Practice Exam IV
1) ___________ is known as the retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult stage.
2) Amphibian means ________ ________.
3) During the contraction of a muscle, the _________ is reduced in size.
4) The order Squamata contains three traditional subgroups. One of these ___________ is NOT
monophyletic, because the remaining two ________ and ________ are phylogenetically nested
within a lineage of the first.
5) A branching diagram that represents the evolutionary history of a group of organisms is called a
____________.
6) The ___________ is an extinct class of fish characterized by heterocercal tails and bony armor
plating.
7) The most diverse group of living vertebrates is the __________ with more than 27,000 extant
species.
8) Birds are considered to be a ____________ group because they include their most recent
common ancestor and all its descendants.
9) __________ is a transitional organism between fish and tetrapods that was notable for having
fins with wrists.
10) __________ is the order that includes all Caecilians.
11) Vertebrates within the order Testudines are notable for having a dorsal __________ and a
ventral _________.
12) ___________ was the transitional organism between reptiles and birds whose fossil remains
were found in a German quarry in 1861.
13) The three types of muscle are ________, _________, and _________.
14) Vertebrates make use of a ________ circulatory system, while most invertebrates use a(n)
__________ circulatory system.
15) The evolution of a squamosal-dentary jaw articulation in mammals allowed other jaw bones to
be modified for the function of __________. They are now found in the mammalian _________
______.
16) ___________ are cells that hold pigment, and in some organisms can be rearranged to alter
color patterns.
17) The heterocercal tail of many chondricthyes is an adaptation to increase __________ during
swimming.
18) Several mammalian groups have either antlers or horns. Which of these are shed yearly?
__________
19) Vertebrates that have females who produce eggs but retain them within their reproductive tract
until hatching are called __________.
20) The medulla region of the adrenal gland produces two hormones, _________ and ___________.
21) The three steroid hormones, collectively called _________ are involved in sexual maturation,
reproduction, and the development of secondary sexual characteristics.
22) _________ displays are highly ritualized, and are meant to determine the winner of an
aggressive encounter without the need for combat.
23) Four distinct stomach epithelial layers are found in vertebrates, but ________ is found only in
mammals.
24) In mammals, the __________ __________ are sweat glands used primarily to cool the animal.
25) ____________ ______________ describes a pattern where two closely related species are
more different in some trait (e.g. body size, or mating calls) when they occur together
(sympatry) than they are when they occur individually (allopatry).
26) _________ is known as the tear-drop shape of the wing that helps to create lift.
27) To counteract the effects of pitch and roll during swimming, fish use their _________ and
_________ fins.
28) Owls ears are ____________ in both size and position on the head, allowing for directional
hearing and triangulation of prey location.
29) The most common type of pair bonds seen in vertebrates is ____________.
30) The ___________ __________ states that a wing with camber produces a low pressure zone
above the wing and a high pressure zone below the wing, thus producing lift.
31) The bird stomach is divided into two portions; the _________ produces the digestive juices and
the ________ grinds the food by muscle action.
32) The true stomach in ruminants is known as the __________.
33) Salmon are known as ___________; that is they are born in fresh water, mature in salt-water,
and return to fresh-water to breed. Some eels are __________; being they are born in saltwater, mature in fresh-water, and return to the sea to breed.
34) Neurons can be divided into 3 classes: ___________, ____________, and ______________.
35) __________ is a form of asexual reproduction where the egg develops into a new individual
without being fertilized.
36) _______ vision produces a broad overlap of fields of vision that allows for more depth
perception (think predators). ________ vision provides a wide field of vision but with less depth
perception.
37) _________ is the tendency to move side to side, ________ is the up and down movement, and
_______ is movement from right to left.
38) When a local species goes extinct as a result of competition, this is an example of ________
___________.
39) There are four basic types of cryptic coloration, name them ___________, ____________,
_____________, and ______________.
40) ________ organisms have offspring that are well developed and soon after birth are capable of
taking care of themselves to some extent.
41) _________ signals are effective over long distances, and can be used when there is no direct line
of sight between the sender and receiver.
42) A __________ is the area around a high priority, limited resource, and is defended such that
other potential competitors are excluded.
43) Some fish, alligators, and turtles exhibit _________ (abbreviation), where the sex of their
offspring is determined by temperature.
