Question 1

The oxygen necessary to support much of life on Earth is a waste product of an important adaptation,the process of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

photosynthesis

Question 2

There is a class of genes that causes the development of structures in embryological development; such genes accomplish this task by controlling the expression of all other genes necessary for the growth of an embryological structure like the limb.Such genes are called ____________________ genes.

Accepted Answer

homeotic

Question 3

Which of the following was NOT necessary for plants to develop in order to adapt to life on land?

Accepted Answer

A)  photosynthesis 
B)  roots 
C)  waterproofing 
D)  transport mechanisms within stems 
A)  photosynthesis 
B)  roots 
C)  waterproofing 
D)  transport mechanisms within stems A

Question 4

Which kind of organism makes up the oldest fossil found on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  protists 
B)  animals 
C)  bacteria 
D)  plants 
A)  protists 
B)  animals 
C)  bacteria 
D)  plants

Question 5

The diversification of groups of organisms to form new species that can occur after a mass extinction or at other times is called adaptive ___________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The diversification of groups of organisms to...

Question 6

The oldest fossils of terrestrial animals are of ___________.

Accepted Answer

A)  spiders and millipedes 
B)  insects and snakes 
C)  mice and bats 
D)  birds and mammals 
A)  spiders and millipedes 
B)  insects and snakes 
C)  mice and bats 
D)  birds and mammals

Question 7

The homeotic gene that controls eye development in mice and humans can trigger the development of eyes in an eyeless ciliate.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

The construction of evolutionary trees that illustrate the patterns of species evolution is known as ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  psychogenetics 
B)  phylotaxonomy 
C)  evolutionary developmental biology 
D)  phylogenetics 
A)  psychogenetics 
B)  phylotaxonomy 
C)  evolutionary developmental biology 
D)  phylogenetics

Question 9

You are studying the relationships between a number of organisms.You begin by cataloging their homologous traits.Organisms A and B share 23 homologous traits.In addition,organisms B and C share 14 homologous traits,while organisms A and C share 11 homologous traits.Based on these preliminary findings,what can you conclude from these data?

Accepted Answer

A)  Organisms B and C are most closely related. 
B)  Organisms A and C are most closely related. 
C)  Organisms A and B are most closely related. 
D)  Organisms A, B, and C are related to each other to similar extents. 
A)  Organisms B and C are most closely related. 
B)  Organisms A and C are most closely related. 
C)  Organisms A and B are most closely related. 
D)  Organisms A, B, and C are related to each other to similar extents.

Question 10

Which fish,thought for a long time to be extinct until it appeared in a South African fish market in 1938,is also suspected to be related to the ancestral fish that gave rise to the first tetrapod?

Accepted Answer

A)  the lungfish 
B)  the coelacanth 
C)  the coelatroph 
D)  the golden koi 
A)  the lungfish 
B)  the coelacanth 
C)  the coelatroph 
D)  the golden koi

Question 11

In an evolutionary tree,a node represents the point in time when two species merged into one species.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

What would happen if PAX6,the homeotic gene that drives eye development in mice and humans,were inserted into a fruit fly embryo that was homozygous for the eyeless allele of the fruit fly gene that controls fruit fly eye development?

Accepted Answer

A)  It would be likely to drive the development of miniature eyes on the fruit fly that shared features of mouse and human eyes. 
B)  It would be likely to drive the development of miniature mouse eyes on the fruit fly. 
C)  It would be likely to drive the development of miniature human eyes on the fruit fly. 
D)  It would be likely to drive the production of reasonably normal fruit fly eyes in the embryo. 
A)  It would be likely to drive the development of miniature eyes on the fruit fly that shared features of mouse and human eyes. 
B)  It would be likely to drive the development of miniature mouse eyes on the fruit fly. 
C)  It would be likely to drive the development of miniature human eyes on the fruit fly. 
D)  It would be likely to drive the production of reasonably normal fruit fly eyes in the embryo.

Question 13

Which of the following groups of animals evolved the most recently?

Accepted Answer

A)  invertebrates 
B)  amphibians 
C)  reptiles 
D)  mammals 
A)  invertebrates 
B)  amphibians 
C)  reptiles 
D)  mammals

Question 14

The lowest level of classification in the Linnaean hierarchy is the __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  species 
B)  genus 
C)  domain 
D)  phylum 
A)  species 
B)  genus 
C)  domain 
D)  phylum

Question 15

If the homeotic genes that control limb development in the fruit fly are expressed in the head region of the fly,instead of developing antennae,the fly builds __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If the homeotic genes that control limb...

Question 16

Scientists use existing fossils to predict what the transitional forms between organisms might look like.Why is it so hard for scientists to find fossils of these transitional forms?

