Deck 14: The Formation of Species and Evolutionary Change

Question 1

In the process of speciation, a type of barrier between organisms is

A) hybridization.
B) mutation rate.
C) habitat preference.
D) All of these answers are true.

Answer 1

habitat preference.

Question 2

The evolutionary explosion of new species from a common ancestor is

A) adaptive radiation.
B) convergent evolution.
C) divergent evolution.
D) gradualism.

Answer 2

adaptive radiation.

Question 3

Over a period of many generations, a single species of snake has changed to the point that organisms from two different areas are no longer able to interbreed. This is an example of

A) divergent evolution.
B) polyploidy.
C) adaptive radiation.
D) convergent evolution.

Answer 3

divergent evolution.

Question 4

Which of the following would be homologous structures?

A) the wing of a bird and the wing of a bee
B) the wing of a bee and the wing of a bat
C) the wing of a bat and the arm of a human
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 5

In the figure, the pattern of divergent evolution is best illustrated by

A) A.
B) B.
C) C.
D) None is a good illustration of divergent evolution.

Question 6

Which of the following would be analogous structures?

A) the wing of a bird and the wing of a bee
B) the wing of a bee and the wing of a bat
C) the wing of a bat and the wing of a bird
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 7

The several species of finches that developed on the group of islands in the Galápagos are an example of

A) convergent evolution.
B) adaptive radiation.
C) divergent evolution.
D) polyploidy.

Question 8

Geographic isolation prevents

A) continental drift.
B) mating.
C) mutations.
D) polygenic inheritance.

Question 9

The idea that species can remain unchanged for millions of years and then rapidly evolve within a short time is

A) adaptive radiation.
B) convergent evolution.
C) punctuated equilibrium.
D) gradualism.

Question 10

Both bats and insects have wings; this is an example of

A) convergent evolution.
B) adaptive radiation.
C) divergent evolution.
D) polyploidy.

Question 11

Of all of the species of organisms that have ever existed on Earth, it is estimated that about _______ percent have gone extinct.

A) 10
B) 50
C) 75
D) 99

Question 12

If the embryos of a mating do not develop properly and die, thus preventing the offspring of two different species from continuing to reproduce, they are an example of

A) behavioral isolating mechanisms.
B) mechanical isolating mechanisms.
C) biochemical isolating mechanisms.
D) hybrid inviability.

Question 13

New species may result from

A) polyploidy.
B) adaptive radiation.
C) divergent evolution.
D) All of these answers are true

Question 14

Regarding the evolutionary history of organisms,

A) in most cases it is impossible to determine a species' close evolutionary relatives.
B) as new information is discovered, our understanding of the evolutionary history of organisms will change.
C) there are few techniques that allow us to develop evolutionary histories for organisms.
D) All of these answers are true.

Question 15

Which of the following shows seasonal isolation?

A) Frogs mate in the spring and deer mate in the fall.
B) The pollen of different species of pine trees mature at different times.
C) The tulips bloom earlier in Tennessee than in New York.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 16

The idea that evolution occurs in spurts of rapid change followed by long periods of little change is

A) gradualism.
B) convergent evolution.
C) differential reproduction.
D) punctuated equilibrium.

Question 17

Consider each of the following crosses and determine which pair of animals belongs to the same species.

A) Horse*donkey-does not occur naturally; offspring sterile
B) Eastern milk snake *coastal plain milk snake-occurs naturally; offspring fertile
C) Lion *Tiger-does not occur naturally; offspring sterile
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 18

A geographic barrier

A) is an isolating mechanism.
B) can stop gene flow.
C) is important for speciation to take place.
D) All of these answers are true.

Question 19

The origin of the human species (Homo sapiens)

A) begins with human-like organisms about 100 million years ago.
B) involved changes from a herbivore to carnivore way of life.
C) involved the direct development of humans from Australopithecus.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 20

Two new species of plants that are morphologically similar (same leaf type, similar reproductive structures, etc.) are discovered. The botanist who discovers these plants determines that one species possesses sixteen chromosomes and the other species has thirty-two chromosomes. Both plants contain multiple sets of the same eight distinctly different chromosomes. The most probable explanation for these findings is that the second plant evolved from the first by

A) divergent evolution.
B) convergent evolution.
C) adaptive radiation.
D) polyploidy.

