Deck 14: How Biological Diversity Evolves

Question 1

The type of reproductive barrier that occurs when reproductive structures of different species are physically incompatible is referred to as ________.

A)mechanical isolation
B)temporal isolation
C)a postzygotic barrier

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The Permian mass extinction is associated with ________.

A)an asteroid impact
B)global warming
C)the formation of Pangaea
D)the diversification of mammals

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A period of mass extinction is often followed by ________.

A)explosive diversification
B)global warming
C)continental drift

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When two frog species, Rana pipiens and Rana sylvatica, mate, the offspring die early in embryonic development. This is an example of ________.

A)hybrid sterility
B)mechanical isolation
C)reduced hybrid viability
D)reduced hybrid fertility

Question 5

Dinosaurs (aside from the lineage that produced birds)were extinct by the end of the ________.

A)cretaceous
B)silurian
C)eocene
D)permian

Question 6

A reproductive barrier that prevents individuals from closely related species from interbreeding is an example of ________.

A)a prezygotic barrier
B)allopatric speciation
C)sympatric speciation
D)geographic isolation of populations

Question 7

Feathers in birds appear to have first been selected for as insulation but later conveyed a new advantage in helping create light aerodynamic surfaces. This switch in function is an example of ________.

A)allopatric speciation
B)a prezygotic barrier
C)an exaptation

Question 8

Sympatric speciation specifically EXCLUDES ________.

A)behavioral isolation
B)postzygotic barriers
C)geographic isolation
D)temporal isolation

Question 9

Uranium-235, with a half-life of 713,000,000 years, decays to lead-207. If a rock sample is determined to have one-quarter of the uranium-235 content it had when it formed, the age of the rock sample can be estimated to be approximately ________ years old.

A)178 million
B)713 million
C)28.5 billion
D)1)4 billion

Question 10

The actions of humans are having negative impacts on the environment at a global scale. Of the options listed, which impact is an EXCEPTION to this trend?

A)decrease in biodiversity
B)decrease in human cardiovascular disease
C)increase in radioactivity from testing nuclear weapons
D)increase in climate-altering emissions from fossil fuels

Question 11

Biological species consist of groups of ________.

A)populations
B)domains
C)families
D)genera

Question 12

The biological species concept cannot be applied to fossils. Which alternate approach to identifying species would be most useful for classifying fossil organisms?

A)an approach based on use of reproductive barriers
B)an approach based on genetic history
C)an approach based on measurable physical traits

Question 13

Plate tectonics has been responsible for instances of all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)volcanic explosions
B)sympatric speciation
C)allopatric speciation
D)mass extinction

Question 14

The biological species concept cannot be applied to ________.

A)fossils
B)bacteria that reproduce sexually
C)complex plants that have flowers

Question 15

What type of reproductive isolating mechanism is described by a situation in which female fireflies mate only with males who emit light in a particular pattern?

A)habitat isolation
B)temporal isolation
C)mechanical isolation
D)behavioral isolation

Question 16

The current geological era is the ________.

A)Paleozoic
B)Cenozoic
C)Mesozoic
D)Cambrian

Question 17

Which scenario describes allopatric speciation?

A)A population of squirrels is separated by the Grand Canyon. The two subpopulations evolve into two distinct species.
B)A tetraploid plant species evolves from a diploid ancestor. Both the tetraploid and diploid species are found in the same habitat.
C)One population breeds in the fall; another population breeds in the spring.
D)A male horse and a female donkey mate, producing a sterile hinny.

Question 18

Characid fishes are found naturally only in South America and Africa. Fossils of these fish are not found on any other continents. What is the most likely explanation of this distribution pattern?

A)These fishes arose in either Africa or South America and migrated across the South Atlantic Ocean to the other continent.
B)Characid fishes arose prior to the separation of the African and South American continents.
C)Characid fishes arose in the South Atlantic Ocean and migrated to Africa and South America.
D)Convergent evolution is responsible for the distribution of characid fishes.

Question 19

Under the biological species concept, what criterion is used to assign populations of organisms to the same biological species?

A)a very similar appearance
B)ability to interbreed and produce fertile offspring
C)similar responses to the environment
D)99% of their genes are in common

Question 20

Some fish have bony fins. If the body of water they are in dries out, these fins can be used to help the fish "walk" to another body of water. In this context, bony fins are an example of ________.

A)an exaptation
B)an adaptation
C)a homologous structure

Question 21

Which taxonomic level is most inclusive?

A)order
B)genus
C)family

Question 22

Why is it INCORRECT to assume that mass extinctions carry only negative impact on the evolution of life on Earth?

A)Mass extinctions are sometimes followed by periods of evolutionary change when other organism groups can flourish and expand in diversity and size.
B)Mass extinctions enable scientists to study embryonic development in two species of organisms and therefore identify possible homology.
C)Mass extinctions disprove Darwin's theory of evolution.

Question 23

If a method of classification is used that compares similarity in shared ancestry, this method is using ________ as the basis of classification.

A)homology
B)analogy
C)allopatric speciation
D)sympatric speciation

Question 24

The wing of a penguin is ________ the wing of a butterfly.

A)structurally identical to
B)homologous to
C)analogous to

Question 25

Molecular systematics might examine all of the following types of data EXCEPT ________.

A)proteins
B)DNA sequences
C)amino acid sequences
D)anatomical features

Question 26

Scientists who study evo-devo engage in research in the fields of ________.

A)taxonomy and cladistics
B)evolutionary biology and developmental biology
C)homology and analogy
D)plate tectonics and biogeography

Question 27

Scientists in the field of evo-devo have determined that evolutionary changes can be a result of changes in ________.

A)radiometric dating
B)the formation of Pangaea
C)homeotic genes
D)analogous structures

Question 28

The tailbone of a human ________ to the tail of a monkey.

