Question 1

The following questions refer to the phylogenetic tree shown below.
  
-Whose DNA would have had the most sequence homologies with amphibian DNA?

Accepted Answer

A) 5 
B) 6 
C) 7 
D) 8 
E) 9 
A) 5 
B) 6 
C) 7 
D) 8 
E) 9

Question 2

Which graph below best represents the way that density changes over time in a physoclistus fish and in a physostomus fish, respectively?

Accepted Answer

A) A and B 
B) B and A 
C) B and C 
D) C and B 
E) D and B 
A) A and B 
B) B and A 
C) B and C 
D) C and B 
E) D and B

Question 3

For the following items, match the extant vertebrate groups with the descriptions.
-Internal fertilization, leathery amniotic egg, and skin that resists drying are characteristics of

Accepted Answer

A) amphibians. 
B) nonbird reptiles. 
C) chondrichthyans. 
D) mammals. 
E) birds. 
A) amphibians. 
B) nonbird reptiles. 
C) chondrichthyans. 
D) mammals. 
E) birds.

Question 4

Use the following information to answer the questions below.
Due to its system of nine air sacs connected to the lungs, the respiratory system of birds is arguably the most effective respiratory system of all air-breathers. Upon inhalation, air first flows into posterior air sacs, then into the lungs, and then into anterior air sacs on the way to being exhaled. Thus, there is one-way flow of air through the lungs, along thousands of tubules called parabronchi.
-Birds generate a lot of heat, especially during flight. Yet the adipose tissue under their skin and the feathers atop their skin make it difficult to eliminate excess heat across the skin. Which of the following alternatives can absorb body heat and eliminate it from the bird most effectively?

Accepted Answer

A) air in the air sacs 
B) lymph in the lymphatic vessels 
C) blood in the vessels 
D) blood in the heart 
E) urine in the bladder 
A) air in the air sacs 
B) lymph in the lymphatic vessels 
C) blood in the vessels 
D) blood in the heart 
E) urine in the bladder

Question 5

Which group's members have had both lungs and gills during their adult lives?

Accepted Answer

A) sharks, skates, and rays 
B) lungfishes 
C) lancelets 
D) amphibians 
E) ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs 
A) sharks, skates, and rays 
B) lungfishes 
C) lancelets 
D) amphibians 
E) ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs

Question 6

Why is the discovery of the fossil Archaeopteryx significant? It supports the

Accepted Answer

A) phylogenetic relatedness of birds and reptiles. 
B) contention that birds are much older than we originally thought. 
C) claim that some dinosaurs had feathers well before birds had evolved. 
D) idea that the first birds were ratites. 
E) hypothesis that the earliest birds were ectothermic. 
A) phylogenetic relatedness of birds and reptiles. 
B) contention that birds are much older than we originally thought. 
C) claim that some dinosaurs had feathers well before birds had evolved. 
D) idea that the first birds were ratites. 
E) hypothesis that the earliest birds were ectothermic.

Question 7

The following questions refer to the description below.
While on an intersession course in tropical ecology, Kris pulls a large, snakelike organism from a burrow (the class was granted a collecting permit). The 1-metre-long organism has smooth skin, which appears to be segmented. It has two tiny eyes that are hard to see because they seem to be covered by skin. Kris brings it back to the lab at the field station, where it is a source of puzzlement to the class. Kris says that it is a giant oligochaete worm; Shaun suggests it is a legless amphibian; Kelly proposes it belongs to a snake species that is purely fossorial (lives in a burrow).
-The class decided to humanely euthanize the organism and subsequently dissect it. Having decided that it was probably not a reptile, two of their original hypotheses regarding its identity remained. Which of the following, if observed, should help them arrive at a conclusive answer?

Accepted Answer

A) presence of a closed circulatory system 
B) presence of moist, highly vascularized skin 
C) presence of lungs 
D) presence of a nerve cord 
E) presence of a digestive system with two openings 
A) presence of a closed circulatory system 
B) presence of moist, highly vascularized skin 
C) presence of lungs 
D) presence of a nerve cord 
E) presence of a digestive system with two openings

Question 8

Why is the amniotic egg considered an important evolutionary breakthrough?

Accepted Answer

A) It has a shell that increases gas exchange. 
B) It allows deposition of eggs in a terrestrial environment. 
C) It prolongs embryonic development. 
D) It provides insulation to conserve heat. 
E) It permits internal fertilization to be replaced by external fertilization. 
A) It has a shell that increases gas exchange. 
B) It allows deposition of eggs in a terrestrial environment. 
C) It prolongs embryonic development. 
D) It provides insulation to conserve heat. 
E) It permits internal fertilization to be replaced by external fertilization.

