Deck 34: The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

Question 1

There is evidence that ray-finned fishes evolved

A) in response to a crisis that wiped out the chondrichthyans.
B) directly from lampreys and hagfish.
C) early in the Cambrian period.
D) directly from lancelets.
E) the swim bladder from a lung.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Chordate pharyngeal slits appear to have functioned first as

A) the digestive system's opening.
B) suspension-feeding devices.
C) components of the jaw.
D) gill slits for respiration.
E) portions of the inner ear.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Arrange these taxonomic terms from most inclusive (most general)to least inclusive (most specific).
1)lobe-fins
2)amphibians
3)gnathostomes
4)osteichthyans
5)tetrapods

A) 4, 3, 1, 5, 2
B) 4, 3, 2, 5, 1
C) 4, 2, 3, 5, 1
D) 3, 4, 1, 5, 2
E) 3, 4, 5, 1, 2

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of these might have been observed in the common ancestor of chondrichthyans and osteichthyans?

A) a mineralized, bony skeleton
B) opercula
C) bony fin rays
D) a spiral valve intestine
E) a swim bladder

Question 5

A new species of aquatic chordate is discovered that closely resembles an ancient form. It has the following characteristics: external armor of bony plates, no paired lateral fins, and a suspension-feeding mode of nutrition. In addition to these, it will probably have which of the following characteristics?

A) legs
B) no jaws
C) an amniotic egg
D) endothermy

Question 6

How many of the following statements about craniates is (are)correct?
1)Craniates are more highly cephalized than are noncraniates.
2)Craniates' genomic evolution includes duplication of clusters of genes that code for transcription factors.
3)The craniate clade is synonymous with the vertebrate clade.
4)Pharyngeal slits that play important roles in gas exchange originated in craniates.
5)The two-chambered heart originated with the early craniates.

A) one of these
B) two of these
C) three of these
D) four of these
E) five of these

Question 7

Which extant chordates are postulated to be most like the earliest chordates in appearance?

A) lancelets
B) adult tunicates
C) amphibians
D) reptiles
E) chondrichthyans

Question 8

Which of the following belongs to the lobe-fin clade?

A) chondrichthyans
B) ray-finned fishes
C) lampreys
D) hagfishes
E) tetrapods

Question 9

Which of these statements accurately describes a similarity between sharks and ray-finned fishes?

A) The skin is typically covered by flattened bony scales.
B) They are equally able to exchange gases with the environment while stationary.
C) They are highly maneuverable due to their flexibility.
D) They have a lateral line that is sensitive to changes in water pressure.
E) A swim bladder helps control buoyancy.

Question 10

The lamprey species whose larvae live in freshwater streams, but whose adults live most of their lives in seawater, are similar in this respect to certain species of

A) chondrichthyans.
B) actinopterygians.
C) lungfishes.
D) coelacanths.
E) hagfishes.

Question 11

Which group's members have had both lungs and gills during their adult lives?

A) sharks, skates, and rays
B) lungfishes
C) lancelets
D) amphibians
E) ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs

Question 12

To which of the following are the scales of chondrichthyans most closely related in a structural sense?

A) osteichthyan scales
B) reptilian scales
C) mammalian scales
D) bird scales
E) chondrichthyan teeth

Question 13

Jaws first occurred in which extant group of fishes?

A) lampreys
B) chondrichthyans
C) ray-finned fishes
D) lungfishes
E) placoderms

Question 14

The swim bladder of ray-finned fishes

A) was probably modified from simple lungs of chondrichthyans.
B) developed into lungs in saltwater fishes.
C) first appeared in sharks.
D) provides for regulation of buoyancy.
E) Two of the options listed are correct.

Question 15

What do all craniates have that earlier chordates did not have?

A) brain
B) vertebrae
C) cartilaginous pipe surrounding notochord
D) partial or complete skull
E) bone

Question 16

Lampreys differ from hagfishes in

A) lacking jaws.
B) having a cranium.
C) having pharyngeal clefts that develop into pharyngeal slits.
D) having a notochord throughout life.
E) having a notochord that is surrounded by a tube of cartilage.

Question 17

Which of the following statements would be least acceptable to most zoologists?

