Cumulative 2 Flashcards
Which statement best describes what ultimately happens to the chemical energy that is consumed but not used to produce new biomass in the process of energy transfer between trophic levels in an ecosystem?
A) It is undigested and winds up in the feces and is not passed on to higher trophic levels.
B) It is used by organisms to maintain their life processes through the reactions of cellular respiration.
C) Heat produced by cellular respiration is used by heterotrophs for thermoregulation.
D) It is eliminated as feces or is dissipated into space as heat as a result of cellular respiration consistent with the second law of thermodynamics.
D) It is eliminated as feces or is dissipated into space as heat as a result of cellular respiration
consistent with the second law of thermodynamics.
Consider the food chain of grass-grasshopper-mouse-snake-hawk. About how much of the chemical energy fixed by photosynthesis of the grass (100 percent) is available to the hawk?
A) 0.01%
B) 0.1%
C) 1%
D) 10%
A) 0.01%
If the flow of energy in an arctic ecosystem goes through a simple food chain, perhaps
involving humans, starting from phytoplankton to zooplankton to fish to seals to polar bears, then which of the following could be accurate?
A) Polar bears can provide more food for humans than seals can.
B) The total biomass of the fish is lower than that of the seals.
C) Seal populations are larger than fish populations.
D) Fish can potentially provide more food for humans than seal meat.
D) Fish can potentially provide more food for humans than seal meat
A porcupine eats 3,000 J of plant material. Of this, 2,100 J is indigestible and is eliminated as feces, 800 J are used in cellular respiration, and 100 J are used for growth and reproduction. What is the approximate production efficiency of this animal?
A) 0.03%
B) 3%
C) 11%
D) 33%
C) 11%
Which of the following locations are major reservoirs for carbon in the carbon cycle?
A) the ocean, atmosphere, and fossilized and live plant and animal biomass
B) the atmosphere
C) fossilized plant and animal remains (coal, oil, and natural gas)
D) sediments and sedimentary rocks
A) the ocean, atmosphere, and fossilized and live plant and animal biomass
Which of the following statements is correct about biogeochemical cycling?
A) Phosphorus is the limiting nutrient that most widely affects biomass production.
B) The phosphorus cycle involves the weathering of rocks.
C) The carbon cycle has maintained a constant atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide for the past million years.
D) The nitrogen cycle involves movement of diatomic nitrogen between the biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem
B) The phosphorus cycle involves the weathering of rocks
Nitrifying bacteria participate in the nitrogen cycle mainly by ________.
A) converting nitrogen gas to ammonia
B) releasing ammonium from organic compounds, thus returning it to the soil
C) converting ammonium to nitrate, which plants absorb
D) incorporating nitrogen into amino acids and organic compounds
C) converting ammonium to nitrate
The Hubbard Brook watershed deforestation experiment revealed that ________.
I) deforestation increased water runoff
II) nitrate concentration in waters draining the deforested area became dangerously high
III) calcium levels remained high in the soil of deforested areas
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only I and II
D) only I and II
Why do logged tropical rain forest soils typically have nutrient-poor soils?
A) Tropical bedrock contains little phosphorous.
B) Logging results in soil temperatures that are lethal to nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
C) Most of the nutrients in the ecosystem are removed in the harvested timber.
D) The cation exchange capacity of the soil is reversed as a result of logging.
C) Most of the nutrients in the ecosystem are removed in the harvested timber
How can biodiversity affect the way we decontaminate industrial sites?
I) Bacteria have been found to be able to detoxify certain chemicals; perhaps there are more.
II) Trees produce sawdust, which can be used to soak up chemicals.
III) Species evolving in contaminated areas could adapt and detoxify the area.
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
A) only I
The first step in ecosystem restoration is to ________.
A) restore the physical structure
B) restore native species that have been extirpated due to disturbance
C) remove competitive invasive species
D) remove toxic pollutants
A) restore the physical structure
The goal of restoration ecology is to ________.
A) replace a ruined ecosystem with a more suitable ecosystem for that area
B) return degraded ecosystems to a more natural state
C) manage competition among species in human-altered ecosystems
D) prevent further degradation by protecting an area with park status
B) return degraded ecosystems to a more natural state
The discipline that applies ecological principles to returning degraded ecosystems to a more natural state is known as ________.
A) landscape ecology
B) conservation ecology
C) restoration ecology
D) resource conservation
C) restoration ecology
Which of the following would be considered an example of bioremediation?