Question 21

Adaptive radiation results in which of the following?

A) extinction in many cases
B) a divergence of body form and function
C) convergent evolution, for most cases
D) an increase in the amount of competition

Question 22

Plants, unlike most animals, can occasionally form new species in one generation. The mechanism by which this happens is

A) numerous mutations happening at once in an organism.
B) isolation.
C) punctuated equilibrium.
D) a doubling or a tripling of the chromosome numbers.

Question 23

Whenever a species of an organism has been introduced into an area that contains a variety of unfilled niches, a variety of ecological opportunities are available and the descendants of this species evolve in a variety of ways. These variations permit the organisms to take advantage of these ecological opportunities. This illustrates

A) the inheritance of characteristics that the individual developed as a response to the forces of the environment.
B) convergence.
C) polyploidy.
D) adaptive radiation.

Question 24

Many kinds of cactus and other desert plants, such as a Euphorbia, are remarkably similar in that they have fleshy plant bodies and spines. Their flower structures, however, show that they are not related. The process considered to be responsible for their similarity in structure is

A) convergent evolution.
B) divergent evolution.
C) adaptive radiation.
D) speciation by polyploidy.

Question 25

Various species of lightning bugs have their own characteristic patterns of light flashes. Females flash an answering code to the males' code, and mating follows the recognition. This is an example of a genetic isolating mechanism called

A) habitat preference.
B) seasonal isolation.
C) behavioral isolation.
D) introgressive hybridization.

Question 26

Some species of plants cannot interbreed by pollinating each other because the sexual structures of the one species ripen and mature at a different time from the other. This genetic isolating mechanism is

A) geographic.
B) seasonal isolation.
C) habitat preference.
D) behavioral.

Question 27

Divergent evolution

A) is more common than convergent evolution.
B) results in organisms that are less alike as time goes on.
C) can be seen in a wide variety of habitats.
D) All of these statements are true.

Question 28

You would reasonably expect to find the subspecies of a particular species

A) incapable of interbreeding.
B) occupying slightly different habitats or even distinct habitats.
C) having distinct differences from each other, so as to be easily recognized by the untrained observer.
D) All of these answers are true.

Question 29

Movement of new individuals into a population can result in

A) speciation.
B) isolation.
C) gene flow.
D) polyploidy.

Question 30

The geographical distribution of a species is its

A) habitat.
B) environment.
C) niche.
D) range.

Question 31

Animal A can breed with animal D and produce a fertile offspring, animal C. If animal A breeds with animal B, they have a sterile offspring, animal E. The animals that belong to the same species are

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

Question 32

Two animals can mate and produce fertile offspring if they are members of different

A) species.
B) subspecies.
C) orders.
D) None of these answers is true.

Question 33

An example of a habitat preference is shown if an animal will only breed

A) in the spring.
B) after a spring migration.
C) at night.
D) in a swamp.

Question 34

An increase in the number of chromosomes present in an organism is known as

A) polyploidy.
B) gene flow.
C) convergent evolution.
D) punctuated equilibrium.

Question 35

A new highway is built in an area. Half of a population of a certain species of animal is on one side of the highway and half on the other side. The animals are unable to cross the highway. The highway creates an example of

A) behavioral isolation.
B) seasonal isolation.
C) geographic isolation.
D) polyploidy.

Question 36

Structures that are similar in different species and have a common ancestor are

A) analogous.
B) related.
C) revolutionary.
D) homologous.

Question 37

Many cave-dwelling animals, although unrelated, possess poor eyesight and little skin pigment. This is an example of

A) punctuated equilibrium.
B) convergent evolution.
C) adaptive radiation.
D) divergent evolution.

Question 38

An examination of fossil records shows that three modern species all had a common ancestor. This is an example of

A) polyploidy.
B) divergent evolution.
C) convergent evolution.
D) three subspecies.

Question 39

The genes you inherited from your parents are an example of

A) speciation.
B) evolution.
C) adaptive radiation.
D) gene flow.

Question 40

The mating displays of a male mallard duck do not attract a female pintail duck. This is an example of

A) seasonal isolation.
B) behavioral isolation.
C) habitat preference.
D) geographic isolation.

