Deck 2: Biological Diversity, Bacteria, and Archaea

Question 1

The current classification system used by biologists is

A)complex and unchanging.
B)universally accepted by all biologists.
C)based on four generalized types of living organisms: the Bacteria, the Archaea, the Eukarya, and the Protista.
D)updated and revised whenever new information becomes available.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

DNA analysis has become a useful tool for understanding the relationships between organisms because

A)shared characteristics are usually the products of shared genes.
B)DNA is used by all organisms to collect energy.
C)only mammals have DNA.
D)knowing the DNA codes means biologists no longer have to use taxonomy.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The organisms most distant from the base of an evolutionary tree are

A)unrelated to the organisms separated by one or more branch points.
B)less primitive than the organisms lower on the tree.
C)those that have evolved most recently.
D)chronologically older than the organisms lower on the tree.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A set of shared derived features

A)will be unique to each Linnaean taxon.
B)marks a group of species as a set of close relatives.
C)most often indicates convergences.
D)can be found only in humans.

Question 5

Any two groups of organisms will have

A)2 most recent common ancestors.
B)no more than 4 most recent common ancestors.
C)only 1 most recent common ancestor.
D)as many as 16 most recent common ancestors.

Question 6

Evolutionary tree diagrams representing the relationships between various organisms can be drawn only when those organisms share a

A)common cellular metabolism.
B)distinct lineage.
C)common cellular organization.
D)common ancestor.

Question 7

The diagram below is an evolutionary tree showing the relationship between the three domains. Which letter represents the most recent common ancestor of the Archaea and Eukarya?

A)A
B)B
C)C
D)D

Question 8

Convergence is an evolutionary process that produces similar but not shared derived traits in organisms having common life histories but not common ancestors; which of the pairs of features is not convergent?

A)the caudal fins of the whale and shark
B)the opposable thumbs of the human and panda
C)the hands of the chimpanzee and human
D)the wings of the bat and bird

Question 9

At the base of the evolutionary tree of all life is the

A)universal ancestor.
B)convergent ancestor.
C)derived ancestor.
D)descended ancestor.

Question 10

What single feature, shared by all organisms, allows scientists to reliably compare distantly related living or recently extinct organisms?

A)most recent common ancestor
B)universal ancestor
C)most recent common lineage
D)DNA

Question 11

Which of the following events occurred between each branch on an evolutionary tree?

A)the evolution of a new derived feature
B)the loss of a derived feature
C)the evolution of a shared ancestral feature
D)the evolution of a convergent feature

Question 12

The science of biological classification is used to

A)predict an organism's future evolution.
B)decide when an organism died.
C)show relationships among organisms.
D)decipher an organism's DNA.

Question 13

The following numbered sets of characters each represent a distinct group of organisms:1. three toes per foot, feathers, cold-blooded, no finger adaptations 2. three toes per foot, body hair, warm-blooded, opposable thumbs
3) three toes per foot, feathers, warm-blooded, no finger adaptations
"4) three toes per foot, body hair, warm-blooded, no finger adaptations
Which of the following choices is the most likely to represent the order in which these groups would appear on an evolutionary tree, from oldest to youngest group? (Hint: the more primitive characters are cold-bloodedness, feathers, and no finger adaptations.)"

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

Question 14

Evolutionary trees are based on

A)the principle of convergent evolution.
B)a set of shared characteristics believed to have arisen in a common ancestor.
C)similarities in the function of a characteristic or trait.
D)consensus among biologists regarding the usefulness of particular traits.

Question 15

Descendant organisms

A)do not share any features with their descendants.
B)have all the same features as their descendants.
C)share some features with their ancestors.
D)do not have features their ancestors lacked.

Question 16

The emergence of each new branch on the evolutionary tree represents

A)the addition of a new Linnaean taxon within that lineage.
B)the completion of a generation for that particular organism.
C)the introduction of the most important features of a group.
D)a common ancestor and the introduction of a new shared derived feature.

Question 17

In order to determine relationships among different organisms scientists would examine

A)DNA.
B)behavior.
C)body structures.
D)all of the above

Question 18

All of the following sources of information except _____ can be used to construct evolutionary trees.

A)habitat preferences
B)body form
C)instinctive behavior
D)learned behaviors

Question 19

Examine the evolutionary tree pictured below.
In this evolutionary tree, which number represents the most recent common ancestor of A, B, and C?

A)1
B)2
C)3
D)4

Question 20

To produce an evolutionary tree it is necessary to first determine

A)which organisms are the oldest.
B)the full DNA sequence of each organism that will be included within the tree.
C)the shared derived features present within each group of organisms.
D)the number of lineages in each group.

