Deck 14: Speciation and Extinction

Question 1

The process by which species cease to exist is

A) isolation.
B) speciation.
C) extinction.
D) migration.
E) differentiation.

Answer 1

C
Explanation: Extinct species no longer exist.

Question 2

If you saw two populations of a species of snail,separated by a water-filled valley that they could not cross,you might eventually expect to see speciation due to 

A) mechanical isolation.
B) habitat isolation.
C) hybrid inviability.
D) behavioral isolation.
E) temporal isolation.

Answer 2

B
Explanation: If two populations of a species live in separate habitats, they cannot interbreed, and speciation is likely to result.

Question 3

Postzygotic isolation barriers prevent

A) a hybrid embryo from developing into a fertile adult.
B) fertilization.
C) male gametes from joining with female gametes.
D) formation of gametes by one of the parents.
E) All answers are correct.

Answer 3

A
Explanation: Postzygotic barriers either result in the new individual not surviving or not being able to reproduce.

Question 4

Centimeter-thin layers of earth that are rich in iridium give evidence to support the

A) allopatric theory.
B) ecological isolation theory.
C) gradualism theory.
D) impact theory.
E) punctuated equilibrium theory.

Question 5

The scientist given credit for devising the two-word naming system of all living organisms is

A) Aristotle.
B) Charles Darwin.
C) Gregor Mendel.
D) Carolus Linnaeus.
E) Louis Pasteur.

Question 6

The idea that evolution proceeds in small,incremental changes over many generations is

A) temporal isolation.
B) gradualism.
C) punctuated equilibrium.
D) hybrid breakdown.
E) mechanical isolation.

Question 7

Phylogenetics is study of

A) evolutionary relationships among species.
B) describing, naming, and classifying species.
C) inherited attributes.
D) features only found in living species.
E) anatomical parts of unrelated species.

Question 8

The impact of a large meteorite with Earth would have most likely caused mass extinctions by

A) causing a great prolonged rise in the earth's temperature and destroying plant life.
B) creating large clouds of dust that blocked out sunlight only.
C) causing a great prolonged rise in the earth's temperature only.
D) creating large clouds of dust that blocked out sunlight and destroying plant life.
E) destroying only plant life.

Question 9

A small angle for a branch point in an evolutionary tree indicates

A) extinction.
B) punctuated equilibrium.
C) gradualism.
D) convergent evolution.
E) temporal isolation.

Question 10

If you observed that the sperm of a bull could not fuse in a lab dish with the eggs of a cow,you would say that the bull and the cow showed 

A) hybrid inviability.
B) gametic isolation.
C) temporal isolation.
D) hybrid infertility.
E) ecological isolation.

Question 11

The type of reproductive isolation in which the offspring matures to adulthood but is unable to produce offspring is

A) gametic isolation.
B) mechanical isolation.
C) hybrid infertility.
D) hybrid inviability.
E) temporal isolation.

Question 12

It is believed that the two main reasons for mass extinctions in Earth's history have been

A) collision between Earth and a large celestial body and human intervention.
B) global warming and human intervention.
C) human intervention and shifting of Earth's continents.
D) global warming and shifting of Earth's continents.
E) collision between Earth and a large celestial body and shifting of Earth's continents.

Question 13

Which of the following is not a type of prezygotic reproductive isolation?

A) temporal isolation
B) gametic isolation
C) hybrid infertility
D) habitat isolation
E) mechanical isolation

Question 14

Types of living organisms on Earth have changed over time; new species have originated and existing species have disappeared.This describes

A) speciation.
B) extinction.
C) macroevolution.
D) alternation of generations.
E) hybridization.

Question 15

The rate of background extinctions per year per million species is

A) 0.1 to 1.0 species.
B) 0.001 to 0.01 species.
C) 1.0 to 10 species.
D) 10 to 100 species.
E) No answer is correct.

Question 16

The idea that evolution proceeds with long periods of stasis with relatively brief bursts of fast evolutionary change is

A) temporal isolation.
B) mechanical isolation.
C) gradualism.
D) punctuated equilibrium.
E) hybrid breakdown.

Question 17

A horizontal branch in an evolutionary tree indicates

A) gradualism.
B) punctuated equilibrium.
C) extinction.
D) convergent evolution.
E) temporal isolation.

Question 18

The process by which new species originate and can no longer interbreed with others in the group is

A) germination.
B) extinction.
C) migration.
D) speciation.
E) immigration.

Question 19

Biologists divide mechanisms of reproductive isolation into

A) sexual and geographic.
B) prezygotic and sexual.
C) postzygotic and geographic.
D) sexual and postzygotic.
E) prezygotic and postzygotic.

Question 20

You are studying two species of dung beetles,one of which rolls its dung balls during the day and rests at night.The other rolls its dung balls at night and rests during the day.These species will not breed because of

A) behavioral isolation.
B) gametic isolation.
C) mechanical isolation.
D) temporal isolation.
E) sexual selection.

Question 21

Scientists can fill in gaps in defining species by DNA sequence analysis.

Question 22

Mules are a defined species because they produce fertile offspring when mated.