A) adding nitrogen-fixing microorganisms to a degraded ecosystem to increase nitrogen availability
B) using a bulldozer to regrade a strip mine
C) dredging a river bottom to remove contaminated sediments
D) adding fertilizer to soil poor in nutrients to increase plant growth
A) adding nitrogen-fixing microorganisms to a degraded ecosystem to increase nitrogen availability
Acid precipitation lowered the pH of soil in a terrestrial ecosystem that supported a diverse community of plants and animals. The decrease in pH eliminated all nitrogen-fixing bacteria populations in the area. Which prediction most accurately reflects the impact this will have on
the community?
A) Since phosphorus can replace nitrogen as an essential nutrient, the impact will be minimal.
B) Plants can obtain the nitrogen necessary for growth from the atmosphere, but bacterial communities will be negatively impacted.
C) Primary producers will suffer from nitrogen deficiency and the entire community will experience a decrease in carrying capacity.
D) The decrease in pH actually increases the availability of soil nutrients, so other nutrients that were less available cause an increase in primary production and an increase in biomass at other
trophic levels.
C) Primary producers will suffer from nitrogen deficiency and the entire community will experience a decrease in carrying capacity
Darwin and Wallace’s theory of evolution by natural selection was revolutionary because it ________.
A) was the first theory to refute the ideas of special creation
B) proved that individuals acclimated to their environment over time
C) dismissed the idea that species are constant and emphasized the importance of variation and change in populations
D) was the first time a biologist had proposed that species changed through time
C) dismissed the idea that species are constant and emphasized importance of variation and change in populations
The Linnaeus classification system grouped organisms by ________.
A) linear hierarchy of the scala naturae
B) increasingly more general categories
C) increasingly more complex categories
D) environmental location
B) increasingly more general categories
Fossils found in strata reveal that ________.
A) older strata carry fossils that differ greatly from living organisms
B) geologic changes occur quickly on Earth
C) unused body parts decrease in size
D) innate drive to complexity of life
A) older strata carry fossils that differ greatly from living organisms
Prior to the work of Lyell and Darwin, the prevailing belief was that Earth is ________.
A) a few thousand years old, and populations are unchanging
B) a few thousand years old, and populations gradually change
C) millions of years old, and populations rapidly change
D) millions of years old, and populations are unchanging
A) a few thousand years old, and populations are unchanging
Which of the following statements best explains why modification or change in an organ or tissue during the lifetime of an individual is not inherited?
A) Characteristics acquired during an organism’s life are generally not passed on through genes.
B) Spontaneous mutations can result in the appearance of new traits.
C) Only favorable adaptations have survival value.
D) Disuse of an organ may lead to its eventual disappearance.
A) Characteristics acquired during an organism’s life are generally not passed on through genes
When Cuvier considered the fossils found in the vicinity of Paris, he concluded that the extinction of species ________.
A) does not occur, but evolution does occur
B) and the evolution of species both occur
C) and the evolution of species do not occur
D) occurs, but that there is no evolution
D) occurs, but that there is no evolution
For which one of the following observations were both Lamarck’s hypothesis and Darwin’s hypothesis in complete agreement?
A) Use and disuse of organs determines their size in progeny.
B) Gradual evolutionary change explains why organisms are well-suited to their environments.
C) Acquired characteristics are inherited.
D) More complex species are descended from less complex species.
B) Gradual evolutionary change explains why organisms are well-suited to their environments
If x indicates the fossils of two closely related species, neither of which is extinct, then their remains may be found in how many of these strata?
A) one stratum
B) two strata
C) three strata
D) four strata
B) two strata
The cow Bos primigenius (which is bred for meat and milk) has a smaller brain and larger eyes than closely related wild species of ungulates. These traits most likely arose by ________.
A) natural selection, because these traits evolved in the population over time
B) natural selection, because these traits were not consciously selected by humans
C) artificial selection, because changes in these traits co-occurred with human selection for high milk output and high muscle content
D) artificial selection, because these animals differ from their close relatives and common ancestor
C) artificial selection, because changes in these traits co-occurred with human selection for high milk output and high muscle content
Starting from the wild mustard Brassica oleracea, breeders have created the strains known as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, and cabbage. Therefore, which of the following statements is correct?
A) In this wild mustard, there is enough heritable variation to permit these different varieties.
