Exam 13: The Greatest Species on Earth Biodiversity and Classification

DNA is found in every cell of an organism. What subset of DNA changes would be most useful to molecular biologists to determine evolutionary relationships?

Why might archaea be more difficult to grow in the lab than bacteria?

The evolution of which trait allowed plants to grow taller?

What is a virus?

Of the four kingdoms in the domain Eukarya, which one is most likely to be split into two or more new kingdoms as scientists perform more genetic analyses on evolutionary relationships?

Plants possess many compounds that affect animals. What explains these plant characteristics?

An organism is described that can live in very high temperature water. What group would contain this organism?

Symbiosis is a relationship that is mutually beneficial to two organisms. Which organelle developed as a result of a symbiotic relationship?

What trait distinguishes different phyla of fungi from each other?

In what way are fungi similar to animals?

-In this phylogeny feather pattern on the head is the trait used to separate the sparrows into groups. DNA analysis suggests a different phylogeny that places white-crowned birds and golden-crowned birds more closely together. Therefore, what process results in the striped pattern on the head?

Scientists can compare the relationships between all modern species by examining a gene that performs a similar function in species from all kingdoms. What does this one gene encode?

You work for a firm that has hired you to look for drugs that work in a similar way to aspirin. Which kingdom of organisms should be included in your first search?

What was the first antibiotic, discovered as a result of a laboratory accident?

What organism would be the best source of an antibacterial compound that would limit the growth of a particular kind of soil bacteria?

How have classification systems for living things changed over the years?

How does the DNA of related organisms show similarity?

There are a number of sites around the world that have been made uninhabitable because of chemical pollution in the soil. Which group of organisms might have useful biological tools for breaking down these toxic compounds?

After dinosaurs became extinct, the number of mammal species increased greatly. What process applies to this example?

Why is adult anatomy sometimes a misleading way to construct a phylogeny that reflects evolutionary history?