Exam 22: Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life

When Cuvier considered the fossils found in the vicinity of Paris, he concluded that the extinction of species ________.

Darwin used the phrase "descent with modification" to explain ________.

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 ________.

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?

Prior to the work of Lyell and Darwin, the prevailing belief was that Earth is ________.

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?

Darwin and Wallace's theory of evolution by natural selection was revolutionary because it ________.

What are adaptations?

The following questions refer to the evolutionary tree in the figure below. The horizontal axis of the cladogram depicted below is a timeline that extends from 100,000 years ago to the present; the vertical axis represents nothing in particular. The labeled branch points on the tree (V-Z) represent various common ancestors. Let's say that only since 50,000 years ago has there been enough variation between the lineages depicted here to separate them into distinct species, and only the tips of the lineages on this tree represent distinct species. -How many distinct species, both living and extinct, are depicted in this tree?

Currently, two of the living elephant species (X and Y)are placed in the genus Loxodonta, and a third surviving species (Z)is placed in the genus Elephas. Assuming this classification reflects evolutionary relatedness, which of the following is the most accurate phylogenetic tree?

About thirteen different species of finches inhabit the Galápagos Islands today, all descendants of a common ancestor from the South American mainland that arrived a few million years ago. Genetically, there are four distinct lineages, but the thirteen species are currently classified among three genera. The first lineage to diverge from the ancestral lineage was the warbler finch (genus Certhidea). Next to diverge was the vegetarian finch (genus Camarhynchus), followed by five tree finch species (also in genus Camarhynchus)and six ground finch species (genus Geospiza). If the six ground finch species have evolved most recently, then which of these is the most logical prediction?

Which of the following factors could cause a surge in population size?

Which of the following evidence most strongly supports the common origin of all life on Earth? All organisms ________.

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 ________.

The following questions refer to the evolutionary tree in the figure below. The horizontal axis of the cladogram depicted below is a timeline that extends from 100,000 years ago to the present; the vertical axis represents nothing in particular. The labeled branch points on the tree (V-Z) represent various common ancestors. Let's say that only since 50,000 years ago has there been enough variation between the lineages depicted here to separate them into distinct species, and only the tips of the lineages on this tree represent distinct species. -Which of the five species, labeled V-Z, is the common ancestor of the fewest number of species?

Which pair of scientists below would probably have agreed with the process that is depicted by this tree?

The questions below refer to the following evolutionary tree, in which the horizontal axis represents time (present time is on the far right) and the vertical axis represents morphological change. -Which species is most closely related to species W?

If the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus experiences a cost for maintaining one or more antibiotic-resistance genes, what would happen in environments that lack antibiotics?

Which of the following is not an observation or inference on which natural selection is based?

Which statement illustrates the connection between natural selection and overreproduction of a population?