Question 21

In taxonomy, individuals belonging of the same class would also belong to the same

A)species.
B)genus.
C)order.
D)none of the above

Question 22

Evolutionary trees have been successfully used to

A)identify which multicellular species are most closely related to humans.
B)explain how evolution works.
C)explain why most carnivorous mammals have four or five toes.
D)explain the potential impact of global climate change.

Question 23

Taxonomy is the subdiscipline in biology that classifies living organisms; at the present time

A)all living organisms have been discovered, named, and their relationships to other organisms described.
B)humans have just finished a complete count of the number of species on Earth.
C)the diversity of organisms on Earth is not completely known and estimates of the number of unknown species vary 10-fold.
D)there is no consensus regarding the appropriate classification strategy for the currently known organisms.

Question 24

Classification systems are continually revised as new information becomes available from various sources such as

A)better understanding of the details of physiological processes.
B)using DNA analysis to compare nonstructural features of different organisms.
C)the continued evolution of current Earth species.
D)the identification of alien species that have reached Earth via meteorites and comets.

Question 25

The most restrictive category in the Linnaean classification system is

A)species.
B)order.
C)kingdom.
D)phylum.

Question 26

Based on the evolutionary tree shown below, which of the following are thought to be most closely related?

A)an oak tree and a squirrel
B)a mushroom and a cactus
C)a honeybee and a clover plant
D)a clam and a mushroom

Question 27

There are currently three recognized domains; which of the following is not included within this taxon?

A)Archaea
B)Bacteria
C)Procarya
D)Eukarya

Question 28

Canis latrans is the scientific name for the coyote. The term Canis represents the coyotes'

A)genus.
B)kingdom.
C)order.
D)species.

Question 29

The most inclusive category in the Linnaean classification system is

A)order.
B)phylum.
C)kingdom.
D)species.

Question 30

Which of the following taxa in the Linnaean hierarchy has the greatest total number of species?

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

Question 31

Which of the following avian species are most closely related?

A)Picoides villosus and Picoides borealis
B)Picoides borealis and Phylloscopus borealis
C)Numenius borealis and Picoides borealis
D)Numenius americanus and Grus americana

Question 32

With the exception of the _____ the following kingdoms are placed within the domain Eukarya.

A)Protista
B)Plantae
C)Bacteria
D)Fungi

Question 33

Examine the evolutionary tree pictured below.
In this evolutionary tree, which groups of organisms are likely to share the most behaviors?

A)5 and 4
B)5 and 3
C)5 and 2
D)5 and 1

Question 34

Which of the following statements about modern classification is not correct?

A)Systematic studies have revealed so many errors within the Linnaean hierarchy that it is no longer considered useful.
B)The number of taxa in the Linnaean hierarchy has been determined subjectively; it represents a human understanding of natural processes.
C)A complete evolutionary lineage includes all the descendants of a single common ancestor.
D)Many scientists are reluctant to accept classification information from newer technologies like DNA analysis.

Question 35

Which of the following is not one of the three primary methods used to classify organisms?

A)the Linnaean hierarchy
B)the Darwinian hierarchy
C)domains
D)an evolutionary tree

Question 36

The members of which of the following taxa would be most similar to one another?

A)class
B)genus
C)order
D)kingdom

Question 37

The level in the Linnaean hierarchy immediately above the class is the

A)phylum.
B)genus.
C)kingdom.
D)order.

Question 38

Which of the following would contain the most closely related group of phyla?

A)class
B)order
C)genus
D)kingdom

Question 39

Which of the following is a kingdom?

A)Bacteria
B)Eukarya
C)Plantae
D)Archaea

Question 40

Which of the following pairs of kingdoms would be included exclusively in the domain Eukarya?

A)Plantae and Bacteria
B)Animalia and Archaea
C)Animalia and Fungi
D)Protista and Bacteria

Question 41

The chemical composition of ancient sediments suggests that oxygen was essentially absent from the atmosphere of the early Earth; how can its abundance in today's atmosphere be explained?

A)Sunlight split water molecules apart, a process that produced oxygen gas.
B)Volcanic activity released oxygen that had been trapped beneath the Earth's surface.
C)Cyanobacteria and some eukaryotes produced oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis.
D)Chemical erosion of the Earth's surface released oxygen initially bound in surface rocks.

Question 42

Because plants lack the ability to directly use the _____ present in the atmosphere, their abundance often depends on bacterial populations present within the soil.

