Exam 25: The History of Life on Earth

The following questions refer to the description and figure below. The figure represents a cross section of the sea floor through a mid-ocean rift valley, with alternating patches of black and white indicating sea floor with reversed magnetic polarities. At the arrow labeled "I" (the rift valley), the igneous rock of the sea floor is so young that it can be accurately dated using carbon-14 dating. At the arrow labeled "III," however, the igneous rock is about 1 million years old, and potassium-40 dating is typically used to date such rocks. NOTE: the dashed horizontal arrows indicate the direction of sea-floor spreading, away from the rift valley. Figure 25.1 -If two continental land masses converge and are united, then the collision should cause

The following questions refer to the description and figure below. The figure represents a cross section of the sea floor through a mid-ocean rift valley, with alternating patches of black and white indicating sea floor with reversed magnetic polarities. At the arrow labeled "I" (the rift valley), the igneous rock of the sea floor is so young that it can be accurately dated using carbon-14 dating. At the arrow labeled "III," however, the igneous rock is about 1 million years old, and potassium-40 dating is typically used to date such rocks. NOTE: the dashed horizontal arrows indicate the direction of sea-floor spreading, away from the rift valley. Figure 25.1 -On the basis of their morphologies, how might Linnaeus have classified the Hawaiian silverswords?

A swim bladder is a gas-filled sac that helps fish maintain buoyancy. The evolution of the swim bladder from lungs of an ancestral fish is an example of

The following questions refer to the description and figure below. The figure represents a cross section of the sea floor through a mid-ocean rift valley, with alternating patches of black and white indicating sea floor with reversed magnetic polarities. At the arrow labeled "I" (the rift valley), the igneous rock of the sea floor is so young that it can be accurately dated using carbon-14 dating. At the arrow labeled "III," however, the igneous rock is about 1 million years old, and potassium-40 dating is typically used to date such rocks. NOTE: the dashed horizontal arrows indicate the direction of sea-floor spreading, away from the rift valley. Figure 25.1 -What is thought to be the correct sequence of these events, from earliest to most recent, in the evolution of life on Earth? 1) origin of mitochondria 2) origin of multicellular eukaryotes 3) origin of chloroplasts 4) origin of cyanobacteria 5) origin of fungal-plant symbioses

Refer to the following information to answer the questions below. Fossils of Lystrosaurus, a dicynodont therapsid, are most common in parts of modern-day South America, South Africa, Madagascar, India, South Australia, and Antarctica. It apparently lived in arid regions, and was mostly herbivorous. It originated during the mid-Permian period, survived the Permian extinction, and dwindled by the late Triassic, though there is evidence of a relict population in Australia during the Cretaceous. The dicynodonts had two large tusks, extending down from their upper jaws; the tusks were not used for food gathering, and in some species were limited to males. Food was gathered using an otherwise toothless beak. Judging from the fossil record, these pig-sized organisms were the most common mammal-like reptiles of the Permian. -The observation that tusks were limited to males in several species, and were apparently not used in food-gathering, is evidence that the tusks probably

RNA molecules can both carry genetic information and be catalytic. This supports the proposal that

In their laboratory simulations of the early Earth, Miller and Urey observed the abiotic synthesis of

Which measurement would help determine absolute dates by radiometric means?

If the half-life of carbon-14 is about 5,730 years, then a fossil that has one-sixteenth the normal proportion of carbon-14 to carbon-12 should be about how many years old?

The oxygen revolution changed Earth's environment dramatically. Which of the following adaptations took advantage of the presence of free oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere?

Which of the following steps has not yet been accomplished by scientists studying the origin of life?

Refer to the following information to answer the questions below. Fossils of Lystrosaurus, a dicynodont therapsid, are most common in parts of modern-day South America, South Africa, Madagascar, India, South Australia, and Antarctica. It apparently lived in arid regions, and was mostly herbivorous. It originated during the mid-Permian period, survived the Permian extinction, and dwindled by the late Triassic, though there is evidence of a relict population in Australia during the Cretaceous. The dicynodonts had two large tusks, extending down from their upper jaws; the tusks were not used for food gathering, and in some species were limited to males. Food was gathered using an otherwise toothless beak. Judging from the fossil record, these pig-sized organisms were the most common mammal-like reptiles of the Permian. -A hypothetical mutation in a squirrel population produces organisms with eight legs rather than four. Further, these mutant squirrels survive, successfully invade new habitats, and eventually give rise to a new species. The initial event, giving rise to extra legs, would be a good example of

