Deck 5: Macroevolution: Processes of Vertebrate and Mammalian Evolution

Question 1

Animals with a nerve cord along the back and gill slits during some developmental stage are called

A)insects.
B)invertebrates.
C)chordates.
D)metazoans.
E)trilobites.

Answer 1

chordates.

Question 2

Ideally, taxonomic classification

A)reflects evolutionary relationships.
B)is based on the presence of acquired characteristics.
C)is always based solely on between-species behavioral similarities.
D)reflects the current geographic distribution of species.
E)is only applicable to nonhuman species.

Answer 2

reflects evolutionary relationships.

Question 3

When assessing evolutionary relationships, one approach is to interpret patterns of ancestral (primitive)and derived (modified)characteristics. This approach is called

A)taxonomy.
B)phylogeny.
C)classification.
D)cladistics.
E)metamorphosis.

Answer 3

cladistics.

Question 4

Structural similarities between species that are based on common function and not on common evolutionary descent are called

A)acquired.
B)generalized.
C)nonadaptive.
D)analogies.
E)homologies.

Question 5

Morphological variation between individuals within  a species

A)may be the product of male/female morphological differences.
B)is called interspecific variation.
C)is of no concern to anthropologists.
D)is unimportant when interpreting the fossil record.
E)produces large numbers of identical individuals.

Question 6

The evolutionary process that produced analogous structures in New and Old World monkeys is called

A)speciation.
B)homology.
C)homoplasy.
D)founder effect.
E)random selection.

Question 7

Traits that reflect specific evolutionary lineages and can be informative of evolutionary relationships are called

A)ancestral (primitive).
B)acquired.
C)derived (modified).
D)convergent characters.
E)analogies.

Question 8

The presumed evolutionary link between theropod dinosaurs and birds is based on

A)island dwarfing phenomenon.
B)general analogous characteristics.
C)a few shared ancestral characteristics.
D)derived (modified)characteristics such as the presence of feathers in both lineages.
E)evidence of hybridization between the two.

Question 9

A genus may be defined as a group of

A)reptiles.
B)closely related species.
C)species that live in very different adaptive zones.
D)mammals.
E)individuals who interbreed but are reproductively isolated from other such groups.

Question 10

A phylogenetic tree _______, whereas a cladogram does not.

A)indicates exact relationships between all species.
B)indicates ancestral-descendant relationships
C)uses only analogous character traits.
D)contains only reptiles.
E)contains only mammals.

Question 11

Which of the following does NOT promote speciation?

A)Geographic isolation
B)Natural selection acting on populations
C)Behavioral isolation
D)Gene flow and interbreeding
E)Accumulation of mutations

Question 12

In grouping organisms together in a cladistic classification, the most important characteristics are those that are

A)ancestral.
B)derived (modified).
C)primitive.
D)analogous.
E)homologous.

Question 13

Assigning fossil remains to a particular primate species

A)is an uncomplicated process.
B)requires splitting samples into as many species as possible.
C)requires making comparisons to well-known living species of primates.
D)can be accomplished only if the species is sexually dimorphic.
E)can promote extinction.

Question 14

The two primary schools of classification discussed in the text are

A)generalized and specialized.
B)organic and inorganic.
C)evolutionary systematics and cladistics.
D)cladistics and noncladistics.
E)ancestral and derived (modified).

Question 15

Structural similarities shared by species that are acquired by descent from a common ancestor are

A)analogies.
B)homologies.
C)acquired.
D)uncommon.
E)uninformative of evolutionary relationships.

Question 16

Structural similarities shared by a wide array of distantly related species that are inherited from a common ancestor, such as the number of bones in the forelimb, are termed

A)specialized.
B)ancestral (primitive).
C)adaptive radiations.
D)analogies.
E)derived (modified).

Question 17

One possible test for classifying contemporary animals into genera is to check for results of hybridization between

A)individuals of different species.
B)individuals of the same species.
C)individuals of the same order.
D)two males only.
E)two females only.

Question 18

The ordering of organisms into categories, such as orders or families, is termed

A)evolution.
B)classification.
C)parallelism.
D)analogy.
E)generalization.

Question 19

The oldest fossils found to date are more than _____ years old.

A)47 million
B)3 billion
C)1.5 billion
D)500 million
E)125 million

Question 20

A hypothesis regarding ancestor-descendant relationships that includes a time-scale is called a

A)cladogram.
B)phylogenetic tree.
C)phylogram tree.
D)hypogram tree.
E)clarion gram.

Question 21

Some modern human populations adapted in just a couple thousand years to living at high altitudes; this is a clear example of

A)microevolution.
B)macroevolution.
C)ancient synthesis.
D)punctuated equilibrium.
E)sexual dimorphism.

Question 22

In _________ the young are born in an extremely immature state and complete development in their mother's external pouch.

A)placental mammals
B)monotremes
C)marsupials
D)reptiles
E)rodents

Question 23

The rapid expansion of placental mammals after the Mesozoic major extinction event is a good example of

A)parallel evolution.
B)specialization.
C)homology.
D)adaptive radiation.
E)devolution.

Question 24

The environmental setting to which a species is adapted is its

A)adaptive radiation.
B)geographic isolation.
C)geographic barrier.
D)geological time.
E)ecological niche.

