Chapter 20
Student: _________________________________________________________
1. Which of the following would NOT be used to construct a phylogenic tree?
A. homologous structures
B. mode of reproduction
C. DNA-DNA hybridization
D. amino acid sequences
2. Should scientists decide to do away with the domain system of classification, the former five kingdom system
would now not be acceptable. What would be the correct change to the five kingdom system?
A. The kingdom Monera would be divided into 2 kingdoms.
B. The kingdom Protista would be divided into 2 kingdoms.
C. The fungi would be moved into the kingdom Protista.
D. The algae would be moved into the kingdom Plantae.
3. Modern cladists feel which of these organisms is different enough from the others that they should be placed
in a different group?
A. snake
B. lizards
C. crocodiles
D. all of the choices should be placed in the same group or taxon.
4. The scientific name of the giant swallowtail is Heraclides cresphontes. Therefore,
A. it belongs to the genus Heraclides.
B. it belongs to the species cresphontes.
C. the specific epithet is cresphontes.
D. All of the choices are correct.
5. The northern copperhead is Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix, the southern copperhead is Agkistrodon
contortrix mokasen, and the cottonmouth is Agkistrodon piscivorous. Therefore,
A. all are subspecies of Agkistrodon.
B. they are three distinct species.
C. The copperheads are subspecies and the cottonmouth is a separate species.
D. they are all the same species.
6. The Greek root words for "arrange" and "law" underlie the biological term
A. binomial.
B. taxonomy.
C. systematics.
D. nomenclature.
E. systema naturae.
7. Nonscientists often use the words ‘‘name,'' ‘‘identify,'' and ‘‘classify'' interchangeably, as when asking ‘‘Can
you name this?'' or ‘‘Can you identify this?'' or ‘‘Can you classify this?'' when they simply want to know what
an organism is. Which of the following is/are correct usage(s) of the term(s)?
A. Only the scientist who first describes a new species actually names it.
B. Classifying is grouping, and to classify something requires several organisms so you can group one as closer
to a second and distant from a third.
C. A crop scout on a farm using a key to detect pest insect species is identifying insects but not naming or
necessarily classifying them.
D. A scientist who publishes the name and description of a new species must necessarily also know both how to
identify and classify the species.
E. All of the choices are correct.
8. If a phylogeny is based on the natural evolution of organisms, it could
A. explain the variations among fossils from rock strata.
B. explain why there are similarities and differences among modern living groups.
C. reflect patterns of shared and unique sections of DNA among groups of animals.
D. help predict where unresearched features will be in common, such as how widely a medicine will be
effective among animals.
E. All of the choices are correct.
9. The biological species concept by Ernst Mayr defines a species in the textbook as a group of interbreeding
natural populations reproductively isolated from other such groups. However, such a definition cannot be used
for
A. fossils.
B. asexual organisms.
C. determining species based on dead or preserved specimens.
D. organisms that cannot be raised in captivity, easily bred, or with very long generation times.
E. All of the situations pose problems for the biological species concept.
10. E. O. Wiley offers a definition of an evolutionary species as a single lineage of ancestor-descendant
populations that maintains its identity from other such lineages and that has its own evolutionary tendencies and
historical fate. How does this compare with the biological species concept given?
A. They are the same.
B. Only Mayr's is easily testable for most organisms.
C. Only Wiley's is easily testable for living organisms.
D. Mayr's definition is limited to some sexual organisms whereas Wiley's theoretically covers all life.
E. They are in complete disagreement.
11. The Greek root word for "tribe" and the Latin root word for "producing" underlie the biological term
A. binomial.
B. taxonomy.
C. systematics.
D. nomenclature.
E. phylogeny.
12. Which category is at the top of the classification hierarchy, that is, it includes the rest of the categories
given?
