Deck 4: Speciation and Phylogeny

Question 1

________ occurs when members of a given group of organisms do NOT successfully mate with organisms of the same species outside of their group.

A) Monogamy
B) Gene flow
C) Reproductive isolation
D) Microevolution

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The existence of asexual species provides evidence that

A) species can be maintained through the biological species concept.
B) species can be maintained through the ecological species concept.
C) macroevolution is a stronger force than microevolution.
D) microevolution is a stronger force than macroevolution.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Allopatric speciation occurs when

A) gene flow is maintained between two subgroups of a mother population.
B) two morphologically different subgroups of a species share the same habitat.
C) gene flow prevents genetic variants from being exchanged between subgroups.
D) a subgroup is physically isolated from the mother population and gene flow can no longer occur.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Imagine a scenario where a lake dries up enough to become two separate lakes, dividing a population of fish into two daughter populations. This is an example of

A) allopatric speciation.
B) sympatric speciation.
C) both allopatric and sympatric speciation.
D) neither allopatric or sympatric speciation.

Question 5

Sympatric speciation occurs when two populations

A) experience different mutations.
B) living in the same location experience different selection pressures.
C) form fertile hybrids.
D) are physically separated from each other.

Question 6

The biological species concept emphasizes

A) genetic drift within populations.
B) gene flow between populations.
C) the importance of mutations.
D) that the amount of genetic information that is exchanged within a population rarely changes.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a reason that reproductive isolation occurs?

A) An increase in a population's size
B) Variation in a species' courtship behavior
C) Restriction in a population's habitat
D) Variation in individual's activity patterns

Question 8

Which of the following does the ecological species concept emphasize?

A) The importance of allopatry between species
B) The importance of gene flow within species
C) The importance of sympatry within species
D) The importance of selection pressures

Question 9

According to the biological species concept, a species is a group of organisms that

A) share morphology.
B) share the same geographical and environmental circumstances.
C) are reproductively isolated from other like groups.
D) share genetic information.

Question 10

Allopatric speciation can involve

A) recolonization without reproductive isolation.
B) gene flow.
C) genetic drift.
D) sharing habitat.

Question 11

Character displacement is a process

A) that occurs when the morphology of two populations diverges.
B) of speciation involving gene flow.
C) of speciation involving genetic drift.
D) that can occur when hybrids are formed.

Question 12

Why are biologists uncertain about how a species should be defined?

A) Biologists have not incorporated behavior into species' definitions.
B) Biologists do not know how reproductive isolation happens.
C) Biologists are uncertain of how new species arise and how established species are maintained.
D) Biologists have not figured out how to use DNA data to determine species' status.

Question 13

On the Galápagos Islands, natural selection pressures maintain the boundaries between three species even though there is substantial gene flow between them. This example provides evidence that

A) neither the biological nor the ecological species concept applies to all situations.
B) multiple genes influence beak size.
C) these three species should be classified as a single species.
D) the medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis) has the optimal beak size.

Question 14

During allopatric speciation, ________ may amplify the initial differences between populations and lead to two new species.

A) microevolution and asexual reproduction
B) reinforcement and character displacement
C) blending and macroevolution
D) phylogeny and disequilibrium

Question 15

According to the ecological species concept, a species is a group of organisms that

A) share morphology.
B) are reproductively isolated from other like groups.
C) share genetic information.
D) share the same geographical and environmental circumstances.

Question 16

Macroevolution is

A) the formation of new species.
B) the death of individuals.
C) evolutionary change within a species.
D) the extinction of a species.

Question 17

Microevolution is

A) the formation of new species.
B) the extinction of a species.
C) evolutionary change within a species.
D) the death of individuals.

Question 18

According to the biological species concept, species remain the same because

A) new mutations are usually maladaptive.
B) environments change slowly.
C) gene flow keeps individuals similar to each other.
D) natural selection is a powerful process.

