EVOLUTION Flashcards
The layer that formed in the atmosphere, protecting early life from harmful UV radiation.
Ozone layer
The process by which simple molecules combined to form complex organic compounds necessary for life.
Chemical evolution
The concept that populations of living things change over time due to genetic modifications.
Evolution
What was the significance of the ozone layer in early evolution?
a) It provided oxygen for early life forms
b) It allowed anaerobic organisms to thrive
c) It protected life from harmful UV radiation
d) It created the first multicellular organisms
c) It protected life from harmful UV radiation
Which of the following is an example of an adaptation?
a) A penguin’s ability to swim efficiently
b) A human learning a new language
c) A dog being trained to fetch
d) A plant dying due to drought
a) A penguin’s ability to swim efficiently
What was the main idea proposed in Darwin’s book The Origin of Species?
a) Species do not change over time
b) Evolution occurs through natural selection
c) Mutations are the only mechanism for evolution
d) Organisms change within their lifetime and pass traits to offspring
b) Evolution occurs through natural selection
The biological process where certain organisms obtain energy from inorganic chemical reactions instead of sunlight.
Chemosynthesis
Which of the following was a major consequence of oxygen accumulation in Earth’s atmosphere?
a) Oxygen bonded with iron to form rust in ancient rocks
b) All anaerobic organisms went extinct
c) The ozone layer disappeared
d) The Earth’s temperature significantly decreased
a) Oxygen bonded with iron to form rust in ancient rocks
The process by which organisms with favorable traits survive and reproduce more successfully.
Natural selection
What role does the environment play in natural selection?
a) It directly causes mutations in organisms
b) It determines which traits are beneficial for survival
c) It selects which organisms should mutate
d) It provides all organisms with equal chances of survival
b) It determines which traits are beneficial for survival
Which of the following best describes evolution?
a) A change in an individual’s characteristics during its lifetime
b) A cumulative change in the genetic composition of a population over time
c) The process of an organism trying to adapt to its surroundings
d) The sudden creation of new species
b) A cumulative change in the genetic composition of a population over time
Which of the following best describes the Serial Endosymbiosis Theory?
a) Prokaryotic cells engulfed other prokaryotic cells, leading to eukaryotes
b) DNA spontaneously appeared in the first cell
c) RNA evolved into DNA inside the first organisms
d) Early life originated from hydrothermal vents
a) Prokaryotic cells engulfed other prokaryotic cells, leading to eukaryotes
What evidence supports the endosymbiotic origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts?
a) They have their own circular DNA similar to bacteria
b) They can reproduce independently of the host cell
c) They have double membranes
d) All of the above
d) All of the above
The father of the theory of evolution who proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution.
Charles Darwin
b) It allows populations to adapt to changing environments
A type of selection in which nature determines which traits are most suitable for survival.
Natural selection
Which of the following is an example of competition?
a) Birds migrating to warmer areas
b) Lions fighting for territory and food
c) Fish developing resistance to pollutants
d) Bacteria evolving to survive antibiotics
- b) Lions fighting for territory and food
What was the main gas that was NOT present in Earth’s primitive atmosphere?
a) Methane (CH4)
b) Carbon dioxide (CO2)
c) Oxygen (O2)
d) Nitrogen (N2)
a) Methane (CH4)
The first genetic material believed to have had enzymatic properties, allowing self-replication.
Ribozyme
The factor in evolution that describes differences among individuals of the same species.
Genetic variation
What is the primary factor that drives competition among individuals in a population?
a) Overproduction of offspring
b) Migration of individuals
c) Random mutations
d) Increase in genetic diversity
a) Overproduction of offspring
A situation in which organisms must struggle for resources like food and shelter to survive.
Competition
The name for the period when oxygen first accumulated in Earth’s atmosphere, drastically changing life.
Great Oxygenation Event
What does natural selection act upon in a population?
a) Acquired traits
b) Genetic variation among individuals
c) Environmental changes
d) Individual learning abilities
b) Genetic variation among individuals
What energy sources were responsible for driving the chemical reactions that formed the first organic molecules?
a) Solar radiation and heat from Earth’s core
b) Lightning and UV radiation
c) Wind and ocean currents
d) Meteor impacts and earthquakes
b) Lightning and UV radiation
The idea that all species descend from common ancestors but become different over time.
Descent with modification
What was the primary cause of the Great Oxygenation Event?
a) Increased volcanic activity
b) The emergence of oxygen-producing photosynthetic bacteria
c) The spread of anaerobic respiration
d) The impact of a massive asteroid
b) The emergence of oxygen-producing photosynthetic bacteria
What does “descent with modification” mean in evolutionary biology?
a) Offspring are identical to their parents
b) Organisms change within their lifetime
c) Populations accumulate genetic changes over generations
d) Evolution only happens in plants
c) Populations accumulate genetic changes over generations
What is the best definition of speciation?
a) The extinction of an old species
b) The introduction of new mutations in an organism
c) The formation of a new species from an existing population
d) The migration of organisms to new environments
c) The formation of a new species from an existing population
Which statement about the first life forms is correct?
a) They were aerobic eukaryotic cells
b) They depended on oxygen for survival
c) They were prokaryotic and anaerobic
d) They had complex organelles for energy production
c) They were prokaryotic and anaerobic
How did the first autotrophic organisms likely obtain energy before photosynthesis evolved?
a) They absorbed energy from lightning
b) They used chemosynthesis to derive energy from inorganic chemicals
c) They relied on consuming other organisms
d) They depended on fermentation
b) They used chemosynthesis to derive energy from inorganic chemicals
The formation of a new species over many generations due to accumulated adaptations.
Speciation
The process through which organisms began using sunlight to produce energy and release oxygen.
Photosynthesis
Which of the following describes a niche?
a) The role an organism plays in its environment
b) The ability of an organism to adapt instantly
c) A random genetic mutation
d) A specific species that never changes
a) The role an organism plays in its environment
The hypothesis that life originated from non-living matter through a gradual chemical process.
Abiogenesis
How does genetic variation contribute to evolution?
a) It ensures all individuals are identical
b) It allows some individuals to survive and reproduce better than others
c) It prevents populations from adapting to environmental changes
d) It only affects small populations
b) It allows some individuals to survive and reproduce better than others
What happens when a population produces more offspring than the environment can support?
a) All offspring survive and reproduce
b) Only those with favorable traits survive and reproduce
c) The population remains unchanged
d) Every individual has an equal chance of survival
b) Only those with favorable traits survive and reproduce
Which of the following is NOT one of Darwin’s six main points of evolution?
a) Overproduction
b) Artificial selection
c) Genetic variation
d) Natural selection
b) Artificial selection
What was the likely function of ribozymes in early life?
a) Storing genetic information
b) Acting as enzymes to catalyze reactions
c) Producing oxygen through photosynthesis
d) Engulfing other cells for nutrients
b) Acting as enzymes to catalyze reactions
The type of respiration used by early prokaryotic organisms that did not require oxygen
Anaerobic respiration
The inherited characteristics that increase an organism’s chance of survival and reproduction.
Adaptation
The theory that explains how eukaryotic cells evolved from prokaryotic ancestors through symbiosis.
Serial Endosymbiosis Theory
The area an organism occupies within its habitat and its role in the ecosystem.
Niche
Which of the following statements about natural selection is TRUE?
a) It leads to perfectly adapted organisms
b) It only occurs in large populations
c) It favors traits that increase reproductive success
d) It works towards a specific goal
c) It favors traits that increase reproductive success
The first type of organisms that lived on Earth, which lacked a nucleus.
Prokaryotes