Question 9

In the United States and Canada, bats use one of two strategies to survive winter: They either migrate south, or they hibernate. Recently, those that hibernate seem to have come under attack by a fungus, Geomyces destructans (Gd), an attack that is occurring from Missouri to southern Canada. Many infected bats have a delicate, white filamentous mat on their muzzles, which is referred to as white-nose syndrome (WNS). The fungus invades the bat tissues, causes discomfort, and awakens the bat from its hibernation. The bat fidgets and wastes calories, using up its stored fat. The bat then behaves abnormally, leaving its cave during daytime in winter to search for food. Their food, primarily insects, is scarce during the winter, and the bats ultimately starve to death. Since 2007, it is estimated that up to 1 million bats have perished from WNS.
-Gd is a cold-loving fungus. Thus, which characteristics of normal bat behaviour can be most expected to favour the spread of this fungus to uninfected bats?

Accepted Answer

A) southward migration during the winter 
B) communal roosting in tightly packed clusters during hibernation 
C) reliance on fat reserves for calories during hibernation 
D) much-reduced metabolic rate during hibernation 
E) hibernating in parts of the cave that are farthest away from the mouth of the cave 
A) southward migration during the winter 
B) communal roosting in tightly packed clusters during hibernation 
C) reliance on fat reserves for calories during hibernation 
D) much-reduced metabolic rate during hibernation 
E) hibernating in parts of the cave that are farthest away from the mouth of the cave

Question 10

The following questions refer to the description below.
While on an intersession course in tropical ecology, Kris pulls a large, snakelike organism from a burrow (the class was granted a collecting permit). The 1-metre-long organism has smooth skin, which appears to be segmented. It has two tiny eyes that are hard to see because they seem to be covered by skin. Kris brings it back to the lab at the field station, where it is a source of puzzlement to the class. Kris says that it is a giant oligochaete worm; Shaun suggests it is a legless amphibian; Kelly proposes it belongs to a snake species that is purely fossorial (lives in a burrow).
-The organism was found to have two lungs, but the left lung was much smaller than the right lung. Kelly added that the herpetology instructor had said that in most snakes, the same condition exists. If the size difference between the lungs in this organism is not a shared ancestral characteristic with its occurrence in snakes, then its existence in this organism is explained as which of the following? 1. a result of convergent evolution
2. an example of homologous structures
3. a similar adaptation to a shared lifestyle or body plan
4. a result of having identical Hox genes
5. a homoplasy

Accepted Answer

A) 3 only 
B) 1 and 5 
C) 1, 3, and 5 
D) 2, 3, and 5 
E) 3, 4, and 5 
A) 3 only 
B) 1 and 5 
C) 1, 3, and 5 
D) 2, 3, and 5 
E) 3, 4, and 5

Question 11

The following questions refer to the description below.
Terry catches a ray-finned fish from the ocean and notices that attached to its flank is an equally long, snakelike organism. The attached organism has no external segmentation, no scales, a round mouth surrounded by a sucker, and two small eyes. Terry thinks it might be a marine leech, a hagfish, or a lamprey.
-Which feature excludes the organism from possibly being a leech?

Accepted Answer

A) elongated shape 
B) lack of scales 
C) lack of external segmentation 
D) round mouth 
E) anterior sucker 
A) elongated shape 
B) lack of scales 
C) lack of external segmentation 
D) round mouth 
E) anterior sucker

Question 12

A new species of aquatic chordate is discovered that closely resembles an ancient form. It has the following characteristics: external armour of bony plates, no paired lateral fins, and a suspension-feeding mode of nutrition. In addition to these, it will probably have which of the following characteristics?

Accepted Answer

A) legs 
B) no jaws 
C) an amniotic egg 
D) endothermy 
A) legs 
B) no jaws 
C) an amniotic egg 
D) endothermy

Question 13

Among extant vertebrates, a sheet of muscle called the diaphragm is found in

Accepted Answer

A) birds. 
B) monotremes. 
C) marsupials. 
D) placentals. 
E) Three of the options listed are correct. 
A) birds. 
B) monotremes. 
C) marsupials. 
D) placentals. 
E) Three of the options listed are correct.

Question 14

Almost all North American bats are insectivores, with one notable exception being a bat that bites and then laps blood from the wound. The blood-lapping bats are limited to the warm, southwestern United States. Thus, if WNS continues to decimate bat populations in the United States and Canada, then we can expect

Accepted Answer

A) livestock bites from vampire bats to increase in frequency. 
B) plant diseases that are spread by insects to increase in frequency. 
C) plant diseases directly caused by insect feeding to increase in frequency. 
D) human and livestock diseases that are spread by insects to increase in frequency. 
E) all but one of these are correct. 
A) livestock bites from vampire bats to increase in frequency. 
B) plant diseases that are spread by insects to increase in frequency. 
C) plant diseases directly caused by insect feeding to increase in frequency. 
D) human and livestock diseases that are spread by insects to increase in frequency. 
E) all but one of these are correct.

