Question 1

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the model of evolutionary relatedness represented in the phylogenetic tree? 
A) Goats and humans are the only sister group in this tree.
B) Salamanders are a sister group to the group containing lizards, goats, and humans.
C) Salamanders are more closely related to lizards than they are to humans.
D) Goats are more closely related to salamanders than they are to humans.

Accepted Answer

B

Question 2

Which phylogenetic tree can best be used to support the claim that the microsporidians are a sister group of the cryptomycetes?
A) I

B) II (switch microsporidians and cryptomycetes)
C) III (switch microsporidians and mucoromycetes)
D) IV (switch cryptomycetes and chytrids)

Accepted Answer

A

Question 3

Which of the following statements describes a difference between the taxonomic levels of the hierarchical classification system?
A) how widely the organisms assigned to each are distributed throughout the environment
B) their inclusiveness
C) the relative genome sizes of the organisms assigned to each
D) morphological characters that are applicable to all organisms

Accepted Answer

The taxonomic levels of the hierarchical classification system differ in their inclusiveness, with higher levels (like kingdom) being more inclusive of diverse organisms than lower levels (like species), which are more specific.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following evolutionary processes or...

Question 5

Some beetles and flies have antler-like structures on their heads, much like male deer. The existence of antlers in beetle, fly, and deer species with strong male-male competition is an example of which of the following?
A) convergent evolution
B) similarity due to shared ancestry
C) homology
D) parsimony

Accepted Answer

Antler-like structures in beetles, flies, and deer, which are not closely related, but have evolved similar traits due to similar selective pressures (strong male-male competition), is an example of convergent evolution. This is where unrelated species evolve similar traits independently, often due to facing similar environmental challenges or ecological niches.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of The term convergent evolution is most applicable...

Question 7

Scientists have hypothesized that the common ancestors of birds and mammals, possessed three-chambered hearts (two atria, one ventricle). Birds and mammals, however, are alike in having four-chambered hearts (two atria, two ventricles). Which of the following statements best describes the four-chambered hearts of birds and mammals?
A) they are morphological homologies
B) they exhibit molecular homology
C) they are morphological analogies
D) they are the result of shared ancestry

Accepted Answer

The four-chambered hearts of birds and mammals are morphological analogies because they are similar in function and structure but did not arise from a common ancestor with a four-chambered heart. Instead, this trait evolved independently in the two lineages, demonstrating convergent evolution rather than shared ancestry.

Question 8

In which phylogenetic tree are the chytrids and ascomycetes shown as being more distantly related than in the other phylogenetic trees?
A) I

B) II (switch chytrids and mucoromycetes)
C) III (switch zoopagomycetes and chytrids)
D) IV (switch chytrids and basidiomycetes)

Accepted Answer

The answer of In which phylogenetic tree are the chytrids...

Question 9

The following phylogeny shows six living species (a-f) and five ancestral (now extinct) species (1-5). If the phylogeny had been developed on the basis of similarities in bone structure, which of the following predictions would you make in terms of the structure of a particular enzyme? 
A) The enzymes of species b and f are very similar.
B) The enzymes of species b and c are more similar to ancestor 4 than to ancestor 2
C) The enzymes of species a and b are the same as that of ancestor 2.
D) The enzyme of species c is very similar to that of species d.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The following phylogeny shows six living species...

Question 10

Carolus Linnaeus believed that species remained fixed in the form in which they had been created. Which of the following concepts are inconsistent with Linnaeus's model of classification?
A) a hierarchical classification scheme
B) taxonomy
C) phylogenies
D) nested, increasingly inclusive categories of organisms

Accepted Answer

Linnaeus's model of classification did not account for the evolutionary relationships between species, which are represented by phylogenies. Phylogenies show how species are related through evolutionary history, implying that species can change over time, which contradicts Linnaeus's belief in fixed species.

Question 11

Use the following information to answer the question.  In the figure, the letters A-G represent individual species that all descended from a common ancestor. Which of the following groups of these species forms a monophyletic group?
A) A, B, C, D
B) C and D
C) D, E, and F
D) E, F, and G

Accepted Answer

The answer of Use the following information to answer the...

Question 12

In which type of classification system are names assigned only to groups that include a common ancestor and all of its descendants?
A) a system that groups organisms based solely on similar morphologies
B) a system that groups organisms based on similar roles in the environment
C) a system based entirely on evolutionary history
D) a system based solely on cellular structures

Accepted Answer

A classification system that assigns names only to groups including a common ancestor and all of its descendants is based on evolutionary history, which is known as a phylogenetic classification system.

Question 13

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?
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.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Evolutionary biologists have developed a phylogeny for...