B) Heritable variation is low in wild mustard—otherwise this wild strain would have different characteristics.
C) Natural selection is rare in wild populations of wild mustard.
D) In wild mustard, most of the variation is due to differences in soil or other aspects of the environment.
A) In this wild mustard, there is heritable variation to permit these different varieties
What are adaptations?
A) geologic changes over time
B) rocks containing fossils
C) inherited characteristics of organisms that enhance their survival
D) descent with modification from a common ancestor
C) inherited characteristics of organisms that enhance their survival
Which of these conditions are always true of populations evolving due to natural selection?
Condition 1: The population must vary in traits that are heritable.
Condition 2: Some heritable traits must increase reproductive success.
Condition 3: Individuals pass on most traits that they acquire during their lifetime.
A) Condition 1 only
B) Condition 2 only
C) Conditions 1 and 2
D) Conditions 2 and 3
C) Conditions 1 and 2
A farmer uses triazine herbicide to control pigweed in his field. For the first few years, the triazine works well and almost all the pigweed dies; but after several years, the farmer sees more and more pigweed. Which of these statements explains why the pigweed reappeared?
A) The herbicide company lost its triazine formula and started selling poor-quality triazine.
B) Natural selection caused the pigweed to mutate, creating a new triazine-resistant species.
C) Triazine-resistant pigweed has less-efficient photosynthesis metabolism.
D) Triazine-resistant weeds were more likely to survive and reproduce.
D) Triazine-resistant weeds were more likely to survive and reproduce
Which one of the following statements best defines artificial selection?
A) Process that occurs when individuals inherit traits that enable them to survive and reproduce
B) Process where humans decide which plants and/or animals will not breed
C) Process of human directed breeding aimed to produce selective traits in selected species
D) Process that favors beneficial mutations
C) Process of human directed breeding aimed to produce selective traits in selected species
After the drought of 1977, researchers hypothesized that on the Galápagos Island Daphne Major, medium ground finches with large, deep beaks survived better than those with smaller beaks because they could more easily crack and eat the tough Tribulus cistoides fruits. A tourist company sets up reliable feeding stations with a variety of bird seeds (different types and sizes) so that tourists can get a better look at the finches. Which of these events is now most likely to occur to finch beaks on this island?
A) evolution of yet larger, deeper beaks over time, until all birds have relatively large, deep beaks
B) evolution of smaller, pointier beaks over time, until all birds have relatively small, pointy beaks
C) increased variation in beak size and shape over time
D) no change in beak size and shape over time
C) increased variation in beak size and shape over time
The following question is based on information from Frank M. Frey, “Opposing Natural Selection from Herbivores and Pathogens May Maintain Floral-Color Variation in Claytonia virginica (Portulacaceae),” Evolution 58(11), 2004: 2426-37.
Claytonia virginica is a woodland spring herb with flowers that vary from white, to pale pink, to bright pink. Slugs prefer to eat pink-flowering over white-flowering plants (due to chemical differences between the two), and plants experiencing severe herbivory are more likely to die. The bees that pollinate this plant also prefer pink to white flowers, so that Claytonia with pink flowers have greater relative fruit set than Claytonia with white flowers. A researcher observes that the percentage of different flower colors remains stable in the study population from year to year. Given no other information, if the researcher removes all slugs from the study population, what do you expect to happen to the distribution of flower colors in the population over time?
A) The percentage of pink flowers should increase over time.
B) The percentage of white flowers should increase over time.
C) The distribution of flower colors should not change.
D) The distribution of flower colors should randomly fluctuate over time.
A) The percentage of pink flowers should increase over time
Which statement illustrates the connection between natural selection and overreproduction of a population?
A) Populations vary in their inherited traits.
B) Species produce more offspring than can survive in the environment.
C) Individuals with inherited traits that promote survival tend to have more surviving offspring.
D) Individuals with traits that do not enhance survival cannot reproduce.
C) Individuals inherited traits that promote survival tend to have more surviving offspring
Darwin used the phrase “descent with modification” to explain ________.
A) unity of life
B) descent of all organisms from a single, ancient ancestor
C) that habitat differences stimulate change in organisms
D) evolution of the unity and diversity of life
D) evolution of the unity and diversity of life
Which of the following statements describe evolution?
A) Individuals evolve in response to their environment.
B) The match between organism and their environment decreases.
C) Natural selection chooses the most popular trait.
D) Quick changes occur in an individual’s phenotype.