A) The extant lancelets are contemporaries, not ancestors, of vertebrates.
B) The first fossils resembling lancelets appeared in the fossil record around 530 million years ago.
C) Recent work in molecular systematics supports the hypothesis that lancelets are the most recent common ancestor of all vertebrates.
D) The extant lancelets are the immediate ancestors of the fishes.
E) Lancelets display the same method of swimming as do fishes.

Question 18

A team of researchers has developed a poison that has proven effective against lamprey larvae in freshwater cultures. The poison is ingested and causes paralysis by detaching segmental muscles from the skeletal elements. The team wants to test the poison's effectiveness in streams feeding Lake Michigan, but one critic worries about potential effects on lancelets, which are similar to lampreys in many ways. Why is this concern misplaced?

A) A chemical poisonous to lampreys could not also be toxic to organisms as ancestral as lancelets.
B) Lamprey larvae and lancelets have very different feeding mechanisms.
C) Lancelets do not have segmental muscles.
D) Lancelets live only in saltwater environments.
E) Lancelets and lamprey larvae eat different kinds of food.

Question 19

The earliest known mineralized structures in vertebrates are associated with which function?

A) reproduction
B) feeding
C) locomotion
D) defense
E) respiration

Question 20

The feeding mode of the extinct conodonts was

A) herbivory.
B) suspension feeding.
C) predation.
D) filter feeding.
E) absorptive feeding.

Question 21

What should be true of fossils of the earliest tetrapods?

A) They should show evidence of internal fertilization.
B) They should show evidence of having produced shelled eggs.
C) They should indicate limited adaptation to life on land.
D) They should be transitional forms with the fossils of chondrichthyans that lived at the same time.
E) They should feature the earliest indications of the appearance of jaws.

Question 22

Why is the amniotic egg considered an important evolutionary breakthrough?

A) It has a shell that increases gas exchange.
B) It allows deposition of eggs in a terrestrial environment.
C) It prolongs embryonic development.
D) It provides insulation to conserve heat.
E) It permits internal fertilization to be replaced by external fertilization.

Question 23

Which of these are amniotes?

A) amphibians
B) fishes
C) egg-laying mammals
D) placental mammals
E) More than one of these is correct.

Question 24

Which of the following represents the strongest evidence that two of the three middle ear bones of mammals are homologous to certain reptilian jawbones?

A) They are similar in size to the reptilian jawbones.
B) They are similar in shape to the reptilian jawbones.
C) The mammalian jaw has fewer bones than does the reptilian jaw.
D) These bones can be observed to move from the developing jaw to the developing middle ear in mammalian embryos.
E) Mammals can hear better than reptiles.

Question 25

A trend first observed in the evolution of the earliest tetrapods was

A) the appearance of jaws.
B) the appearance of bony vertebrae.
C) feet with digits.
D) the mineralization of the endoskeleton.
E) the amniotic egg.

Question 26

For the following items, match the extant vertebrate groups with the descriptions.
Their scales most closely resemble teeth in both structure and origin.

A) amphibians
B) nonbird reptiles
C) chondrichthyans
D) mammals
E) osteichthyans

Question 27

Which of these would a paleontologist be most likely to do in order to determine whether a fossil represents a reptile or a mammal?

A) Look for the presence of milk-producing glands.
B) Look for the mammalian characteristics of a four-chambered heart and a diaphragm.
C) Because mammals are eutherians, look for evidence of a placenta.
D) Use molecular analysis to look for the protein keratin.
E) Examine the teeth.

Question 28

In which vertebrates is fertilization exclusively internal?

A) chondrichthyans, osteichthyans, and mammals
B) amphibians, mammals, and reptiles
C) chondrichthyans, osteichthyans, and reptiles
D) reptiles and mammals
E) reptiles and amphibians

Question 29

Examination of the fossils of Archaeopteryx reveals that, in common with extant birds, it had

A) a long tail containing vertebrae.
B) feathers.
C) teeth.
D) Three of the options listed are correct.
E) Two of the options listed are correct.

Question 30

Which of the following are the most abundant and diverse of the extant vertebrates?

A) ray-finned fishes
B) birds
C) amphibians
D) nonbird reptiles
E) mammals

Question 31

For the following items, match the extant vertebrate groups with the descriptions.
Internal fertilization, leathery amniotic egg, and skin that resists drying are characteristics of

A) amphibians.
B) nonbird reptiles.
C) chondrichthyans.
D) mammals.
E) birds.