A)evolved from
B)is homologous to
C)is analogous to

Question 29

Homology is evidence of ________.

A)convergent evolution
B)polyploidy
C)common ancestry

Question 30

An ancestral species and all its evolutionary descendants define a(n)________.

A)outgroup
B)clade
C)genus
D)ingroup

Question 31

________ is the discipline of biology that focuses on classifying organisms and determining their evolutionary relationships.

A)Evo-devo
B)Systematics
C)Cladistics

Question 32

Examine the two squirrel populations in the accompanying figure. The populations are separated by a geographic barrier. If after a long period of time the two species are no longer separated, what evidence is needed to determine if speciation has occurred?

A)Hybrid offspring of the two populations begin to appear.
B)The two populations are not interbreeding freely.
C)One species will increase into a population size twice as large as the other species.
D)Polyploidy is creating new species.

Question 33

The science of naming, identifying, and classifying organisms is called ________.

A)cladistics
B)phylogeny
C)taxonomy

Question 34

One means of reproduction called budding occurs when a new organism develops as an outgrowth of its parent (singular). Could organisms that develop by budding be defined by the biological species concept?

A)Yes, because wild populations of the organisms have different geographic distributions.
B)Yes, because this form of reproduction occurs in natural environments.
C)No, because this form of reproduction does not allow examination of interbreeding.
D)No, because the offspring may look very different than the parent.

Question 35

Of the following taxonomic levels, species found within the same ________ are the most closely related.

A)family
B)phylum
C)order
D)domain

Question 36

Analogous structures are evidence of ________.

A)common ancestry
B)divergent evolution
C)stabilizing selection
D)convergent evolution

Question 37

What is the currently recognized classification scheme?

A)two-kingdom system
B)five-kingdom system
C)biogeography
D)three-domain system

Question 38

Examine the evolutionary relationships represented in the accompanying figure. Based upon this model, which of the following pairs of organisms are most closely related?

A)leopards and striped skunks
B)leopards and European otters
C)European otters and coyotes
D)coyotes and wolves

Question 39

Human impacts on natural environments have enabled scientists to use these habitats as natural laboratories for studying evolutionary adaptation. Which is an EXCEPTION to these natural laboratories currently being used by scientists?

A)Hudson River in New York where there are high levels of industrial waste
B)urban areas in Puerto Rico with expanding buildings
C)backyard ponds where fish and frogs live
D)areas in eastern North America where temperatures are cool

Question 40

Human migration and global trade are two factors that have altered geographic distribution of parasites. One result of this phenomenon is that humans are introduced to new infections more often, and they can be co-infected by several parasites from different species or lineages. These co-infections can result in matings between individual parasites of the different species and lineages. What biological diversity concept does this phenomenon provide evidence for?

A)hybridization of species, specifically parasites
B)ecological niches
C)reproductive barriers
D)three-domain system of classification

Question 41

The production of sterile male ligers is an example of ________.

A)sympatric speciation
B)the founder effect
C)a postzygotic barrier
D)a prezygotic barrier

Question 42

Based on the independent and dependent variables represented in the figure and the information you have about common geographic habitats as well as anatomical and gametic compatibility of the four frog species, you initially conclude that reproductive barriers may be due to ________.

A)habitat isolation
B)mechanical isolation
C)temporal isolation
D)gametic isolation

Question 43

Read the following scenario to answer the following questions.
In some zoos, rare crosses between a male lion and a female tiger have produced hybrid offspring called "ligers." Male ligers are sterile but some female ligers are fertile. In the wild, lion and tiger ranges do not naturally overlap, making such a cross unlikely. Furthermore, the solitary behavior of tigers and the social organizations of lions create behavioral differences.
Applying the biological species concept, the sterility of ligers reveals that ________.

A)a new species called "ligers" is forming
B)tigers and lions are the same species
C)tigers and lions are separate species
D)lions are probably a subspecies of tigers

Question 44

What can you conclude about the breeding characteristics of these four frog species?

A)The maximum mating activity of the four frog species at different times reduces and/or removes interbreeding.
B)Each frog species must find a different place in the pond to breed.
C)The individual mating activity of the bull frog species reduces and/or removes interbreeding in the other three frog species.
D)An increase in maximum mating activity of the wood frog species reduces and/or removes interbreeding in the bull frog species.

Question 45

Examine the accompanying figure. According to the figure, cladistic analysis indicates that crocodiles are more closely related to ________ than to ________.

A)bird;. pterosaurs
B)snakes; birds
C)Ornithischian dinosaur; pterosaurs
D)birds; lizards

Question 46

Read the following scenario to answer the following questions.
As part of a semester-long biology field research course, you are studying reproductive barriers among four different frog species. Your goal is to determine what type of reproductive barrier likely causes the gene pools of the four different frog species to be isolated. These four species share common geographic habitats and are both anatomically and gametically compatible. Your research professor gives you the following figure to consider. After studying the figure, answer the questions that follow.
If the researchers of this study wanted to collect reliable data about natural behavior, which methodology should they choose?

A)The researchers should collect multiple male and female frogs from each species and study them in a lab environment to determine their normal breeding seasons.
B)The researchers should study multiple male and female frogs from each species in their natural environments to determine their normal breeding seasons.
C)The researchers should collect multiple male and female frogs from each species, mix males and females from each species, and study the mixed pairs in a lab environment to determine their normal breeding seasons.
D)The researchers should study one male and female frog from each species in their natural environments to determine their normal breeding seasons.

Question 47

The natural differences in the ranges of wild tigers and lions is an example of ________.

A)a prezygotic barrier
B)a postzygotic barrier
C)the impact of mutations
D)sympatric speciation