocks of proteins.
4. The combination of genes from the two different parent species can’t direct proper development of the embryo.

Answer 5

The combination of genes from the two different parent species can’t direct proper development of the embryo

Question 6

Sequencing DNA from different organisms has been a breakthrough for phylogenetics because:

1. we can now build heat-tolerant animals.
2. we now have a method to determine the relatedness of living organisms have left few/no fossils.
3. it has reduced the impact of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
4. we can now recreate genomes from the past.
5. All of the above are correct.

Answer 6

we now have a method to determine the relatedness of living organisms have left few/no fossils

Question 7

The biological species concept:

1. is infrequently used because it is inapplicable to many organisms.
2. is the best and most accurate species concept.
3. states that any organisms that are biologically similar constitute a species.
4. defines a species as any group of actually or potentially interbreeding species that produce viable offspring.
5. states that a species is any group that shares similar DNA

Answer 7

defines a species as any group of actually or potentially interbreeding species that produce viable offspring

Question 8

Different organisms with an identical specific epithet, such as Drosophila melanogaster and Thamnophis melanogaster, are related to each other at the level of:

1. family.
2. order.
3. genus.
4. appearance.
5. No particular relationship is implied by the fact that two organisms have identical specific epithets.

Answer 8

No particular relationship is implied by the fact that two organisms have identical specific epithets

Question 9

Which of the following BEST explains the finding that the nuclear DNA of house cats and African wild cats has a very high degree of similarity?

1. Convergent morphological evolution has occurred.
2. Convergent molecular evolution has occurred.
3. House cats and African wild cats are both members of the family Felidae.
4. Divergent morphological evolution has occurred.
5. House cats and African wild cats share a recent common ancestor.

Answer 9

House cats and African wild cats share a recent common ancestor

Question 10

The arrow in the figure represents: (big line/ ancestor timeline goes fish > bird-> human-> rat-> mouse, end of chart. arrow is up vertical and labeled time.)

1. the number of common ancestors.
2. time.
3. evolutionary advancement.
4. directions to the “fish” icon.
5. the number of evolved characteristics.

Answer 10

time

Question 11

To which one of the following is the bat’s wing NOT homologous?

1. the lion’s foreleg
2. the dragonfly’s wing
3. the human’s arm
4. the whale’s flipper
5. the bird’s wing

Answer 11

the dragonfly’s wing

Question 12

Look at the phylogenetic tree below. According to the diagram, which of the statements that follows is FALSE?
(ancestor chart again, goes big line rayfinned fish-> lung fish-> branch of salamanders and frogs-> turtles-> branch of lizards and snakes-> branch of crocodiles and birds-> mammals)

1. Lizards and snakes diverged from each other later than the crocodiles and birds diverged from each other.
2. Turtles and mammals have an earlier common ancestor than do lungfish and mammals.
3. Crocodiles are more closely related to birds than they are to lizards.
4. All the animals depicted on the tree arose from a common ancestor.

Answer 12

Turtles and mammals have an earlier common ancestor than do lungfish and mammals

Question 13

The difference between macroevolution and microevolution is that:

1. they take place on different time scales.
2. microevolution has been proven, whereas macroevolution is very speculative.
3. microevolution involves changes to individuals within a population, whereas macroevolution involves changes to all of the individuals within a population.
4. microevolution occurs in prokaryotes, whereas macroevolution takes place among eukaryotes.
5. macroevolution occurs with physical structures, whereas microevolution occurs with physiological traits.

Answer 13

they take place on different time scales

Question 14

Which of the following groups would be placed nearest the fungi in a phylogenetic tree based on DNA sequences?

1. gymnosperms
2. cyanobacteria
3. animals
4. green algae
5. amoeba

Answer 14

animals

Question 15

All mammals have hair because they inherited that trait from a common ancestor. Features that are inherited from a common ancestor are called:

1. monophyletic traits.
2. convergent features.
3. independent traits.
4. analogous traits.
5. homologous features.

Answer 15

homologous features

Question 16

At the time life first appeared on earth, the atmosphere contained large amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and:

1. neon.
2. nitrogen.
3. ozone.
4. helium.
5. oxygen.

Answer 16

nitrogen

Question 17

What is the name of the hypothesis which states that most species arise during relatively short periods of rapid evolutionary change, and that these relatively short periods are followed by much longer periods of very little evolutionary change?

1. genetic divergence
2. gradualism
3. punctuated equilibrium
4. adaptive radiation

Answer 17

punctuated equilibrium

Question 18

Turkeys , pumpkins, mushrooms and humans all belong to the same Domain. Which Domain is this?

1. Eukarya
2. Animalia
3. Archaea
4. Vertebrata

Answer 18

Eukarya

Question 19

Ostriches and emus are flightless bird that belong to the Order Struthioniformes. Emus and cassowaries (also flightless birds) belong to the Family Cassuariidae. Based on this information, which of the following is true about the evolutionary relationships among these birds?

1. Ostriches and emus are more closely related to each other than they are to cassowaries.
2. Emus and cassowaries are more closely related to each other than are ostriches and cassowaries.
3. Ostriches, emus and cassowaries are equally closely related to each other.
4. Ostriches and emus are more closely related to each other than are emus and cassowaries.

Answer 19

Emus and cassowaries are more closely related to each other than are ostriches and cassowaries

Question 20

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

1. A bird’s eye is analogous to a whale’s eye.
2. Natural selection plays only a small role in the process of adaptive radiation.
3. Adaptive radiation is a special case of divergent evolution.
4. A bat’s wing is homologous to a moth’s wing.
5. Convergent evolution results in unrelated organisms developing very dissimilar traits.

Answer 20

Adaptive radiation is a special case of divergent evolution