Question 1

All of the following events can trigger an adaptive radiation EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   an unusual event splitting a habitat, such as a severe hurricane
B)   the evolution of a new morphological feature
C)   the colonization of a new habitat
D)   the extinction of competitors
E)   Hox gene duplication eventsF) B) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 2

Which of the following would be LEAST likely in the fossil record?

Accepted Answer

A)   burrowing species
B)   marine-dwelling species
C)   marsh-dwelling species
D)   desert-dwelling speciesE) C) and D)
F) B) and D)

Question 3

Use the following table to answer the question(s)  below. 
-What conclusion is apparent from the data in the accompanying table?

Accepted Answer

A)   Land animals have more Hox genes than do those that live in water.
B)   All bilaterian phyla have had the same degree of expansion in their numbers of Hox genes.
C)   Acoel flatworms should be expected to contain seven Hox genes.
D)   The expansion in number of Hox genes throughout vertebrate evolution cannot be explained merely by three duplications of the ancestral vertebrate Hox cluster.
E)   Extant insects all have seven Hox genes.F) All of the above
G) A) and E)

Question 4

Which of the following is the best explanation for the high degree of sequence homology observed in Exon I among these five species?

Accepted Answer

A)   It is the most upstream exon of this gene.
B)   Due to alternative gene splicing, this exon is often treated as an intron.
C)   It codes for a polypeptide domain that has a crucial function.
D)   These five species must actually constitute a single species.
E)   This exon is rich in G-C base pairs; thus, it is more stable.F) B) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 5

Which value(s)  would be required to calculate how long ago the most recent ancestor of ungulates lived?
I. the number of base pairs that differ among species in a certain genetic sequence
II. the total number of base pairs in the genetic sequence examined
III. the age of a fossil ancestor for calibration

Accepted Answer

A)   I
B)   II
C)   III
D)   I, II, and IIIE) B) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 6

Members of two different species possess a similar-looking structure that they use in a similar way to perform about the same function. Which of the following would suggest that the relationship more likely represents homology instead of convergent evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)   The two species live at great distance from each other.
B)   The two species share many proteins in common, and the nucleotide sequences that code for these proteins are almost identical.
C)   The structures in adult members of both species are similar in size.
D)   Both species are well adapted to their particular environments.E) A) and B)
F) C) and D)

Question 7

Which of these four gene parts should allow the construction of the most accurate phylogenetic tree, assuming that this is the only part of the gene that has acted as a reliable molecular clock?

Accepted Answer

A)   Intron I
B)   Exon I
C)   Intron VI
D)   Exon VE) A) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 8

If you were using cladistics to build a phylogenetic tree of cats, which of the following would be the best outgroup?

Accepted Answer

A)   lion
B)   domestic cat
C)   wolf
D)   leopard
E)   tigerF) A) and E)
G) B) and D)

Question 9

Two competing hypotheses to account for the increase in the number of Hox genes from the last common ancestor of bilaterians to the last common ancestor of insects and vertebrates are: (1)  a single duplication of the entire four-gene cluster, followed by the loss of one gene, and (2)  three independent duplications of individual Hox genes. To prefer the first hypothesis on the basis of parsimony requires the assumption that ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   the duplication of a cluster of four Hox genes is equally likely to the duplication of a single Hox gene
B)   there is an actual process by which individual genes can be duplicated
C)   genes can exist in spatial groupings called clusters
D)   clusters of genes can undergo disruption, with individual genes moving to different chromosomes during evolutionE) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 10

Approximately how far back in time does the fossil record extend?

Accepted Answer

A)   3.5 million years
B)   5.0 million years
C)   3.5 billion years
D)   5.0 billion yearsE) C) and D)
F) B) and D)

Question 11

Use the following tree to answer the question below.  Which of the following trees, if any, depicts the same relationship among species as shown above?

