Question 1

Which of the following statements correctly describes paragalous genes in related species?

Accepted Answer

A)  homology of the genes is a result of gene duplication 
B)  homology of the genes is a result of a speciation event 
C)  homology of the genes is due to mutation 
D)  homology of the genes is based on the rate at which they evolve

Question 2

In a comparison of birds and mammals, the condition of having four limbs is ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a shared ancestral character 
B)  a shared derived character 
C)  a character useful for distinguishing birds from mammals 
D)  an example of analogy rather than homology

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

A)  lion 
B)  domestic cat 
C)  wolf 
D)  leopard

Question 4

Imagine that you discovered the following information about the three domains of life:
Feature Bacteria Archaea Eukaryotes
RNA polymerase small, simple complex complex
Introns absent present present
Antibiotic sensitivity sensitive insensitive insensitive
Membrane Lipids C chains unbranched C chains branched C chains branched
These data would support which of the following conclusions?

Accepted Answer

A)  Eukaryotes share a more recent common ancestor with bacteria than with archaea. 
B)  Bacteria are the only one of the three groups that lacks a nucleus. 
C)  Archaea are more similar to bacteria than to eukaryotes. 
D)  Eukaryotes are more similar to archaea than to bacteria.

Question 5

Use the following information to answer the question.  By examining the phylogenetic tree diagrammed in the figure, what conclusion can you draw about the species G. microti?

Accepted Answer

A)  It evolved before G. intestinalis. 
B)  It is more closely related to G. muris than to G. intestinalis. 
C)  It should not be labeled a species distinct from G. intestinalis. 
D)  It is part of a monophyletic group that also includes G. intestinalis.

Question 6

Your professor wants you to construct a phylogenetic tree of a type of plant called orchids. She gives you tissue from seven orchid species and one lily plant. What is the most likely reason she gave you the lily?

Accepted Answer

A)  to serve as an outgroup 
B)  to see if the lily is an ancient orchid species 
C)  to see if the lily and the orchids show all the same shared derived characters 
D)  to demonstrate likely genetic similarities

Question 7

The term convergent evolution is most applicable to which of the following characteristics?

Accepted Answer

A)  the presence of an opposable thumb in humans and chimpanzees 
B)  the layer of fat found under the skin of mammals such as dolphins and polar bears 
C)  the fur that covers Australian moles and North American moles 
D)  the bones of bat forelimbs and the bones of bird forelimbs

Question 8

Which statement represents the best explanation for the observation that the nuclear DNA of wolves and domestic dogs has a very high degree of sequence homology?

Accepted Answer

A)  dogs and wolves have very similar morphologies 
B)  dogs and wolves belong to the same order 
C)  dogs and wolves are both members of the order Carnivora 
D)  dogs and wolves share a very recent common ancestor

Question 9

To apply parsimony to constructing a phylogenetic tree, ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  choose the tree that assumes all evolutionary changes are equally probable 
B)  choose the tree in which the branch points are based on as many shared derived characters as possible 
C)  choose the tree that represents the fewest evolutionary changes, in either DNA sequences or morphology 
D)  choose the tree with the fewest branch points

Question 10

Which of the following statements is accurate with regard to a phylogeny, as represented by a phylogenetic tree?

Accepted Answer

A)  Members of the same clade likely share many derived characters. 
B)  A monophyletic group can be properly based on convergent features. 
C)  The ancestral group often has all the derived characters of the descendant species. 
D)  Shared ancestral characters are excellent traits to use in developing a phylogeny.

Question 11

The following question refers to this phylogenetic tree, depicting the origins of life and the three domains. Connecting lines indicate instances of gene or genome transfer and time is indicated from left to right.  A possible phylogenetic tree for the three domains of life.
If the early history of life on Earth is accurately depicted by the figure, then which statement is most in agreement with the hypothesis proposed by this tree?

Accepted Answer

A)  The last universal common ancestor of all extant species is one individual species. 
B)  A significant amount of horizontal gene transfer occurred early in the evolution of life. 
C)  Archaean genomes should not contain genes that originated in bacteria, and vice versa. 
D)  Eukaryotes are more closely related to archaeans than to bacteria.

Question 12

Birds and mammals have four limbs. Which of the following statements describes this trait?

Accepted Answer

A)  the trait is a shared ancestral character 
B)  the trait is a shared derived character 
C)  the trait is useful for distinguishing birds from mammals 
D)  the trait is an example of analogy rather than homology

Question 13

If additional DNA sequence evidence shows that yeast genes for synthesizing proteins are more similar to protein-synthesizing genes in bacteria than those in archaea, what would a systematist do with the current phylogeny?

Accepted Answer

A)  redraw the phylogeny to show eukaryotes sharing a more recent common ancestor with bacteria than archaea 
B)  redraw the phylogeny to show more recent common ancestry between archaea and yeast than between eukaryotes and archaea 
C)  retain the phylogeny that shows a more recent common ancestor between eukaryotes and archaea 
D)  retain the phylogeny that shows a more recent common ancestor between bacteria and archaea

Question 14

Which of the following features permits a gene to act as a molecular clock?

Accepted Answer

A)  a large number of base pairs 
B)  being acted upon by natural selection 
C)  a reliable average rate of mutation 
D)  a recent origin by a gene-duplication event

Question 15

In the below figure, which similarly inclusive taxon is represented as descending from the same common ancestor as Canidae?

Accepted Answer

A)  Felidae 
B)  Mustelidae 
C)  Carnivora 
D)  Lutra

Question 16

Which of the following evolutionary processes or characteristics would most likely result in an archaean species whose rRNA is more similar to that of humans of mice?

Accepted Answer

A)  homology 
B)  convergent evolution 
C)  common ancestry 
D)  retro-evolution by humans

Question 17

The figure represents a phylogenetic tree of birds and their closest relatives. Which group of organisms represents the outgroup in this clade?

Accepted Answer

A)  lizards and snakes 
B)  crocodilians 
C)  ornithischian dinosaurs 
D)  birds

Question 18

Evolutionary biologists have developed a phylogeny for a group of mammals based on bone structure. Which of the following statements best predicts the phylogeny for the same group of mammals based on similarities and differences in the structure of a particular enzyme?

Accepted Answer

A)  The phylogeny would be different than the phylogeny based on bone structure. 
B)  The phylogeny would be the same as the phylogeny based on bone structure. 
C)  No prediction regarding the phylogeny could be made. 
D)  The amino acid sequence for this particular enzyme would be identical in all species.

Question 19

Based on the tree below, which statement is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)  Lizards and goats form a sister group. 
B)  Salamanders are a sister group to the group containing lizards, goats, and humans. 
C)  Salamanders are more closely related to lizards than to humans. 
D)  Goats and humans are the only sister group shown in this tree.

Question 20

In the table, a Y indicates that the listed species possess trait 1, 2, or 3 and an N indicates that the listed species do not possess the trait. Given that phylogenies are based on shared derived characteristics, which of the following traits is useful in generating a phylogeny of species A, B, C, and D?

Accepted Answer

A)  Trait 1 
B)  Trait 2 
C)  Trait 3 
D)  Traits 1, 2, and 3

Exam 22: Phylogenetic Reconstruction