Question 19

According to the ecological species concept, individuals within a species remain similar to each other because

A) individuals in the same environment experience similar natural selection pressures.
B) lack of gene flow prevents the mixing of genes.
C) individuals in the same population share DNA.
D) individuals in the same environment sometimes experience different selection pressures.

Question 20

Sympatric speciation involves

A) natural selection.
B) lack of gene flow.
C) a mother population divided into two physically separated populations.
D) genetic drift.

Question 21

Parapatric speciation occurs when

A) selection causes a single species to develop different adaptations to a similar environment.
B) a population is divided into two reproductively isolated subgroups that form separate species.
C) a single species experiences a gradient of environmental differences within its geographic range, which result in reproductive isolation.
D) a formerly isolated subpopulation recolonizes its home range and mates with the remaining individuals.

Question 22

________ speciation occurs when selection causes a single species to develop different adaptations to a similar environment.

A) Allopatric
B) Sympatric
C) Parapatric
D) Peripatric

Question 23

Homologous characters are similar because of

A) convergent evolution.
B) similar selection pressures acting on unrelated species.
C) common ancestry.
D) similar environments in different parts of the world.

Question 24

Adaptive radiation occurs when

A) a mutation caused by solar radiation produces adaptations.
B) a population expands across a uniform habitat.
C) multiple new species are produced because subpopulations adapt to new environments.
D) a species loses adaptations through mutation.

Question 25

When scientists use phylogenies to name species and classify them into hierarchical categories, they create

A) systematics.
B) taxonomies.
C) macroevolution.
D) character displacement.

Question 26

Closely related species are similar to each other because they

A) share a recent common ancestor.
B) have converged on some functional characteristic, such as flight.
C) live in close proximity to one another.
D) live in similar environments all over the world.

Question 27

Scientists use ________ to construct phylogenies.

A) systematics
B) taphonomy
C) macroevolution
D) character displacement

Question 28

Analogous characters are similar because of

A) similar DNA.
B) similar selection pressures acting on unrelated species.
C) common ancestry.
D) similar mutations.

Question 29

A phylogeny

A) reflects developmental stages.
B) can only be used for closely related species.
C) reflects the evolutionary history of living species.
D) does not help us understand evolutionary events.

Question 30

Consider species A, B, and C, who share a knuckle-walking common ancestor. Species A and B are bipedal. Species C is a knuckle walker. Which of the following is most likely to be true?

A) A and B are more closely related to each other than to C.
B) A and C are more closely related to each other than to B.
C) C and B are more closely related to each other than to A.
D) There is not enough information to determine the most likely relationship.

Question 31

Different species of baboons live all over Africa in very diverse habitats. This is an example of ________ speciation.

A) non-Darwinian
B) parapatric
C) sympatric
D) allopatric

Question 32

A hybrid zone

A) provides evidence for allopatric speciation.
B) sometimes contains individuals that are less fit than those outside of hybrid zones.
C) sometimes contains adaptive radiations.
D) provides evidence for the ecological species concept.

Question 33

Ancestral characters are traits that

A) characterize the last common ancestor that a particular collection of species share.
B) evolved after the last common ancestor that a particular collection of species share.
C) are less well suited to the environment than derived characters.
D) are less specialized than derived characters.

Question 34

In order to conduct a meaningful comparative analysis, a researcher must

A) not take phylogeny into account.
B) only compare behavioral features.
C) only use independently evolved features.
D) compare absolutely everything about two taxa.

Question 35

Adaptive radiations are associated with

A) macroevolution.
B) microevolution.
C) taxonomy.
D) systematics.

Question 36

Closely related species are more similar to each other than they are to distantly related species for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) they share a more recent common ancestor than distantly related species.
B) distantly related species have had interrupted gene flow for a longer period of time.
C) distantly related species have had a longer time for independent evolution.
D) they have experienced more similar selection pressures than distantly related species.