Question 41

Unrelated birds that nest in holes in trees produce eggs with white shells, as opposed to eggs with speckled or colored shells. This is an example of

A) polyploidy.
B) ecological isolation.
C) convergent evolution.
D) range.

Question 42

The courtship rituals of many related animals are highly species-specific and prevent the related species from mating. This is an example of

A) habitat preference.
B) ecological isolation.
C) seasonal isolation.
D) behavioral isolation.

Question 43

The evolutionary explosion of new species from a common ancestor is

A) adaptive radiation.
B) convergent evolution.
C) divergent evolution.
D) gradualism.

Question 44

The theory that evolution occurred slowly and that changes accumulate over long time periods is

A) gradualism.
B) punctuated equilibrium.
C) convergent evolution.
D) divergent evolution.

Question 45

A polyploid organism contains ____ set(s) of chromosomes.

A) no
B) one
C) two
D) multiple

Question 46

Two similar species with different habitat preferences are isolated by ____ isolation.

A) reproductive
B) ecological
C) behavioral
D) seasonal

Question 47

Two kinds of mice live in the same area but one is black and the other is brown. Which of the following questions would be most valuable in determining if they are of the same species?

A) Do members of the two kinds mate with one another and have offspring that reproduce?
B) Do the two kinds have other physical differences other than color?
C) Are the brown mice eaten more often by owls than black mice?
D) Do the brown mice climb trees more often than black mice?

Question 48

Which of the following would constitute a species?

A) all the birds that live in Michigan
B) all the mallard ducks in the world
C) you as an individual
D) the weeds in your yard

Question 49

The evolution of new species

A) always takes millions of years.
B) can take place in one generation.
C) is a rare event over hundreds of millions of years.
D) is not occurring today.

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT considered to be well-accepted evidence related to human evolution?

A) Several species of Australopithecus and Paranthropus are known from early hominid fossils. They were herbivores and walked upright. Their fossils are only found in Africa.
B) Only a single species of the genus Homo became prominent in Africa and appeared to have made a change from a primarily herbivorous diet to a carnivorous diet.
C) Fossils of Homo erectus are found throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia, but not in Australia or the Americas.
D) Based on fossil evidence it appears that the climate of Africa was becoming drier during the time that hominid evolution was occurring.

Question 51

Which is true?

A) Neandertals were probably a different species from other early humans.
B) Neandertals and Homo erectus were the same genus.
C) Australopithecus was first discovered in Central America.
D) Several species of Neandertals were discovered in Europe.

Question 52

The structure of sharks, perch, and whales are an example of

A) convergent evolution.
B) adaptive radiation.
C) closely related animals.
D) polyploidy.

Question 53

The shapes of flowers may permit only certain animals to carry pollen from one flower to the next. The type of isolating mechanism displayed here is

A) morphological.
B) habitat.
C) geographic.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 54

Molecules on the outside of the egg or sperm may trigger events that prevent their union if they are not from the same species. The type of isolating mechanisms displayed here is

A) morphological.
B) biochemical.
C) habitat.
D) polyploidy.

Question 55

Which of the following is not a piece of evidence that supports the theory of evolution?

A) Changes in the genetic makeup of an individual organism have no influence on evolution.
B) Different populations of the same species show adaptations suitable for their local conditions.
C) Changes in the characteristics displayed by species can be linked to environmental changes.
D) Selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals indicates that the shape, color, behavior, metabolism, etc., of organisms can be selected for.

Question 56

DNA studies can be used to suggest genetic relatedness because

A) it is assumed that all members of the same species have the same DNA.
B) DNA is easily preserved in fossils.
C) mutations are rarely seen in DNA studies.
D) it is assumed that recently diverged organisms would have similar DNA.

Question 57

In the evolution of humans,

A) fossils of extinct prehumans are only found in Africa.
B) one theory suggests that there were two or more migrations of human or human-like ancestors from Africa to Europe and Asia.
C) the earliest fossils of human ancestors are all found in Africa.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 58

In order for a new species to be established from a previous species,

A) there must be genetic differences between the two groups.
B) the two groups must have similar habitat requirements.
C) they must live in different places.
D) All of these answers are true.