A) Individuals evolve in response to their environment
Given a population that contains genetic variation, what is the correct sequence of the following events under the influence of natural selection?
1. Well-adapted individuals leave more offspring than do poorly adapted individuals.
2. A change occurs in the environment.
3. Genetic frequencies within the population change.
4. Poorly adapted individuals have decreased survivorship.
A) 2 → 4 → 1 → 3
B) 4 → 2 → 1 → 3
C) 4 → 2 → 3 → 1
D) 2 → 4 → 3 → 1
A) 2 → 4 → 1 → 3
Which of the following factors could cause a surge in population size?
A) a decrease in available food
B) an increase in the number of predators
C) better eyesight evolves in the population
D) decreased camouflage evolves in the population
C) better eyesight evolves in the population
Which of the following statements describe the effect of evolution on a population?
A) increasingly better match between a population and its environment
B) increased genetic variation among individuals in a population
C) increased variation among individuals in a population
D) increased sexual reproduction in a population
A) increasingly better match between a population and its environment
Which of Darwin’s ideas had the strongest connection to his reading of Malthus’s essay on human population growth?
A) descent with modification
B) variation among individuals in a population
C) struggle for existence
D) that the ancestors of the Galápagos finches had come from the South American mainland
C) struggle for existence
If Darwin had been aware of genes and their typical mode of transmission to subsequent
generations, with which statement would he most likely have been in agreement?
A) If natural selection can change gene frequency in a population over generations, given enough time and genetic diversity, then natural selection can cause sufficient genetic change to produce new species from old ones.
B) If an organism’s somatic cell genes change during its lifetime, making it more fit, then it will
be able to pass these genes on to its offspring.
C) If an organism acquires new genes by engulfing, or being infected by, another organism, then a new genetic species will result.
D) A single mutation in a single gene in a single gamete, if inherited by future generations, will produce a new species.
A) If natural selection can change gene frequency in a population over generations, given enough time and genetic diversity, then natural selection can cause sufficient genetic change to produce new species from old ones
Which one of the following observations did Darwin first make during his discovery of evolution?
A) The ability of individuals to survive and reproduce is not equal.
B) There is variation in inherited traits.
C) Individuals who reproduce more leave more offspring.
D) The unequal ability to reproduce leads to the accumulation of favorable traits in a population.
B) There is a variation in inherited traits
Currently, two extant elephant species (X and Y) are classified in the genus Loxodonta, and a third species (Z) is placed in the genus Elephas. Thus, which statement should be true?
A) Species X and Y are not related to species Z.
B) Species X and Y share a greater number of homologies with each other than either does with species Z.
C) Species X and Y share a common ancestor that is alive today.
D) Species X and Y are the result of artificial selection.
B) Species X and Y share a greater number of homologies with each other than either does with species Z
In a hypothetical environment, fishes called pike-cichlids are visual predators of large, adult algae-eating fish (in other words, they locate their prey by sight). The population of algae-eaters experiences predatory pressure from pike-cichlids. Which of the following is least likely to result in the algae-eater population in future generations?
A) selection for drab coloration of the algae-eaters
B) selection for nocturnal algae-eaters (active only at night)
C) selection for larger female algae-eaters, bearing broods composed of more, and larger, young
D) selection for algae-eaters that become sexually mature at smaller overall body sizes
C) selection for lager female algae-eaters, bearing broods composed of more, and larger, young
Cotton-topped tamarins are small primates with tufts of long white hair on their heads. While studying these creatures, you notice that males with longer hair get more opportunities to mate and father more offspring. To test the hypothesis that having longer hair is adaptive in these males, you should ________.
A) test whether other traits in these males are also adaptive
B) look for evidence of hair in ancestors of tamarins
C) determine if hair length is heritable
D) test whether males with shaved heads are still able to mate
C) determine if hair length is heritable
Fossils of Thrinaxodon, a species that lived during the Triassic period, have been found in both South Africa and Antarctica. Thrinaxodon had a reptile-like skeleton and laid eggs, but small depressions on the front of its skull suggest it had whiskers and, therefore, fur. Thrinaxodon may have been warm-blooded. The fossils of Thrinaxodon are consistent with the hypothesis that ________.