Question 15

How many of the following statements about craniates is (are)correct? 1. Craniates are more highly cephalized than are noncraniates.
2. Craniates' genomic evolution includes duplication of clusters of genes that code for transcription factors.
3. The craniate clade is synonymous with the vertebrate clade.
4. Pharyngeal slits that play important roles in gas exchange originated in craniates.
5. The two-chambered heart originated with the early craniates.

Accepted Answer

A) one of these 
B) two of these 
C) three of these 
D) four of these 
E) five of these 
A) one of these 
B) two of these 
C) three of these 
D) four of these 
E) five of these

Question 16

Which of these species was the first to have been adapted for long-distance bipedalism?

Accepted Answer

A) Australopithecus garhi 
B) H. erectus 
C) H. ergaster 
D) H. habilis 
E) H. sapiens 
A) Australopithecus garhi 
B) H. erectus 
C) H. ergaster 
D) H. habilis 
E) H. sapiens

Question 17

With which of the following statements would a biologist be most inclined to agree?

Accepted Answer

A) Humans and apes represent divergent lines of evolution from a common ancestor. 
B) Humans evolved directly from Old World monkeys. 
C) Humans represent the pinnacle of evolution and have escaped from being affected by natural selection. 
D) Humans evolved from chimpanzees. 
E) Humans and apes are the result of disruptive selection in a species of chimpanzee. 
A) Humans and apes represent divergent lines of evolution from a common ancestor. 
B) Humans evolved directly from Old World monkeys. 
C) Humans represent the pinnacle of evolution and have escaped from being affected by natural selection. 
D) Humans evolved from chimpanzees. 
E) Humans and apes are the result of disruptive selection in a species of chimpanzee.

Question 18

Which of the following belongs to the lobe-fin clade?

Accepted Answer

A) chondrichthyans 
B) ray-finned fishes 
C) lampreys 
D) hagfishes 
E) tetrapods 
A) chondrichthyans 
B) ray-finned fishes 
C) lampreys 
D) hagfishes 
E) tetrapods

Question 19

The feeding mode of the extinct conodonts was

Accepted Answer

A) herbivory. 
B) suspension feeding. 
C) predation. 
D) filter feeding. 
E) absorptive feeding. 
A) herbivory. 
B) suspension feeding. 
C) predation. 
D) filter feeding. 
E) absorptive feeding.

Question 20

Which of these statements accurately describes a similarity between sharks and ray-finned fishes?

Accepted Answer

A) The skin is typically covered by flattened bony scales. 
B) They are equally able to exchange gases with the environment while stationary. 
C) They are highly manoeuvrable due to their flexibility. 
D) They have a lateral line that is sensitive to changes in water pressure. 
E) A swim bladder helps control buoyancy. 
A) The skin is typically covered by flattened bony scales. 
B) They are equally able to exchange gases with the environment while stationary. 
C) They are highly manoeuvrable due to their flexibility. 
D) They have a lateral line that is sensitive to changes in water pressure. 
E) A swim bladder helps control buoyancy.

Exam 34: The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

The following questions refer to the phylogenetic tree shown below. -Whose DNA would have had the most sequence homologies with amphibian DNA?

Which graph below best represents the way that density changes over time in a physoclistus fish and in a physostomus fish, respectively?

For the following items, match the extant vertebrate groups with the descriptions. -Internal fertilization, leathery amniotic egg, and skin that resists drying are characteristics of

Which group's members have had both lungs and gills during their adult lives?

Why is the discovery of the fossil Archaeopteryx significant? It supports the

Why is the amniotic egg considered an important evolutionary breakthrough?

Among extant vertebrates, a sheet of muscle called the diaphragm is found in

Which of these species was the first to have been adapted for long-distance bipedalism?

With which of the following statements would a biologist be most inclined to agree?

Which of the following belongs to the lobe-fin clade?

The feeding mode of the extinct conodonts was

Which of these statements accurately describes a similarity between sharks and ray-finned fishes?

Introduction: Evolution and Themes of Biology

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Structure and Function

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Viruses

Dna Tools and Biotechnology

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent With Modification: a Darwinian View of Life

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

The History of Life on Earth

Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Plant Diversity Ii: the Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi

An Overview of Animal Diversity

An Introduction to Invertebrates

Plant Structure, Growth, and Development

Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Osmoregulation and Excretion

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signalling

Nervous Systems

Sensory and Motor Mechanisms

Animal Behaviour

An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Population Ecology

Community Ecology

Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology

Conservation Biology and Global Change

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