A)nitrogen
B)oxygen
C)water
D)carbon dioxide

Question 43

Prokaryotes obtain their nutrition in a variety of ways; all of the following methods except _____ have been observed.

A)consuming other organisms
B)acquiring carbon from nonliving sources
C)using noncarbon-based nutritional systems
D)photosynthesis

Question 44

Prokaryotic genomes

A)do not contain DNA.
B)are relatively small, containing only DNA that is actively used.
C)are relatively large, containing extra DNA that serves no known function.
D)contain about four times as much DNA as eukaryotic genomes.

Question 45

Which of the following would you most likely find surviving in a boiling-hot spring?

A)an archaean
B)bacteria
C)a eukaryote
D)none of the above

Question 46

What do these products have in common-soy sauce, yogurt, swiss cheese, and buttermilk?

A)All four are modified dairy products.
B)Antibiotic therapy often depresses the intestinal bacterial flora; any of the four can be used to reestablish those bacterial colonies.
C)Each is one of the better sources of protein for individuals choosing a meatless diet.
D)The production of each involves bacterial fermentation.

Question 47

The photograph below shows Sulfolubus, an archaean that lives in environments with very high temperatures.
What hypothesis can explain the extreme habitats of the archaeans?

A)They came to Earth from other planets, where harsher conditions prevail.
B)They would be more widespread, but are unable to successfully compete with bacteria and now occupy habitats where bacteria cannot live.
C)Archaeans evolved when Earth was much less hospitable, and are now relegated to those habitats most similar to early Earth.
D)Numerous food resources are available and unexploited in Earth's extreme habitats.

Question 48

The workers shown in the photograph below are involved in bioremediation; what explanation could account for their specific actions?

A)They could be adding fertilizers to stimulate the growth of naturally occurring microbes that will consume a pollutant like oil.
B)They could be dispersing nonnative microbes that will consume a pollutant like oil.
C)They could be dispersing seeds to reestablish vegetative growth that will remove pollutants from the environment.
D)All of the above are examples of bioremediation.

Question 49

Prokaryotes differ in several ways from eukaryotes; one of the most distinctive is

A)the absence of a plasma membrane.
B)having hereditary material composed of DNA.
C)the presence of chromosomes.
D)a nucleus that encloses the cell's DNA.

Question 50

Which of the following terms describes organisms that can survive in extremely salty environments?

A)thermophiles
B)halophiles
C)methanogens
D)none of the above

Question 51

Bacterial cells can typically be described by one of the following three shapes:

A)the sphere, rod, or cube.
B)the rod, sphere, or corkscrew.
C)the corkscrew, cube, or rod.
D)the cube, sphere, or comma.

Question 52

The group with the greatest diversity in the strategies used to obtain carbon and energy is the

A)Fungi.
B)Animalia.
C)prokaryotes.
D)Plantae.

Question 53

What best explains why bacteria can reproduce so much more rapidly than an organism like a mushroom?

A)Mushrooms reproduce using spores that require a lengthy exposure to the environment before the outer coating can break open.
B)Bacteria live in extreme environments and can avoid having to wait for more favorable conditions to reproduce, like mushrooms and other plants.
C)Because most disease-causing bacteria are avoided by consumers, whereas organisms like mushrooms are quickly eaten, preventing rapid population growth.
D)Mushrooms reproduce sexually, so the proper mating types must contact one another before reproduction can proceed.

Question 54

A distinguishing difference between bacteria and archaeans is

A)that bacteria are prokaryotic and archaeans are eukaryotic.
B)the molecules used to construct their cell walls.
C)the presence of membrane-bound organelles, which are observed only in bacteria.
D)the greater size of the bacterial nucleus.

Question 55

Which of the following statements about bacteria is false?

A)They help a variety of organisms digest their food.
B)They can provide the nitrate necessary for plant nutrition.
C)They can be used to clean up oil spills.
D)The membranes from their organelles can be used to produce medicines.

Question 56

When success is defined as the greatest number of living individuals, Earth's most successful inhabitants are the

A)vertebrates and birds.
B)fungi and animals.
C)bacteria and archaea.
D)plants and animals.

Question 57

In addition to the Bacteria, which other kingdom is comprised exclusively of prokaryotic organisms?

A)Archaea
B)Fungi
C)Protista
D)Plantae

Question 58

Microscopic examination can often resolve questions in taxonomy, for example, cells that possess a nucleus are never classified as

A)eukaryote.
B)fungi.
C)archaean.
D)protist.