Question 37

At the end of the Cretaceous era, mammals diversified to fill a broad range of ecological niches. This is an example of

A) reinforcement.
B) hybrid zones.
C) phylogeny.
D) adaptive radiation.

Question 38

Derived characters are traits that

A) characterize the last common ancestor that a particular collection of species share.
B) evolved after the last common ancestor that a particular collection of species share.
C) are less well suited to the environment than ancestral characters.
D) are more complicated than ancestral characters.

Question 39

Consider the following amino acid sequence for three different species, A, B, and C. Each number is a different amino acid. The letter in each cell depicts the nitrogenous base that is associated with each amino acid. Which two species are most closely related based on this part of the genome?

A) Species A and C are most closely related.
B) Species A and B are most closely related.
C) Species B and C are most closely related.
D) All three species are equally related.

Question 40

When daughter species first diverge from each other, they are most likely to differ in

A) morphological traits.
B) traits related to making a living or choosing mates.
C) features of their genome.
D) traits related to their life histories.

Question 41

Which of the following can be used to determine whether a character is ancestral or derived?

A) The molecular clock
B) In-group comparison
C) The fossil record
D) Convergent characters

Question 42

Compare and contrast cladistic and evolutionary systematics. Illustrate your answer by discussing the phylogeny of apes and humans.

Question 43

Evolutionary taxonomy uses

A) only morphological similarity to classify organisms.
B) only descent to classify organisms.
C) both similarity and descent to classify organisms.
D) neither similarity nor descent to classify organisms.

Question 44

Give a hypothetical example of allopatric speciation.

Question 45

What is the biological species concept? Under what circumstances is this concept difficult to apply?

Question 46

How do genetic distance measures work? How have genetic distance measurements been applied to the primate fossil record to reveal information about the divergence of primate groups?

Question 47

Proponents of the neutral theory

A) believe that most changes in DNA sequences produce clocklike change because they are controlled by drift and mutation.
B) think the molecular clock is a result of natural selection.
C) are not sure if we can accurately calculate how long ago two lineages diverged.
D) use only derived traits in their analysis.

Question 48

Explain why shared ancestral characters do not yield good information about relationships between species.

Question 49

Explain the difference between ancestral and derived characters.

Question 50

What is the ecological species concept? Is it applicable to asexual species?

Question 51

Give a hypothetical example of parapatric speciation.

Question 52

Cladistic systematics uses

A) only morphological similarity to classify organisms.
B) only descent to classify organisms.
C) both similarity and descent to classify organisms.
D) neither similarity nor descent to classify organisms.

Question 53

The observation that chickens and humans are bipedal but not part of the same taxonomic group is an example of

A) gene flow.
B) ancestry.
C) systematics.
D) convergent evolution.

Question 54

Genetic distance data reveals that ________ are more genetically distant from humans than any of the other great apes.

A) gorillas
B) orangutans
C) chimpanzees
D) bonobos

Question 55

How does speciation occur? After a speciation event, by what mechanisms do new species remain distinct?

Question 56

Explain the difference between homologous and analogous characters. Which of these should be used in phylogenetic analysis?

Question 57

The limbs of all mammals contain three bones. This is an example of a(n) ________ trait.

A) analogous
B) derived
C) homologous
D) convergent

Question 58

Scientists should only use derived traits to construct phylogenies because

A) many fossil species retain only derived traits.
B) derived traits are under greater genetic control than are analogous and homologous traits.
C) all organisms have homologous traits.
D) analogous and homologous traits do not tell us anything about close phylogenetic relationships.

Question 59

Consider all three species of the genus Happy: the Eastern Mugwump, the Western Mugwump, and the Middle Mugwump. All of these species evolved from a six-legged common ancestor. The Eastern and Middle Mugwumps have six legs, and the Western Mugwumps have eight legs. For the genus Happy, six-leggedness is

A) ancestral.
B) derived.
C) convergent.
D) a mutation.