Exam 13: The History of Life

Although it is costly to produce fruit, the large number of fruit-producing plant species attests to its success as an evolutionary adaptation. In what way is fruit production helpful to plants?

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

Evolutionary trees are continually revised by scientists as new information becomes available from various sources such as

Correctly match the definition with the correct geologic time period. -Cambrian

If a plant evolved during the Permian period and spread across the continent of Pangaea, where might the fossils of this animal be found now?

Branches on the evolutionary tree are sometimes rearranged by scientists because

You are a marine biologist who has isolated a microorganism from the Gulf of Mexico. This organism is unicellular, photosynthetic, uses a flagellum to swim, and you have observed it ingesting smaller microorganisms in its vicinity. To what kingdom does this organism most likely belong?

The fourth mass extinction occurred about 200 mya at the end of the ________ period. This extinction eliminated 35 percent of the existing animal species including ________.

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

During the Devonian period, plants evolved which of the following key innovations to overcome the harsh, dry conditions of life on land and flourish?

Mass extinctions cause the loss of many species, no matter how well adapted those species were before the extinction. Why might previous adaptations NOT help a species survive a mass extinction?

Any two groups of organisms will have

Evolutionary trees are based on

The Cambrian explosion occurred primarily in the oceans. Which of the following were the first challenges that had to be overcome during the mass colonization of dry land in the Ordovician period?

Monotremes, like the duck-billed platypus, are egg-laying mammals (oviparous) covered in hair, have mammary and skin glands, three ear ossicles, are diphyodont (their permanent teeth replace their "baby" teeth), and possess dentary-squamosal jaw articulation (the jaw bone hinges with the squamosal bone of the skull). Marsupials, such as kangaroos and koalas, are pouched mammals that have a vertical tympanic membrane in addition to being covered in hair, have mammary and skin glands, three ear ossicles, are diphyodont, and possess dentary-squamosal jaw articulation. Eutherians are the placental mammals that most people easily recognize as mammals. They are covered in hair, have mammary and skin glands, three ear ossicles, are diphyodont, possess dentary-squamosal jaw articulation, and have a vertical tympanic membrane. What one shared derived trait sets marsupials and eutherians apart from monotremes?

The most ancient lineage in kingdom Animalia is the ________ followed closely by the ________.

When did photosynthesis evolve and how did it influence the evolution of life on Earth?

Scientists use existing fossils to predict what the transitional forms between organisms might look like. Why might it be so hard for scientists to find fossils of these transitional forms?

The mass extinction at the end of the Permian period (about 250 mya) is thought to have killed off as many as 60 percent of the animal families. What group of animals dominated life on land at that time?

Correctly match the definition with the correct geologic time period. -Devonian