Question 32

Which of the following is characteristic of most extant reptiles and most extant mammals?

A) ectothermy
B) diaphragm
C) shelled eggs
D) keratinized skin
E) conical teeth that are relatively uniform in size

Question 33

Which era is known as the "age of reptiles"?

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

Question 34

At the end of which era did most dinosaurs and pterosaurs become extinct?

A) Cretaceous
B) Permian
C) Devonian
D) Ordovician
E) Triassic

Question 35

Which of the following are the only extant animals that descended directly from dinosaurs?

A) lizards
B) crocodiles
C) snakes
D) birds
E) tuataras

Question 36

During chordate evolution, what is the sequence (from earliest to most recent)in which the following structures arose?
1)amniotic egg
2)paired fins
3)jaws
4)swim bladder
5)four-chambered heart

A) 2, 3, 4, 1, 5
B) 3, 2, 4, 1, 5
C) 3, 2, 1, 4, 5
D) 2, 1, 4, 3, 5
E) 2, 4, 3, 1, 5

Question 37

Female birds lay their eggs, thereby facilitating flight by reducing weight. Which "strategy" seems most likely for female bats to use to achieve the same goal?

A) lay shelled eggs
B) limit litters to a single embryo
C) refrain from flying throughout pregnancy (about 6 weeks long)
D) give birth to underdeveloped young, and subsequently carry them in a pouch that has teats
E) feed multiple embryos internally using placentas

Question 38

Which of these characteristics added most to vertebrate success in relatively dry environments?

A) the shelled, amniotic egg
B) the ability to maintain a constant body temperature
C) two pairs of appendages
D) bony scales
E) a four-chambered heart

Question 39

Why is the discovery of the fossil Archaeopteryx significant? It supports the

A) phylogenetic relatedness of birds and reptiles.
B) contention that birds are much older than we originally thought.
C) claim that some dinosaurs had feathers well before birds had evolved.
D) idea that the first birds were ratites.
E) hypothesis that the earliest birds were ectothermic.

Question 40

Among extant vertebrates, a sheet of muscle called the diaphragm is found in

A) birds.
B) monotremes.
C) marsupials.
D) placentals.
E) Three of the options listed are correct.

Question 41

Which of these species was apparently the first to craft stone tools?

A) Australopithecus garhi
B) H. erectus
C) H. ergaster
D) H. habilis
E) H. sapiens

Question 42

Which of these species was the first to have some members migrate out of Africa?

A) Australopithecus garhi
B) H. erectus
C) H. ergaster
D) H. habilis
E) H. sapiens

Question 43

Which of the following is the most specific group that includes both the Old World monkeys and the New World monkeys?

A) apes
B) Homo
C) anthropoids
D) hominins
E) primates

Question 44

Figure 34.1
Fishes that have swim bladders can regulate their density and, thus, their buoyancy. There are two types of swim bladder: physostomus and physoclistus. The ancestral version is the physostomus version, in which the swim bladder is connected to the esophagus via a short tube (Figure 34.1). The fish fills this version by swimming to the surface, taking gulps of air, and directing them into the swim bladder. Air is removed from this version by "belching." The physoclistus version is more derived, and has lost its connection to the esophagus. Instead, gas enters and leaves the swim bladder via special circulatory mechanisms within the wall of the swim bladder.
The presence of a swim bladder allows the typical ray-finned fish to stop swimming and still

A) effectively circulate its blood.
B) be highly maneuverable.
C) use its lateral line system.
D) use its swim bladder as a respiratory organ.
E) not sink.

Question 45

Which of the following is the most inclusive (most general)group, all of whose members have fully opposable thumbs?

A) apes
B) Homo
C) anthropoids
D) hominins
E) primates

Question 46

Which of the following statements is correct in regard to Homo erectus?

A) Their fossils are not limited to Africa.
B) On average, H. erectus had a smaller brain than H. habilis.
C) H. erectus had a level of sexual dimorphism less than that of modern humans.
D) H. erectus was not known to use tools.
E) H. erectus evolved before H. habilis.

Question 47

Which of these species was the first to have been adapted for long-distance bipedalism?