Accepted Answer

A)  
B)  
C)  
D)   None of the above.E) A) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 12

All things being equal, which of these is the most parsimonious explanation for the change in the number of Hox genes from the last common ancestor of insects and vertebrates to ancestral vertebrates, as shown in the table above?

Accepted Answer

A)   The occurrence of seven independent duplications of individual Hox genes.
B)   The occurrence of two distinct duplications of the entire seven-gene cluster, followed by the loss of one cluster.
C)   The occurrence of a single duplication of the entire seven-gene cluster.
D)   Two distinct duplications of a three-gene cluster of Hox genes, followed by an independent duplication of an individual Hox gene.E) A) and B)
F) C) and D)

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of homoplasy?

Accepted Answer

A)   fur in bears and seals
B)   cell walls in plants and fungi
C)   chlorophyll in flowering plants and algae
D)   scales in snakes and lizardsE) C) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 14

We know the streamlined bodies shown in the accompanying figure are examples of homoplasy. If the following groups also had streamlined bodies, which of the groupings would give the most support to this body type being homologous?

Accepted Answer

A)   lizards and elephants
B)   pterosaurs, dinosaurs, and birds
C)   synapsids, monotremes, marsupials, rodents, and primates
D)   lizards, pterosaurs, dinosaurs, birds, synapsids, monotremes, marsupials, rodents, and primates
E)   elephants onlyF) B) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 15

Regarding these sequence homology data, the principle of maximum parsimony would be applicable in ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   distinguishing introns from exons
B)   determining degree of sequence homology
C)   selecting appropriate genes for comparison among species
D)   inferring evolutionary relatedness from the number of sequence differencesE) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 16

Which of the following is TRUE of all horizontally oriented phylogenetic trees, where time advances to the right?

Accepted Answer

A)   Each branch point represents a point in absolute time.
B)   Organisms represented at the base of such trees are descendants of those represented at higher levels.
C)   The fewer branch points that occur between two taxa, the more divergent their DNA sequences should be.
D)   The common ancestor represented by a branch point farther right existed more recently in time than the common ancestors represented at branch points located farther to the left.
E)   The more branch points there are, the fewer taxa are likely to be represented.F) B) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 17

When using a cladistic approach to systematics, which of the following is considered most important for classification?

Accepted Answer

A)   shared ancestral characters
B)   homoplasic ancestral characters
C)   shared derived characters
D)   the number of homoplasies
E)   overall phenotypic similarityF) B) and C)
G) A) and E)

Question 18

Some beetles and flies have antler-like structures on their heads, much like male deer do. The existence of antlers in beetle, fly, and deer species with strong male-male competition is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   convergent evolution
B)   a synapomorphy
C)   homology
D)   parsimonyE) None of the above
F) A) and D)

Question 19

Considering the phylogenetic trees above as strictly hypothetical and applying the principle of parsimony to the trait "ability to fly," which of the two phylogenetic trees shown is better?

Accepted Answer

A)   Tree 1
B)   Tree 2
C)   Both trees are equally parsimonious.
D)   Since the trees show different evolutionary relationships, you cannot determine which is more parsimonious.E) None of the above
F) All of the above

Question 20

In plant communities today, leaf morphology is correlated with mean annual temperature, so paleobotanists use fossil leaf morphology to estimate the mean annual temperature of paleoclimates. However, the angiosperm fossil record contains an overabundance of samples fossilized near lakes or rivers where vines are especially common. Since vine leaves have a somewhat different association with temperature, use of data from vine-rich locations leads to mean average temperature estimates that are lower than actual recorded temperatures in modern plant communities. This potential bias in paleobotanical climate estimates is due to which type of bias in the fossil record? (R. J. Burnham, N. C. A. Pitman, K. R. Johnson, and P. Wilf. 2001. Habitat-related error in estimating temperature from leaf margins in a humid tropical forest. American Journal of Botany 88:1096-1102.)