Question 23

Closely related plant species,found in the same geographical location,  can attract different pollinators.This type of reproductive isolation is an example of

A) sympatric speciation.
B) allopatric speciation.
C) hybrid inviability.
D) hybrid infertility.
E) hybrid breakdown.

Question 24

A sterile mule is produced by mating a horse and a donkey.From this observation you could conclude

A) that horses and donkeys are the same species.
B) that horses and donkeys are different species.
C) that mules are a result of macroevolution.
D) that increasing the number of mules in a population will affect the allele frequency in the next generation.
E) the DNA sequences of horses and donkeys are more than 97% identical.

Question 25

Hawthorn maggot flies that breed on native hawthorns and those that breed on introduced European apples can mate in the lab,but rarely mate in the wild.The inability to breed in the wild is an example of ________ reproductive isolation.

A) postzygotic
B) prezygotic
C) allopatric
D) sympatric
E) outgroup

Question 26

Some flowers bloom in the spring while others bloom in the summer.This is an example of ________ reproductive isolation.

A) postzygotic
B) allopatric
C) sympatric
D) outgroup
E) prezygotic

Question 27

Different geographical barriers physically separated the tortoises on the Galápagos Islands.This separation resulted in the evolution of subspecies.This is an example of ________ speciation.

A) prezygotic
B) allopatric
C) postzygotic
D) sympatric
E) outgroup

Question 28

Scientists have a complete fossil record showing the evolution of horses over millions of years.The fossil record indicates the legs becomes longer and the teeth larger,as ancestors of the modern horse adapted from living in forest to grasslands.This is an example of

A) punctuated equilibrium.
B) extinction.
C) a postzygotic barrier to evolution.
D) gradualism.
E) a prezygotic barrier to evolution.

Question 29

A biological species is defined as a population whose members can interbreed,although the offspring may be infertile.

Question 30

Birds use specific songs,coloring,and mating dances to attract mates of their species.This is an example of ________ reproductive isolation.

A) postzygotic
B) allopatric
C) prezygotic
D) sympatric
E) outgroup

Question 31

Three species of tigers have become extinct due to overharvesting or habitat destruction.This is an example of

A) mass extinction.
B) background extinction rate.
C) sympatric speciation.
D) increased extinction rate by human activity.
E) allopatric speciation.

Question 32

Reading a cladogram,birds are least related to

A) nonavian dinosaurs.
B) crocodiles.
C) turtles.
D) mammals.
E) amphibians.

Question 33

Two species of finches found on the same Galápagos island but feeding on different food sources is an example of ________ speciation.

A) allopatric
B) sympatric
C) prezygotic
D) postzygotic
E) outgroup

Question 34

If a sheep and goat are bred,their offspring would die as an embryo.This is an example of ________ reproductive isolation.

A) prezygotic
B) allopatric
C) sympatric
D) postzygotic
E) outgroup

Question 35

What is the most inclusive level of the hierarchical classification scheme?

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

Question 36

The scientific name of humans is Homo sapiens.What is the genus of humans?

A) Homo
B) sapiens
C) Homo sapiens
D) Animalia
E) Eukarya

Question 37

What is the least inclusive level of the hierarchical classification scheme?

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

Question 38

Every species has a unique two-word name called the

A) scientific name.
B) genus.
C) phylogeny.
D) evolutionary tree.
E) clade.

Question 39

Conservation biologists are often concerned that when the population size of an endangered species becomes too small it is at risk of extinction.What is the basis of their concern?

A) They can no longer evolve.
B) Their rate of breeding will decline.
C) They may be more susceptible to changes in the environment or disease.
D) They are at risk of sympatric isolation.
E) They are at risk of developing prezygotic barriers to reproduction.

Question 40

An evolutionary tree depicts species' relationships based on descent from shared ancestors.

Question 41

New species that arise in the same physical area as its parent species is called sympatric speciation.

Question 42

Which of the following is not an example of microevolution?

A) bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics
B) HIV evolving from chimpanzees
C) insects becoming resistant to pesticides
D) staph infections not responding to medicines
E) All of the answer choices are examples of microevolution.

Question 43

Punctuated equilibrium is the steady,gradual loss of species due to normal evolutionary processes.

Question 44

Sympatric speciation is more accepted by scientists than allopatric speciation.

Question 45

Which of the following species' extinction was not a result of habitat destruction?

A) Chinese paddlefish
B) Dodo
C) Passenger pigeon
D) Palestinian painted frog
E) Las Vegas dace

Question 46

The more heritable traits organisms share,the more taxonomic levels they share.

Question 47

Which of the following is described by the steady,gradual loss of species due to normal evolutionary processes?

A) mass extinction
B) impact theory
C) background extinction rate
D) punctuated equilibrium
E) gradualism

Question 48

Humans are placed into what kingdom and domain?

A) Animalia, Archaea
B) Chordata, Archaea
C) Archaea, Eukarya
D) Animalia, Eukarya
E) Archaea, Animalia

Question 49

Polyploidy

A) is a type of sympatric speciation.
B) occurs in 95% of ferns.
C) results from an increase in chromosomes.
D) occurs naturally in about 50% of all plant species.
E) All the answer choices are correct.

Question 50

Bacteria are not defined as species when applying the biological species concept.