Exam 25: The History of Life on Earth

The following question is based on the observation that several dozen different proteins comprise the prokaryotic flagellum and its attachment to the prokaryotic cell, producing a highly complex structure. If the complex protein assemblage of the prokaryotic flagellum arose by the same general processes as those of the complex eyes of molluscs (such as squids and octopi), then ________.

The Permian period ended and then rapid speciation occurred as new animal and plant forms evolved. The most likely explanation for this is ________. I.adaptive radiation II.ecological opportunity III.lack of competition IV.morphological innovation

Why would gene duplication events, such as those seen in the Hox gene complex, set the stage for adaptive radiation?

An early consequence of the release of oxygen gas by plant and bacterial photosynthesis was to ________.

Which hypothesis for the abiotic formation of organic molecules suggests that early Earth's atmosphere was a neutral atmosphere?

You are the lucky student of a wacky professor who develops a time machine. He asks if you will test it with him. You get in, and there is an immediate glitch-the date readout fails so that when you land, you are not sure what era you are in. Your professor begins to panic, but you see something that tells you are in the Cenozoic era. Which of the following could it be?

The loss of ventral spines by modern freshwater sticklebacks is due to natural selection operating on the phenotypic effects of Pitx1 gene ________.

Which of the following is a limit of evolution that results in exaptations?

Insect wings may have begun to evolve 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. Additional selection refined them as flight-producing wings. If this hypothesis is correct, modern insect wings would be an example of ________.

Which of the following is the correct sequence of events in the origin of life? I. Formation of protocells II. Synthesis of organic monomers III. Synthesis of organic polymers IV.Formation of DNA-based genetic systems

A swim bladder is a gas-filled sac that helps fish maintain buoyancy. The evolution of the swim bladder from the air-breathing organ (a simple lung) of an ancestral fish is an example of

How was early Earth from more than three billion years ago different from today's Earth? Unlike Earth today, early Earth ________.

Which of the following steps has not yet been accomplished by scientists studying the origin of life?

Which of the following is a defining characteristic that all protocells had in common?

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 have live births in a particular environment is an example of ________.

Which listing of geological periods is in the correct order, from oldest to most recent?

Which of the following would be least likely to appear in the fossil record?

Which of the following organisms would be most likely to form a fossil?

The existence of evolutionary trends, such as increasing body sizes among horse species, is evidence that ________.

What is the most accurate method used to measure the age of a fossil?