Question 14

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?
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.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Use the following information to answer the...

Question 15

In the phylogenetic trees shown, each number represents a unique species of organisms. Which two species are represented as sister species in Tree 2 but are not represented as sister species in Tree 1?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 3 and 4
D) 4 and 5

Accepted Answer

The answer of  In the phylogenetic trees shown, each...

Question 16

Use the following information to answer the question.  According to the phylogenetic tree in the figure above, what type of evolutionary group does G. intestinalis constitute?
A) analogous
B) monophyletic
C) polyphyletic
D) paraphyletic

Accepted Answer

The answer of Use the following information to answer the...

Question 17

Some molecular data place the giant panda in the bear family (Ursidae) but place the lesser panda in the raccoon family (Procyonidae). If the molecular data best reflect the evolutionary history of these two groups, then the morphological similarities of these two species is most likely due to which of the following processes?
A) the inheritance of acquired characteristics
B) sexual selection
C) possession of analogous (convergent) traits
D) possession of shared primitive characters

Accepted Answer

The morphological similarities between the giant panda and the lesser panda, despite their placement in different families based on molecular data, suggest that these similarities arose not from shared ancestry but from convergent evolution. This means they independently evolved similar traits as adaptations to similar environments or niches, making these traits analogous rather than homologous (derived from a common ancestor).

Question 18

If organisms 1, 2, and 3 belong to the same class but to different orders and if organisms 3, 4, and 5 belong to the same order but to different families, which of the following pairs of organisms would be expected to show the greatest degree of morphological homology?
A) 1 and 4
B) 2 and 4
C) 2 and 3
D) 4 and 5

Accepted Answer

Organisms 4 and 5 belong to the same order and different families, which indicates they share a more recent common ancestor compared to organisms belonging to different orders or classes. Therefore, they would be expected to show the greatest degree of morphological homology.

Question 19

Which of the following pairs is the best example of homologous structures?
A) eyelessness in the Australian mole and eyelessness in the North American mole
B) wings on an owl and wings on a hornet
C) the shape of the dorsal fin in dolphins and the shape of the dorsal fin in sharks
D) bones in the bat wing and bones in the human forelimb

Accepted Answer

Homologous structures are anatomical features in different species that originated by heredity from a structure in the most recent common ancestor of the species. The bones in the bat wing and the bones in the human forelimb are examples of homologous structures because they share a common ancestral structure, even though they have evolved for different functions (flight in bats and manipulation in humans).

Question 20

Which phylogenetic tree can best be used to show that the zygomycetes and chytrids are the most closely related?
A) I (switch chytrids and mucoromycetes)
B) II

C) III (switch cryptomycetes and chytrids AND switch zoopagomycetes and microsporidians)
D) IV (switch zoopagomycetes and chytrids)

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which phylogenetic tree can best be used...

Quiz 22: Phylogenetic Reconstruction

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the model of evolutionary relatedness represented in the phylogenetic tree?

Which phylogenetic tree can best be used to support the claim that the microsporidians are a sister group of the cryptomycetes?

Which of the following statements describes a difference between the taxonomic levels of the hierarchical classification system?

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?

Some beetles and flies have antler-like structures on their heads, much like male deer. The existence of antlers in beetle, fly, and deer species with strong male-male competition is an example of which of the following?

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

In which phylogenetic tree are the chytrids and ascomycetes shown as being more distantly related than in the other phylogenetic trees?

The following phylogeny shows six living species (a-f) and five ancestral (now extinct) species (1-5) . If the phylogeny had been developed on the basis of similarities in bone structure, which of the following predictions would you make in terms of the structure of a particular enzyme?

Carolus Linnaeus believed that species remained fixed in the form in which they had been created. Which of the following concepts are inconsistent with Linnaeus's model of classification?

Use the following information to answer the question. In the figure, the letters A-G represent individual species that all descended from a common ancestor. Which of the following groups of these species forms a monophyletic group?

In which type of classification system are names assigned only to groups that include a common ancestor and all of its descendants?

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?

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?

In the phylogenetic trees shown, each number represents a unique species of organisms. Which two species are represented as sister species in Tree 2 but are not represented as sister species in Tree 1?

Use the following information to answer the question. According to the phylogenetic tree in the figure above, what type of evolutionary group does G. intestinalis constitute?

If organisms 1, 2, and 3 belong to the same class but to different orders and if organisms 3, 4, and 5 belong to the same order but to different families, which of the following pairs of organisms would be expected to show the greatest degree of morphological homology?

Which of the following pairs is the best example of homologous structures?

Which phylogenetic tree can best be used to show that the zygomycetes and chytrids are the most closely related?