Accepted Answer

A)  Scientists have no way to determine how deep in a rock to look for a transitional fossil, so they just have to dig and dig until they find the right fossil. 
B)  Because of continental drift, the exact location of where a transitional fossil should be found cannot be determined. Looking for a particular fossil that could be anywhere on the planet is like looking for a needle in a haystack. 
C)  Fossils of transitional species may have never formed due to environmental conditions, or if they did form, natural processes such as erosion may have destroyed them. 
D)  The transitional form of any organism is only hypothetical in nature; it never truly existed on the planet and, therefore, could never become a fossil. 
A)  Scientists have no way to determine how deep in a rock to look for a transitional fossil, so they just have to dig and dig until they find the right fossil. 
B)  Because of continental drift, the exact location of where a transitional fossil should be found cannot be determined. Looking for a particular fossil that could be anywhere on the planet is like looking for a needle in a haystack. 
C)  Fossils of transitional species may have never formed due to environmental conditions, or if they did form, natural processes such as erosion may have destroyed them. 
D)  The transitional form of any organism is only hypothetical in nature; it never truly existed on the planet and, therefore, could never become a fossil.

Question 17

Ninety-five percent of marine invertebrate species went extinct during the mass extinction at the end of the ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ninety-five percent of marine invertebrate species went...

Question 18

Why is the fossil record incomplete?

Accepted Answer

A)  Transitional forms of organisms do not exist because evolution constantly forms new organisms from scratch. 
B)  The remains of organisms form fossils by chance and are later discovered by chance. 
C)  DNA evidence cannot be obtained from fossils. 
D)  Evolutionary trends cannot be determined without complete skeletons, which are rare. 
A)  Transitional forms of organisms do not exist because evolution constantly forms new organisms from scratch. 
B)  The remains of organisms form fossils by chance and are later discovered by chance. 
C)  DNA evidence cannot be obtained from fossils. 
D)  Evolutionary trends cannot be determined without complete skeletons, which are rare.

Question 19

Why did evolutionary biologists rely exclusively on the concept of geologic time to explain macroevolutionary change for such a long time?

Accepted Answer

A)  Large timescales prevent speciation from occurring. 
B)  Large timescales can accelerate the mutation rate, leading to greater changes. 
C)  Large timescales actually lead to increasing stability of the genetic material and more consistent gene expression. 
D)  The large span of Earth's history allows time for large changes in body form to occur; also, biologists were unaware of the underlying genetic mechanisms that can produce rapid change. 
A)  Large timescales prevent speciation from occurring. 
B)  Large timescales can accelerate the mutation rate, leading to greater changes. 
C)  Large timescales actually lead to increasing stability of the genetic material and more consistent gene expression. 
D)  The large span of Earth's history allows time for large changes in body form to occur; also, biologists were unaware of the underlying genetic mechanisms that can produce rapid change.

Question 20

Recent research in developmental biology has shown that the body plans of organisms may be varied as a result of _____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  how and when a particular gene is expressed in the developing embryo 
B)  the exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes 
C)  genes that exhibit sex linkage 
D)  adaptive radiation 
A)  how and when a particular gene is expressed in the developing embryo 
B)  the exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes 
C)  genes that exhibit sex linkage 
D)  adaptive radiation

Exam 16: The Evolution of Biodiversity

The oxygen necessary to support much of life on Earth is a waste product of an important adaptation,the process of ____________________.

There is a class of genes that causes the development of structures in embryological development; such genes accomplish this task by controlling the expression of all other genes necessary for the growth of an embryological structure like the limb.Such genes are called ____________________ genes.

Which of the following was NOT necessary for plants to develop in order to adapt to life on land?

Which kind of organism makes up the oldest fossil found on Earth?

The diversification of groups of organisms to form new species that can occur after a mass extinction or at other times is called adaptive ___________.

The oldest fossils of terrestrial animals are of ___________.

The homeotic gene that controls eye development in mice and humans can trigger the development of eyes in an eyeless ciliate.

The construction of evolutionary trees that illustrate the patterns of species evolution is known as ____________.

Which fish,thought for a long time to be extinct until it appeared in a South African fish market in 1938,is also suspected to be related to the ancestral fish that gave rise to the first tetrapod?

In an evolutionary tree,a node represents the point in time when two species merged into one species.

What would happen if PAX6,the homeotic gene that drives eye development in mice and humans,were inserted into a fruit fly embryo that was homozygous for the eyeless allele of the fruit fly gene that controls fruit fly eye development?

Which of the following groups of animals evolved the most recently?

The lowest level of classification in the Linnaean hierarchy is the __________.

If the homeotic genes that control limb development in the fruit fly are expressed in the head region of the fly,instead of developing antennae,the fly builds __________.

Scientists use existing fossils to predict what the transitional forms between organisms might look like.Why is it so hard for scientists to find fossils of these transitional forms?

Ninety-five percent of marine invertebrate species went extinct during the mass extinction at the end of the ____________________.

Why is the fossil record incomplete?

Why did evolutionary biologists rely exclusively on the concept of geologic time to explain macroevolutionary change for such a long time?

Recent research in developmental biology has shown that the body plans of organisms may be varied as a result of _____________.

The Nature of Science and the Characteristics of Life

The Chemistry of Life

Cell Structure and Internal Compartments

Cell Membranes, Transport, and Communication

Energy, Metabolism, and Enzymes

Photo Synthesis and Cellular Respiration

Cell Division

Cancer and Human Health

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes and Human Genetics

DNA and Genes

From Gene to Protein

DNA Technology

How Evolution Works

The Origin of Species

Biological Diversity, Bacteria, and Archaea

Protista, Plantae, and Fungi

Animalia

The Biosphere

Growth of Populations

Animal Behavior

Ecological Communities

Ecosystems

Global Change

Filters