A) Australopithecus garhi
B) H. erectus
C) H. ergaster
D) H. habilis
E) H. sapiens

Question 48

With which of the following statements would a biologist be most inclined to agree?

A) Humans and apes represent divergent lines of evolution from a common ancestor.
B) Humans evolved directly from Old World monkeys.
C) Humans represent the pinnacle of evolution and have escaped from being affected by natural selection.
D) Humans evolved from chimpanzees.
E) Humans and apes are the result of disruptive selection in a species of chimpanzee.

Question 49

Which of the following is a cluster of genes coding for transcription factors involved in the evolution of innovations in early vertebrate nervous systems and vertebrae?

A) Hox
B) Dlx
C) Otx
D) FOXP2
E) more than one of these

Question 50

Which of these species had members who moved out of Africa?

A) H. erectus
B) H. ergaster
C) H. habilis
D) H. sapiens
E) both H. sapiens and H. erectus

Question 51

Which of these species is currently thought to have coexisted (at the same time and places)with H. neanderthalensis?

A) H. erectus
B) H. ergaster
C) H. habilis
D) H. sapiens

Question 52

Which of the following are considered apes?

A) lorises
B) New World monkeys
C) Old World monkeys
D) orangutans
E) tarsiers

Question 53

Which of these traits is most strongly associated with the adoption of bipedalism?

A) fingerprints
B) enhanced depth perception
C) shortened hind limbs
D) opposable big toe
E) repositioning of foramen magnum

Question 54

The oldest fossil remains of Homo sapiens found so far date from about

A) 6 million years ago.
B) 1.6 million years ago.
C) 195,000 years ago.
D) 60,000 years ago.
E) 16,000 years ago.

Question 55

Which of the following statements about human evolution is correct?

A) Modern humans are the only human species to have evolved on Earth.
B) Human ancestors were virtually identical to extant chimpanzees.
C) Human evolution has occurred within an unbranched lineage.
D) The upright posture and enlarged brain of humans evolved simultaneously.
E) Fossil evidence indicates that early anthropoids were arboreal and cat-sized.

Question 56

Arrange the following taxonomic terms from most inclusive (most general)to least inclusive (most specific).
1)apes
2)hominins
3)Homo
4 anthropoids
5)primates

A) 5, 1, 4, 2, 3
B) 5, 4, 1, 2, 3
C) 5, 4, 2, 1, 3
D) 5, 2, 1, 4, 3
E) 5, 2, 4, 1, 3

Question 57

Which of these statements about human evolution is correct?

A) The ancestors of Homo sapiens were chimpanzees.
B) Human evolution has proceeded in an orderly fashion from an ancestral anthropoid to Homo sapiens.
C) The evolution of upright posture and enlarged brain occurred simultaneously.
D) Different species of the genus Homo have coexisted at various times throughout hominin evolution.
E) Mitochondrial DNA analysis indicates that modern humans are genetically very similar to Neanderthals.

Question 58

At least one of these has been found in all species of eumetazoan animals studied thus far.

A) Hox
B) Dlx
C) Otx
D) FOXP2
E) more than one of these

Question 59

What is the single unique characteristic that distinguishes extant birds from other extant vertebrates?

A) endothermy
B) feathers
C) an amniotic egg
D) flight
E) a four-chambered heart

Question 60

Which of the following is the most inclusive (most general)group, all of whose members have foramina magna centrally positioned in the base of the cranium?

A) hominoids
B) Homo
C) anthropoids
D) hominins
E) primates

Question 61

The following questions refer to the phylogenetic tree shown in Figure 34.2.

Figure 34.2
If circle 3 includes all of the extant reptiles that are ectotherms, then what do circles 4 and 6 represent?

A) crocodiles and birds
B) turtles and birds
C) ratites and carinates
D) mammals and birds
E) There is not enough information to say.

Question 62

We should expect the inner wall of the swim bladder to be lined with tissue that is derived from

A) ectoderm.
B) endoderm.
C) mesoderm.
D) mesoglea.
E) neurectoderm.

Question 63

The organisms represented by number 8 are

A) birds.
B) mammals.
C) nonbird, terrestrial reptiles.
D) aquatic reptiles.
E) all mammals except humans.

Question 64

Which shark structure is most analogous to a swim bladder full of gas?