44) In mammals, __________ are the primary dispersers, while in birds _________ are the primary
dispersers.
45) __________ is the manufacture of complex substances from simpler substrates with the
consequent utilization of energy.
46) ____________ coloration is a form of structural coloration where some wavelengths are
reflected well and some are not. This causes apparent changes in coloration as the view of the
organism changes
47) ___________ is the directed movement towards a goal, and is accomplished by processing
various signals, such as the position of the sun, celestial cues, and physical landmarks.
48) In some small mammals, nonshivering thermogenesis is obtained via heat production in
__________ ___________, which are cells with higher levels of mitochondria and that generate
heat by oxidizing fatty acids.
49) The ___________ ____________ principle states that as animal groups increase in size, their
navigational accuracy improves.
50) A major law of biology is that of metabolic allometry, which states that metabolic rate scales
with body size to the power of _________ (be specific).
51) Many vertebrates exhibit __________ ___________, or sex-specific phenotypic differences,
particularly in secondary sexual traits that are used in mate recognition and courtship.
52) Species that can reproduce at any time throughout the year exhibit ____________ reproductive
strategy. The opposite is known as ____________.
53) ____________ is a seasonal period of decreased activity (dormancy), though for many mammals
exhibiting this life history trait, they awaken periodically during the winter. It is called
__________ if it occurs in the summer.
54) ___________ is a round trip, which includes movement to and from an area. ___________ is a
one-way trip to a particular location, but no return to the original area.
55) ___________is the use of bright colors as a warning of toxins.
56) ___________ is the interaction between two or more individuals (sender and receiver) to
transmit information that alters the receiver’s behavior.
57) The minimum metabolic rate for a fasting, resting organism with no thermal stress is
___________ ______________ __________.
58) The physiological state in which the energy expenditure is decreased by lowering body
temperature and metabolic rate is known as ___________.
59) The screening mechanism that improves the ability of the animal to locate specific food items is
known as the __________ ____________.
60) __________ - ___________ is known as the Malthusian parameter, and it describes
instantaneous rate of _________.
61) The three types of discrete population growth are known as __________, ____________, and
__________.
62) Exponential growth is known as density ____________ growth, whereas logistical growth is
known as density _____________ growth.
63) _________ is the elimination of a species in a particular location, but the species continues to
exist elsewhere.
64) ____________ ____________ are large die-offs of species in a relatively short time span.
65) Current extinctions driven largely by three means of human interference – name them:
__________, ___________, and ___________.
Essay/Short Answer
66. Name three main types of skull fenestration, BRIEFLY define what they are, and which extant
vertebrate groups exhibit them.
67. Briefly compare the structure of the heart found in the following vertebrate, and describe the
circulation path the blood follows.
Heart
Circulation Path
Fish
Amphibian
Mammal
68. Identify several (3) major advances of the reptilian egg over the amphibian egg.
69. Name the 4 major characteristics of Chordates.
70. Different vertebrates have different reproductive strategies that can be classified into 1 of 2 main
types: r-selected and K-selected. Describe the general characteristics seen in both.
71. Most vertebrates have both rods and cones in their retina. Compare and contrast the two, the
conditions under which each functions optimally, and what sort of light (and images) they allow
vertebrates to see
72. Interspecific competition can result in a number of possible outcomes at the ecological level. In
class we discussed several possibilities. Three of these outcomes were means by which competition was
reduced among competitors (allowing coexistence), and one was the ‘ultimate’ outcome of extended
competition between species. Name these three outcomes, briefly describe them, and provide an
example of each.
73. The entrance into hibernation involves three major physiological changes. Name them.
74. Describe what is meant by Batesian, Mullerian, and Martensian mimicry.
75. List three major ways of reducing heat loss in vertebrates.
76. According to optimal foraging theory, a longer travel time to a patch will result in a longer time
spent in the patch. Conversely, a shorter travel time to a patch may result in a short stay. Why is this
the case? For both scenarios draw a graph containing energy gain lines for both a short trip and a long
trip to the patch to show these relationships.
80. What are the characteristics of the K/T extinction? Who did it impact and why?
81. What is the 6th mass extinction? Who or what caused it? What are the three main causes of the 6th
mass extinction?