A) fossils found in a given area look like the modern species in that same area
B) the environment where it lived was very warm
C) mammals evolved from a reptilian ancestor
D) Antarctica and South Africa separated after Thrinaxodon went extinct
C) mammals evolved from a reptilian ancestor
Many crustaceans (for example, lobsters, shrimp, and crayfish) use their tails to swim, but crabs have reduced tails that curl under their shells and are not used in swimming. This is an example of ________.
A) convergent evolution
B) a homologous structure
C) natural selection
D) a vestigial trait
D) a vestigial trait
Scientific theories ________.
A) are nearly the same things as hypotheses
B) are supported by, and make sense of, many observations
C) cannot be tested because the described events occurred only once
D) are predictions of future events
B) are supported by, and make sense of, many observations
DDT was once considered a “silver bullet” that would permanently eradicate insect pests. Instead, DDT is largely useless against many insects. Which of these would have prevented this evolution of DDT resistance in insect pests?
A) All habitats should have received applications of DDT at about the same time.
B) The frequency of DDT application should have been higher.
C) None of the insect pests would have genetic variations that resulted in DDT resistance.
D) DDT application should have been continual.
C) None of the insect pests would have genetic variations that resulted in DDT resistance
If the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus experiences a cost for maintaining one or more antibiotic-resistance genes, what would happen in environments that lack antibiotics?
A) These genes would be maintained in case the antibiotics appear.
B) These bacteria would be outcompeted and replaced by bacteria that have lost these genes.
C) These bacteria would try to make the cost worthwhile by locating and migrating to microenvironments where traces of antibiotics are present.
D) The number of genes conveying antibiotic resistance would increase in these bacteria.
B) These bacteria would be outcompeted and replaced by bacteria that have lost these genes
Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird?
A) bones in the hind limb of a kangaroo
B) chitinous struts in the wing of a butterfly
C) bony rays in the tail fin of a flying fish
D) bones in the flipper of a whale
D) bones in the flipper of a whale
Structures as different as human arms, bat wings, and dolphin flippers contain many of the same bones, which develop from similar embryonic tissues. These structural similarities are an example of ________.
A) homology
B) convergent evolution
C) the evolution of common structure as a result of common function
D) the evolution of similar appearance as a result of common function
A) homology
Over long periods of time, many cave-dwelling organisms have lost their eyes. Tapeworms have lost their digestive systems. Whales have lost their hind limbs. How can natural selection account for these losses?
A) Natural selection cannot account for losses, but accounts only for new structures and functions.
B) Natural selection accounts for these losses by the principle of use and disuse.
C) Under particular circumstances that persisted for long periods, each of these structures presented greater costs than benefits.
D) The ancestors of these organisms experienced harmful mutations that forced them to lose these structures.
C) Under particular circumstances that persisted for long periods, each of these structures presented greater costs than benefits
Which of the following evidence most strongly supports the common origin of all life on Earth? All organisms ________.
A) require energy
B) use essentially the same genetic code
C) reproduce
D) show heritable variation
B) use essentially the same genetic code
Members of two different species possess a similar-looking structure that they use in a
similar way to perform about the same function. Which of the following would suggest that the
relationship more likely represents homology instead of convergent evolution?
A) The two species live at great distance from each other.
B) The two species share many proteins.
C) The structures in adult members of both species are similar in size.
D) Both species are well adapted to their particular environments.
B) The two species share many proteins
What must be true of any organ described as vestigial?
A) It must be analogous to some feature in an ancestor.
B) It must be homologous to some feature in an ancestor.
C) It must be both homologous and analogous to some feature in an ancestor.
D) It need be neither homologous nor analogous to some feature in an ancestor.
B) It must be homologous to some feature in an ancestor
Pseudogenes are ________.
A) composed of RNA, rather than DNA
B) the same things as introns
C) unrelated genes that code for the same gene product
D) nonfunctional vestigial genes
D) nonfunctional vestigial genes
It has been observed that organisms on islands are different from, but closely related to, similar forms found on the nearest continent. This is taken as evidence that ________.
A) island forms are descended from mainland forms
B) common environments are inhabited by the same organisms
C) island forms and mainland forms have identical gene pools
D) the island forms and mainland forms are converging
A) island forms are descended from mainland forms
Given what we know about evolutionary biology, we expect to find the largest number of endemic species in which of the following geological features, which have existed for at least a few million years?
A) an isolated ocean island in the tropics
B) an extensive mountain range
C) a grassland in the center of a large continent, with extreme climatic conditions
D) a shallow estuary on a warm-water coast
A) an isolated ocean island in the tropics