A) its lateral line system
B) its spiral valve
C) its liver
D) its dead-end nostrils
E) its gills

Question 65

Rank the following fish, from most to least, in terms of the amount of energy it must use to maintain its position (depth)in the water column over the long term.
1)physoclistus fish
2)physostomus fish
3)chondrichthyan fish

A) 1, 2, 3
B) 2, 3, 1
C) 2, 1, 3
D) 3, 1, 2
E) 3, 2, 1

Question 66

The following questions refer to the phylogenetic tree shown in Figure 34.2.

Figure 34.2
Which number represents the birds?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8
E) 10, if it were at the end of a branch emerging from the dinosaurs

Question 67

In coelacanths, a swim bladder is present, but the swim bladder is full of adipose tissue (fat), which is there on a fairly permanent basis. If such a swim bladder is used by coelacanths to affect buoyancy, then it does so in much the same way as does the

A) liver of a shark.
B) physoclistus swim bladder.
C) physostomus swim bladder.
D) lung of a lungfish.

Question 68

If a physoclistus fish removes gas from its swim bladder, this fish's density cannot actually change until that gas arrives at the

A) mouth.
B) gills.
C) skin.
D) heart.
E) anus.

Question 69

When a shark stops swimming, it does which of the following?
1) sinks
2) quickly dies
3) oxygenates its blood less effectively

A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 3 only
D) 1 and 3
E) 1, 2, and 3

Question 70

Regarding its position in the water column, the same thing that happens to a shark when it stops swimming also happens to a

A) physostomus fish when it gulps air.
B) physoclistus fish when it moves gas from the blood into the water.
C) physoclistus fish when it moves gas from the swim bladder into the blood.
D) physoclistus fish when it moves gas from the blood into the swim bladder.

Question 71

The following questions refer to the phylogenetic tree shown in Figure 34.2.

Figure 34.2
Whose DNA would have had the most sequence homologies with amphibian DNA?

A) 5
B) 6
C) 7
D) 8
E) 9

Question 72

In order for the four-chambered hearts of birds and mammals to be homologous, which other organisms would have to have had four-chambered hearts?

A) dinosaurs
B) thecodonts
C) plesiosaurs
D) synapsids
E) stem reptiles

Question 73

The following questions refer to the phylogenetic tree shown in Figure 34.2.

Figure 34.2
Which number represents the closest relative to the parareptiles?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 9
E) It is not possible to say.

Question 74

The following questions refer to the phylogenetic tree shown in Figure 34.2.

Figure 34.2
Which pair of numbers represents extinct reptiles that had returned to an aquatic life?

A) 1 and 2
B) 3 and 4
C) 5 and 7
D) 6 and 8
E) 7 and 9

Question 75

If a ray-finned fish is to both hover (remain stationary)in the water column and ventilate its gills effectively, then what other structure besides its swim bladder will it use?

A) its heart
B) its pectoral fins
C) its lateral line system
D) its caudal (tail) fin
E) its opercula

Question 76

Which graph properly depicts the relationship between the amount of gas in the swim bladder and the density of the fish?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 77

The following questions refer to the phylogenetic tree shown in Figure 34.2.

Figure 34.2
Which of these numbers represents ectotherms that were able to fly?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 7
D) 8
E) It is not possible to say.

Question 78

Which graph below best represents the way that density changes over time in a physoclistus fish and in a physostomus fish, respectively?
A)
B)
C)
D))

A) A and B
B) B and A
C) B and C
D) C and B
E) D and B

Question 79

At 5, 10, and 15 hours in the graph below, which of the following statements should be true?

A) This fish is in the process of adding gas to its swim bladder.
B) This fish is in the process of removing gas from its swim bladder.
C) This fish has a swim bladder that is relatively full of gas.
D) This fish has a swim bladder that contains relatively little gas.

Question 80

The following questions refer to the description below.
Terry catches a ray-finned fish from the ocean and notices that attached to its flank is an equally long, snakelike organism. The attached organism has no external segmentation, no scales, a round mouth surrounded by a sucker, and two small eyes. Terry thinks it might be a marine leech, a hagfish, or a lamprey.
Which feature excludes the organism from possibly being a leech?

A) elongated shape
B) lack of scales
C) lack of external segmentation
D) round mouth
E) anterior sucker