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 salt-water, 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) ___________________ is the manufacture of complex substances from simpler substrates with
the consequent utilization of energy.
44) __________________________ 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
45) _______________________ 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.
46) 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.
47) The _________________ ______________ principle states that as animal groups increase in
size, their navigational accuracy improves.
48) 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).
49) Many vertebrates exhibit _____________________ ________________ or sex-specific
phenotypic differences, particularly in secondary sexual traits that are used in mate recognition
and courtship.
50) Species that can reproduce at any time throughout the year exhibit
_________________________ reproductive strategy. The opposite is known as
_____________________.
51) _________________ 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.
52) ____________________ 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.
53) _______________________ __________________is the use of bright colors as a warning of
toxins.
54) ____________________ is the interaction between two or more individuals (sender and
receiver) to transmit information that alters the receiver’s behavior.
55) The minimum metabolic rate for a fasting, resting organism with no thermal stress is
__________________ __________________ _______________.
56) The physiological state in which the energy expenditure is decreased by lowering body
temperature and metabolic rate is known as _____________________.
57) The screening mechanism that improves the ability of the animal to locate specific food items is
known as the __________________ ____________.
58) ___________________ - ______________ is known as the Malthusian parameter, and it
describes instantaneous rate of __________________.
59) The three types of discrete population growth are known as __________________,
_________________, and ________________.
60) Exponential growth is known as density _____________________ growth, whereas logistical
growth is known as density __________________ growth.
61) _____________________ is the elimination of a species in a particular location, but the species
continues to exist elsewhere.
62) __________________ ________________ are large die-offs of species in a relatively short time
span.
63) 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?
82. Graph the 4 scenarios from the Lotka Volterra Competition Model.