Question 25

Continental drift

A)had no real impact on the evolutionary history of vertebrates.
B)never occurred.
C)is the movement of the continents on the Earth's surface.
D)ceased to occur several million years ago.
E)occurs only in the Old World.

Question 26

Vertebrates are subdivided into five classes.

Question 27

All of the following are examples of fossils EXCEPT:

A)Rock samples
B)Hominim tracks
C)Leaf imprints
D)Dinosaur feathers
E)Bones

Question 28

Several species of very early hominins evolved over four million years; this is a clear example of:

A)microevolution.
B)macroevolution.
C)ancient synthesis.
D)punctuated equilibrium.
E)sexual dimorphism.

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT an epoch of the Cenozoic?

A)Paleocene
B)Oligocene
C)Eocene
D)Triassic
E)Pleistocene

Question 30

Therapods were a group of small- to medium-sized ground-living carnivorous dinosaurs.

Question 31

Reptiles, in contrast to mammals,

A)have smaller brains.
B)are homodont.
C)are oviparous.
D)lack fur.
E)are ectothermic.

Question 32

Monotremes are

A)marsupials.
B)viviparous reptiles.
C)egg-laying fish.
D)placental mammals.
E)egg-laying mammals.

Question 33

The science that leads to the development of analogous structures is termed homoplasy.

Question 34

The moving of continents on sliding plates on the earth surface is called:

A)continental drift.
B)geological timescale.
C)Pangaea.
D)adaptive radiation.
E)ring of fire.

Question 35

Reptiles were the dominant form of land vertebrate during the

A)Cenozoic.
B)Paleozoic.
C)Mesozoic.
D)Precambrian.
E)Permian.

Question 36

An animal is said to be a heterodont when it

A)gives birth to live young.
B)has different kinds of teeth.
C)has a constant body temperature.
D)lays eggs.
E)has a large brain size.

Question 37

The first vertebrates appear in the fossil record during the

A)Pleistocene.
B)Paleozoic.
C)Paleocene.
D)Mesozoic.
E)Cenozoic

Question 38

The adaptive radiation of the mammals occurred mostly during the

A)Pleistocene.
B)Mesozoic.
C)Quaternary.
D)Cenozoic.
E)Paleozoic.

Question 39

Endothermy refers to

A)mammalian tooth shapes.
B)the loss of heat in animals without fur.
C)using physiology to maintain a constant internal body temperature.
D)staying warm by lying in the sun.
E)hybridization between two species.

Question 40

The rapid expansion and diversification of groups of organisms into newly available ecological niches is termed

A)generalization.
B)homology.
C)parallel evolution.
D)an adaptive radiation.
E)specialization.

Question 41

Why is geographic isolation important to the process of speciation?

Question 42

Both the recognition species concept and the ecological species concept include natural selection as a factor in separating species from one another.

Question 43

Fossil and molecular evidence point to both gradual and rapid changes in the evolution of only animal species.

Question 44

Compare evolutionary systematics with cladistics. Explain the differences.

Question 45

The Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene are all epochs of the Cenozoic.

Question 46

Speciation refers to the process by which a new species evolves from an earlier species .

Question 47

Reptiles were the dominant land vertebrates during the Paleozoic.

Question 48

Explain the differences in intraspecific versus interspecific variation of recognition of fossil species. Discuss the difference between splitters and lumpers.

Question 49

The minimum biological category defined in fossil primates is the genus.

Question 50

Explain how we connect to other species. What is the human place in the organic world?

Question 51

Sexual dimorphism refers to the different mating patterns in various species.

Question 52

Explain the complexity of the definition of species. Include a discussion of the process of speciation and define the biological species concepts.

Question 53

Mineralization occurs when parts of animals (or some plants)become transformed into stone-like structures.

Question 54

Mammals achieved rapid evolutionary success because they possessed several characteristics related to learning and general behavioral flexibility.

Question 55

Contrast ancestral traits with derived traits.

Question 56

Only a generalized ancestor can provide the flexible evolutionary basis for rapid diversification.

Question 57

Define analogous and homologous traits and provide an example of each.

Question 58

Describe the principles of classification, including the differences in homologies, analogies, and homoplasy.

Question 59

Using the example of the evolutionary history of cars and trucks, apply cladistics analysis to another organism.

Question 60

The study of bones and other materials that end up buried in the earth and preserved as fossils is called cladistics.

Question 61

What are the features of the major models of speciation discussed in the text? Contrast the two schools of taxonomy: evolutionary systematics and cladistics.

Question 62

Discuss the fossil evidence and its importance on macroevolution and the understanding of speciation.

Question 63

Explain some of the ways fossils have formed, and give at least three examples.

Question 64

What are the influences of long-term continental drift on the evolution of terrestrial life forms?

Question 65

Define macroevolution, and explain its processes using vertebrate and mammalian evolution as the core of your explanation and provide another example not included in the textbook.

Question 66

Define the term geologic time scale and name the three main eras associated with the definition.

Question 67

Define the term "adaptive radiation."

Question 68

Explain the differences and similarities between microevolution and macroevolution, giving an example for each one.

Question 69

Discuss the problems faced by scientists when attempting to assign species and genus names to fossils. Include an analysis of the classification systems.

Question 70

Explain the relatively rapid success of mammals during the late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic.