Question 1

Sciurus is the type genus of the squirrel family, which has the scientific name
A) Sciuraceae.
B) Sciurus aceae.
C) Sciurus idae.
D) Sciurus.
E) Sciuridae.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is E because Sciuridae is the scientific name for the squirrel family, and Sciurus is the type genus within that family. Choice A (Sciuraceae) is not a valid scientific name. Choice B (Sciurus aceae) and choice C (Sciurus idae) are not valid scientific names and do not follow the conventions of binomial nomenclature. Choice D (Sciurus) is only the name of the type genus and does not refer to the entire family.

Question 2

Males of a species of grasshoppers sing very rapid songs.Experimental evidence shows that females of this species prefer these fast songs over slowed-down songs.Related species have males that do not sing as fast, but interestingly, the females from these other species also prefer very fast songs over songs of males from their own species.These results are consistent with the _______ hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Males of a species of grasshoppers sing...

Question 3

Refer to the diagram below showing a single viral plaque that was split every 400 generations and grown in the presence of a mutagen.  The lineage that would be most likely to share the fewest synapomorphies with lineage A is the _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the diagram below showing a...

Question 4

Which taxonomic category is next smallest than a phylum?
A) Kingdom
B) Order
C) Class
D) Family
E) Clade

Accepted Answer

The taxonomic category that is next smallest than a phylum is a class. The hierarchy of taxonomic categories, from largest to smallest, goes: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.

Question 5

Contemporary systems of taxonomy expect taxa to
A) fit in the Linnaean system.
B) be monophyletic (that is, clades).
C) be paraphyletic.
D) be polyphyletic.
E) be synapomorphies.

Accepted Answer

Contemporary systems of taxonomy are based on evolutionary relationships and hence expect taxa to be monophyletic, which means they include all descendants of a common ancestor. Non-monophyletic taxa such as paraphyletic (which includes only some descendants but not all) and polyphyletic (which includes members with different ancestors) are not considered valid in modern taxonomy. Linnaean system is used for classification purposes but does not necessarily reflect evolutionary relationships. Synapomorphies refer to shared derived characteristics and are used to infer evolutionary relationships, but are not expected to be the sole criterion for defining taxa.

Question 6

Species A and B are sister species.Species C and D are also sister species.The lineage leading to species A and B diverged from the lineage leading to species C and D at node 1.Prior to node 1, the lineage leading to species E diverged from the lineage leading to species A, B, C, and D at node 2.Suppose a newly discovered species (species F) was determined to be the sister species of species E.Which would then be monophyletic groups?
A) Species A, B, and E
B) Species A, B, E, and F
C) Species A, B, C, and E
D) Species D, E, and F
E) None of these groups is monophyletic.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Species A and B are sister species.Species...

Question 7

Mice and rats are more distantly related to rabbits than they are to one another.If a biologist were to examine the phylogenetic relationships of different mice and rats, rabbits would be considered a(n) _______ to the mice and rats.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mice and rats are more distantly related...

Question 8

Species A and B are sister species.Species C and D are also sister species.The lineage leading to species A and B diverged from the lineage leading to species C and D at node 1 of a phylogenetic tree.Prior to node 1, the lineage leading to species E diverged from the lineage leading to species A, B, C, and D at node 2.Which grouping is not monophyletic?
A) Species A and B
B) Species C and D
C) Species A, B, and C
D) Species A, B, C, and D
E) Species A, B, C, D, and E

Accepted Answer

If we remove species C from the grouping of A and B, it becomes a paraphyletic group, not including the common ancestor of all three species. Therefore, species A, B, and C are not monophyletic. The other groups are monophyletic because they include all descendants of their common ancestors.

Question 9

Two groups of turtles diverged from one another 6 million years ago.The branches of the different groups of turtles on a phylogenetic tree are called lineages, and the location where they branched off is called a _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Two groups of turtles diverged from one...

Question 10

Refer to the figure.  Which group is monophyletic?
A) A + B + C
B) B + C + D
C) E + F + G
D) G + H
E) H + I

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.  Which group...

Question 11

Several unrelated species of spiders have evolved social behaviors presumably in response to selective pressures brought on by high density.The closest relatives of these spiders lack these behaviors.These social behaviors are likely examples of _______ evolution, which is a form of _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Several unrelated species of spiders have evolved...

Question 12

Giraffes are in the genus Giraffa.Their family is named after this genus.Hence, the family name is written
A) Giraffidae.
B) Giraffaceae.
C) Giraffacdae.

Accepted Answer

The family name for giraffes is derived from their genus, which is Giraffa. The correct spelling of the family name is Giraffidae. Giraffaceae and Giraffacdae are not valid family names.

Question 13

What is the purpose of GenBank?
A) It can put organisms into monophyletic groups.
B) It is a replacement for the principle of parsimony.
C) It is a proposed universal system to classify organisms.
D) It is useful in calibrating molecular clocks.
E) It stores large amounts of genetic information about organisms.

Accepted Answer

GenBank is a database that stores large amounts of genetic information about various organisms. It contains sequences from DNA, RNA, and protein, and is widely used by researchers for comparative genomics, evolutionary biology, and other fields in molecular biology.

Question 14

Amaryllidaceae is the name for
A) a plant genus.
B) a plant family.
C) an animal genus.
D) an animal family.
E) an animal class.

Accepted Answer

Amaryllidaceae is a plant family that includes bulbs and flowering plants such as daffodils, snowdrops, and amaryllis.

Question 15

Which taxonomic category is the next largest after order?
A) Genus
B) Family
C) Class
D) Phylum
E) Kingdom

Accepted Answer

Class is the next largest taxonomic category after order.

Question 16

A taxon of flies can be removed from a phylogenetic tree by a single cut.Thus, this taxon is
A) monophyletic.
B) paraphyletic.
C) polyphyletic.
D) at the root of the tree.
E) larger than a genus.

Accepted Answer

A taxon that can be removed from a phylogenetic tree by a single cut is considered monophyletic, meaning it consists of an ancestor and all of its descendants.

Question 17

Orders are less inclusive than _______ and are more inclusive than _______.
A) families; kingdoms
B) families; phyla
C) phyla; families
D) classes; phyla
E) kingdoms; phyla

Accepted Answer

Orders are a taxonomic rank between classes and families, making them more inclusive than families and less inclusive than phyla. Choices A, B, D, and E are incorrect because they either place orders at a level higher than families (A & B) or lower than phyla (D & E).

Question 18

Which statement about the taxon "family" is false?
A) Families are composed of groups of genera.
B) Groups of families fit into orders.
C) A "family" in one group must be roughly equivalent (in number of genera) to a "family" in another group.
D) Family names are not written in italics.
E) Family names are based on the name of a member genus.

Accepted Answer

The concept of a "family" in taxonomy does not require that families across different groups have a roughly equivalent number of genera. Taxonomic classification is flexible and based on evolutionary relationships, not on maintaining a specific number of genera within each family across different groups.

Question 19

Refer to the figure.  Which groups of taxa are paraphyletic?
A) A + B + C
B) C + D + E
C) G + H + I
D) G + H + I + J
E) I + J

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.  Which groups...

Question 20

A well-funded team of biologists have collected data on a number of different anatomical features of a group of marine gastropods.Prior work has shown that the rates of evolution of different features vary widely.Based on this, the biologists should use _______ methods in the analysis of their data.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A well-funded team of biologists have collected...

Quiz 21: Reconstructing and Using Phylogenies

Sciurus is the type genus of the squirrel family, which has the scientific name

Refer to the diagram below showing a single viral plaque that was split every 400 generations and grown in the presence of a mutagen. The lineage that would be most likely to share the fewest synapomorphies with lineage A is the _______.

Which taxonomic category is next smallest than a phylum?

Contemporary systems of taxonomy expect taxa to

Mice and rats are more distantly related to rabbits than they are to one another.If a biologist were to examine the phylogenetic relationships of different mice and rats, rabbits would be considered a(n) _______ to the mice and rats.

Two groups of turtles diverged from one another 6 million years ago.The branches of the different groups of turtles on a phylogenetic tree are called lineages, and the location where they branched off is called a _______.

Refer to the figure. Which group is monophyletic?

Several unrelated species of spiders have evolved social behaviors presumably in response to selective pressures brought on by high density.The closest relatives of these spiders lack these behaviors.These social behaviors are likely examples of _ evolution, which is a form of _.

Giraffes are in the genus Giraffa.Their family is named after this genus.Hence, the family name is written

What is the purpose of GenBank?

Amaryllidaceae is the name for

Which taxonomic category is the next largest after order?

A taxon of flies can be removed from a phylogenetic tree by a single cut.Thus, this taxon is

Orders are less inclusive than _ and are more inclusive than _.

Which statement about the taxon "family" is false?

Refer to the figure. Which groups of taxa are paraphyletic?

A well-funded team of biologists have collected data on a number of different anatomical features of a group of marine gastropods.Prior work has shown that the rates of evolution of different features vary widely.Based on this, the biologists should use _______ methods in the analysis of their data.