Accepted Answer

A)   taxonomic bias
B)   temporal bias
C)   habitat bias
D)   abundance biasE) None of the above
F) C) and D)

Exam 25: Phylogenies and the History of Life

We know the streamlined bodies shown in the accompanying figure are examples of homoplasy. If the following groups also had streamlined bodies, which of the groupings would give the most support to this body type being homologous?

Correct Answer
verified

All of the following events can trigger an adaptive radiation EXCEPT ________.

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following is the best explanation for the high degree of sequence homology observed in Exon I among these five species?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following is an example of homoplasy?

Correct Answer
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Regarding these sequence homology data, the principle of maximum parsimony would be applicable in ________.

Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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All things being equal, which of these is the most parsimonious explanation for the change in the number of Hox genes from the last common ancestor of insects and vertebrates to ancestral vertebrates, as shown in the table above?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Members of two different species possess a similar-looking structure that they use in a similar way to perform about the same function. Which of the following would suggest that the relationship more likely represents homology instead of convergent evolution?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following is TRUE of all horizontally oriented phylogenetic trees, where time advances to the right?

Correct Answer
verified

Approximately how far back in time does the fossil record extend?

Correct Answer
verified

Some beetles and flies have antler-like structures on their heads, much like male deer do. The existence of antlers in beetle, fly, and deer species with strong male-male competition is an example of ________.

Correct Answer
verified

Considering the phylogenetic trees above as strictly hypothetical and applying the principle of parsimony to the trait "ability to fly," which of the two phylogenetic trees shown is better?

Correct Answer
verified

Use the following tree to answer the question below. Which of the following trees, if any, depicts the same relationship among species as shown above?

Correct Answer
verified

When using a cladistic approach to systematics, which of the following is considered most important for classification?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

If you were using cladistics to build a phylogenetic tree of cats, which of the following would be the best outgroup?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following would be LEAST likely in the fossil record?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of these four gene parts should allow the construction of the most accurate phylogenetic tree, assuming that this is the only part of the gene that has acted as a reliable molecular clock?

Correct Answer
verified

Use the following table to answer the question(s) below. -What conclusion is apparent from the data in the accompanying table?

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 25: Phylogenies and the History of Life

We know the streamlined bodies shown in the accompanying figure are examples of homoplasy. If the following groups also had streamlined bodies, which of the groupings would give the most support to this body type being homologous?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

All of the following events can trigger an adaptive radiation EXCEPT ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is the best explanation for the high degree of sequence homology observed in Exon I among these five species?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is an example of homoplasy?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Regarding these sequence homology data, the principle of maximum parsimony would be applicable in ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

All things being equal, which of these is the most parsimonious explanation for the change in the number of Hox genes from the last common ancestor of insects and vertebrates to ancestral vertebrates, as shown in the table above?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Members of two different species possess a similar-looking structure that they use in a similar way to perform about the same function. Which of the following would suggest that the relationship more likely represents homology instead of convergent evolution?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is TRUE of all horizontally oriented phylogenetic trees, where time advances to the right?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Approximately how far back in time does the fossil record extend?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Some beetles and flies have antler-like structures on their heads, much like male deer do. The existence of antlers in beetle, fly, and deer species with strong male-male competition is an example of ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Considering the phylogenetic trees above as strictly hypothetical and applying the principle of parsimony to the trait "ability to fly," which of the two phylogenetic trees shown is better?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Use the following tree to answer the question below. Which of the following trees, if any, depicts the same relationship among species as shown above?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When using a cladistic approach to systematics, which of the following is considered most important for classification?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If you were using cladistics to build a phylogenetic tree of cats, which of the following would be the best outgroup?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following would be LEAST likely in the fossil record?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of these four gene parts should allow the construction of the most accurate phylogenetic tree, assuming that this is the only part of the gene that has acted as a reliable molecular clock?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Use the following table to answer the question(s) below. -What conclusion is apparent from the data in the accompanying table?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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