Question 59

Carbon and energy are among the most basic life resources and organisms that have been classified with respect to how they are obtained. What term describes an organism that obtains these substances from rock?

A)chemoheterotroph
B)photoautotroph
C)photoheterotroph
D)chemoautotroph

Question 60

Bacteria can be distinguished from most other organisms because

A)bacterial cells have membrane-bound organelles.
B)bacterial DNA is not located within an organelle.
C)bacteria reproduce by splitting in two.
D)bacteria are generally single-celled.

Question 61

The father of modern scientific naming is ____________________.

Question 62

Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya are the three ____________________; they form the highest hierarchical level in the organization of life.

Question 63

____________________ describes those prokaryotes able to live in unusually cold conditions.

Question 64

The infective strategy seen in the retroviruses involves _____ the host cell.

A)the insertion of RNA and its conversion to DNA within
B)the integration of the viral genetic material into the DNA of
C)an initial symptom-free period with no pathology evident in
D)all of the above

Question 65

____________________ are diagrams that show the relationships between various organisms as indicated by DNA analysis or comparative studies on body form, physiology, or behavior.

Question 66

A disproportionate number of viral infections occur in the respiratory and digestive systems; how might this be explained?

A)New viral particles can be easily released in feces or exhaled air.
B)The lung, stomach, and intestinal tract can be easily reached when the virus contacts a new host.
C)The immune response may be less vigorous or effective in these locations.
D)All of the above are reasonable hypotheses.

Question 67

Dental hygienists carefully remove plaque, an aggregate of prokaryotic cells organized as a ____________________, from the surface of the teeth of their patients.

Question 68

The Linnaean hierarchy goes from species to genus to family to order to ____________________ to phylum to kingdom.

Question 69

Viral classification and biology has been challenging; presently most biologists agree that viruses

A)should be classified as members of the kingdom Protista.
B)are constructed from a protein wrapped around DNA or RNA.
C)use a photosynthetic process more similar to bacteria than plants.
D)should be classified as autochemotrophic.

Question 70

Infective bacteria are usually too large to enter cells but can cause pathology by releasing an ____________________ that kills adjacent tissues.

Question 71

Within an evolutionary tree descendants share common features because they share a common ____________________.

Question 72

Viruses may rapidly evolve resistance to vaccines and medications by modifying their DNA; what mechanism(s)do they use?

A)Dying viruses burst open, and another virus can take up the released DNA.
B)Adjacent viruses form a conjugation tube and exchange DNA laterally.
C)Viral DNA replication is sloppy; random DNA variations often result in viral proteins that reduce the effectiveness of current treatments.
D)All of the above commonly occur in viruses.

Question 73

____________________ is the science of naming and classifying organisms within the Linnaean hierarchy.

Question 74

New features that allow a group to survive and reproduce successfully can be called ____________________ innovations.

Question 75

The figure below shows a bacterium dividing by binary fission; because the process is asexual you would expect the DNA in each daughter cell to be ____________________.

Question 76

Cipro, an antibiotic that is taken orally, has been recently reevaluated for its impact on intestinal microbial flora; what best summarizes the findings?

A)Not surprisingly, there was virtually no effect; otherwise, human trials would have indicated that Cipro was unsuitable for human use.
B)A small but insignificant reduction in species diversity followed each course of antibiotics, but test participants quickly reestablished a normal intestinal community.
C)A single course of antibiotics was tolerated well by the majority of test participants, but a second course of antibiotics administered shortly after the first caused an extensive and prolonged change.
D)Intestinal microbial are particularly sensitive to Cipro; their populations crashed almost immediately after the first dose was taken.

Question 77

Like any disease or parasite, viruses need to reach new hosts to extend the infective cycle, which explains why such a large number of viral infections are associated with the

A)urinary and cardiovascular systems.
B)digestive and respiratory systems.
C)nervous and integumentary systems.
D)reproductive and integumentary systems.

Question 78

Wetland soils are saturated with water and devoid of oxygen creating a habitat ideally suited for ____________________ prokaryotes.

Question 79

What aspect of the viral life cycle depicted in the illustration below explains the pathology associated with a viral infection?

A)Infected cells produce new virus particles rather than the proteins associated with normal cell activity and homeostasis.
B)Newly replicated virus particles are released by budding, a process that depletes the cell membrane.
C)The immune response to the presence of viral protein may be extremely intense.
D)Retroviral insertion of DNA causes immediate cell death.

Question 80

Fossil evidence suggests that the ____________________ were the first eukaryotic group to evolve.