The following questions refer to the description and figure below. The figure represents a cross section of the sea floor through a mid-ocean rift valley, with alternating patches of black and white indicating sea floor with reversed magnetic polarities. At the arrow labeled "I" (the rift valley), the igneous rock of the sea floor is so young that it can be accurately dated using carbon-14 dating. At the arrow labeled "III," however, the igneous rock is about 1 million years old, and potassium-40 dating is typically used to date such rocks. NOTE: the dashed horizontal arrows indicate the direction of sea-floor spreading, away from the rift valley. Figure 25.1 -Argon-40, the daughter isotope of potassium-40, is a gas. Elemental potassium has an atomic mass of about 39. If the submersible robot (which is equipped with a drill that is long enough to get to the igneous rock)ascends from depth too quickly, gases trapped within igneous rock may rapidly expand, fracture the rock, and escape from the sample before it can be dated aboard the floating research vessel. Rock samples can also absorb argon gas. Which of these techniques has the highest chance of providing inaccurate dates of igneous rocks distant from the rift valley, and what type of inaccuracy would it cause?

Refer to the following information to answer the questions below. Fossils of Lystrosaurus, a dicynodont therapsid, are most common in parts of modern-day South America, South Africa, Madagascar, India, South Australia, and Antarctica. It apparently lived in arid regions, and was mostly herbivorous. It originated during the mid-Permian period, survived the Permian extinction, and dwindled by the late Triassic, though there is evidence of a relict population in Australia during the Cretaceous. The dicynodonts had two large tusks, extending down from their upper jaws; the tusks were not used for food gathering, and in some species were limited to males. Food was gathered using an otherwise toothless beak. Judging from the fossil record, these pig-sized organisms were the most common mammal-like reptiles of the Permian. -The dicynodonts survived the mass extinction that was most closely correlated in time, if not in cause, with

The following questions refer to the description below. All animals with eyes or eyespots that have been studied so far share a gene in common. When mutated, the gene Pax-6 causes lack of eyes in fruit flies, tiny eyes in mice, and missing irises (and other eye parts) in humans. The sequence of Pax-6 in humans and mice is identical. There are so few sequence differences with fruit fly Pax-6 that the human/mouse version can cause eye formation in eyeless fruit flies, even though vertebrates and invertebrates last shared a common ancestor more than 500 million years ago. -The appearance of Pax-6 in all animals with eyes can be explained in multiple ways. Based on the information above, which explanation is most likely?

The following questions refer to the description and figure below. The figure represents a cross section of the sea floor through a mid-ocean rift valley, with alternating patches of black and white indicating sea floor with reversed magnetic polarities. At the arrow labeled "I" (the rift valley), the igneous rock of the sea floor is so young that it can be accurately dated using carbon-14 dating. At the arrow labeled "III," however, the igneous rock is about 1 million years old, and potassium-40 dating is typically used to date such rocks. NOTE: the dashed horizontal arrows indicate the direction of sea-floor spreading, away from the rift valley. Figure 25.1 -Arrange these events from earliest to most recent. 1. emission of lava in what is now Siberia at time of Permian extinctions 2) emission of lava that solidified at the same time as iron-bearing terrestrial rocks began to rust 3) emission of lava that solidified at the same time as rusted iron precipitated from seawater 4) emission of lava in what is now India at time of Cretaceous extinctions

What probably accounts for the switch to DNA-based genetic systems during the evolution of life on Earth?

Use the unlabeled clock diagram below to test your memory of the sequence of key events in the history of life on Earth described in this chapter by labeling the colored bars. As a visual aid to help you study, add labels that represent other significant events discussed in the chapter, such as the Cambrian explosion, origin of mammals, and Permian and Cretaceous mass extinctions.

The following questions refer to this hypothetical situation: A female fly, full of fertilized eggs, is swept by high winds to an island far out to sea. She is the first fly to arrive on this island, and the only fly to arrive in this way. Thousands of years later, her numerous offspring occupy the island, but none of them resembles her. There are, instead, several species each of which eats only a certain type of food. None of the species can fly, for their flight wings are absent, and their balancing organs (i.e., halteres) are now used in courtship displays. The male members of each species bear modified halteres that are unique in appearance to their species. Females bear vestigial halteres. The ranges of all of the daughter species overlap. -If the males' halteres have species-specific size, shape, color, and use in courtship displays, and if the species' ranges overlap, then the speciation events may have been driven, at least in part, by which of the following?

The following questions refer to the description and figure below. The figure represents a cross section of the sea floor through a mid-ocean rift valley, with alternating patches of black and white indicating sea floor with reversed magnetic polarities. At the arrow labeled "I" (the rift valley), the igneous rock of the sea floor is so young that it can be accurately dated using carbon-14 dating. At the arrow labeled "III," however, the igneous rock is about 1 million years old, and potassium-40 dating is typically used to date such rocks. NOTE: the dashed horizontal arrows indicate the direction of sea-floor spreading, away from the rift valley. Figure 25.1 -Which of the following statements provides the strongest evidence that prokaryotes evolved before eukaryotes?