A. order
B. genus
C. class
D. family
E. phylum
13. The Greek root word for "agreeing" or "corresponding" forms the biological term
A. analogy.
B. taxonomy.
C. systematics.
D. homology.
E. phylogeny.
14. Character traits are used to distinguish one group from another and must be
A. structural features.
B. chromosomal.
C. molecular features.
D. They may include any of these choices.
15. The Greek root words for "branch" and "picture" form the biological term
A. binomial nomenclature.
B. taxonomy.
C. cladogram.
D. systematics.
E. phenogram.
16. A/an _______ is one that is present in the common ancestor and all members of a group.
A. ancestral character
B. clade
C. character trait
D. derived character
E. analogous structure
17. Parallel evolution involves
A. any two organisms with the same trait.
B. two organisms sharing the same trait because they have a common ancestor with that trait.
C. two lineages acquiring the same trait independently without the trait being present in a common ancestor.
D. possession of homologous structures.
E. All of the choices are part of parallel evolution.
18. The distinction between cytochrome c of chickens and humans versus chickens and ducks was a difference
determined by
A. sequencing of mtDNA.
B. sequencing of rDNA.
C. DNA-DNA hybridization.
D. sequencing of amino acids.
E. immuno-rejection of antibodies.
19. The case of the giant panda with a false thumb, and the red panda that lacks a false thumb was resolved by
using
A. sequencing of mtDNA.
B. sequencing of rDNA.
C. DNA-DNA hybridization.
D. sequencing of amino acids.
E. immuno-rejection of antibodies.
20. The use of a molecular clock
A. depends on nucleic acid changes being neutral and not tied to adaptation.
B. depends on nucleic acid changes occurring at a fairly constant rate.
C. still needs to be calibrated with the fossil record.
D. All of the choices are correct.
21. Which of the following statements about taxonomy is NOT true?
A. In cladistics, a common ancestor and all its descendent species are placed in a single taxon.
B. Analogous structures are derived from a common ancestral structure to perform the same function.
C. Biochemical data and the fossil record can be used independently to indicate the length of time since two
species diverged from a common ancestor.
D. Homologous structures are derived from a single structure in the ancestor, although they may be adapted to
different uses in the descendent species (e.g., a dog's foreleg and a human's arm).
22. Which of the following is true about cladistics?
A. Dinosaurs, birds, and crocodiles would be placed in a single common taxon.
B. The classification is very similar to the other taxonomic methods of systematics.
C. Classification is based on the common characteristics of organisms grouped together.
D. Great attention is paid to how much divergence has occurred since species arose from a common ancestor.
23. Which of the following best represents analogous structures?
A. the arm of a human and the wing of a bat
B. the arm of a human and the leg of a human
C. the wing of a butterfly and the wing of a bee
D. the wing of a bat and the wing of a butterfly
24.
Which cladogram matches the above matrix of similarities between organisms A and E.
A.
B.
C.
D.
25. Phenetics is based upon straightforward comparison of the measurements of the traits of specimens (or on a
comparison of their head-length-to-width-ratios, for instance, in order to compensate for juveniles, etc.).
However, which of the following situations give(s) an additional problem to this strict classification-bysimilarity approach?
A. Sexual dimorphism, or differences between males and females, may lead to them being classified as different
species.
B. Ants and termites have many castes, from winged reproductives to smaller workers to large-jawed soldiers,
all of which would appear as vastly different species.
C. Organisms with different lineages may share a large number of traits if they are adapted to the same
environment–a case of convergent evolution.
D. The selection of traits to measure is still dependent upon what the scientist perceives as differences, and a
new microscope or DNA technique would add a new set of ‘‘objective'' traits to compare.
E. All of these situations are problematic.
26. Early biologists referred to animals as ‘‘simple'' and ‘‘advanced,'' but now it is more accurate to use the
following terms:
A. ‘‘allopatric'' and ‘‘sympatric,'' since the species is most important.
B. "generalists'' and ‘‘specialists,'' since this is how biologists classify characters.
C. ‘‘simple'' and ‘‘complex,'' since anatomy terms are more exact.
D. ‘‘evolved'' and ‘‘un-evolved,'' since everything ties together with evolution.
E. ‘‘primitive'' and ‘‘derived,'' since some early forms became very complex and some evolved forms are
derived from them but lost characters and are simple.
27. Which kingdom is characterized by organisms that are heterotrophic by ingestion?
A. Animal
B. Plant
C. Fungi
D. Protists
E. Prokaryotes
28. The evolution of organisms in the three domains and four kingdoms is most accurately described by which
sequence?
A. Prolcaryotes to Protists to Plants, from Plants separately to both Animals and Fungi
B. Prolcaryotes to Fungi to Protists to Plants to Animals
C. Prolcaryotes to Protists, from Protists separately to Fungi, Plants, and Animals
D. Protists to Prolcaryotes to Fungi, from Fungi separately to Plants and Animals
E. Prolcaryotes to Protists, separately to Animals and Plants with Fungi a loss of plant photosynthesis
29. When comparing members of archaea with bacteria
A. archaea were the first organisms and were followed by bacteria.
B. the chemical nature of the cell wall of archaea and bacteria is identical and shows their early relationship.
C. bacteria are not very diverse and are limited in distribution while archaea are far more diverse and found
everywhere.
D. the archaea and bacteria are cases of reduction in traits and are both derived from early eukarya.
E. None of the choices are true.
30. A recent book by a reputable biologist suggests there is a deep, hot biosphere under the earth's crust that
may have more biomass than all life at the earth's surface. This would primarily rely on what organisms?
A. primitive animals
B. primitive heat-loving plants
C. fungi living on the detritus from above
D. thermoacidophilic archaea
E. viruses
31. Taxonomy
A. is the branch of biology dealing with the naming, identification, and classification of organisms.
B. uses a binomial system developed by Linnaeus.
C. uses reproductive isolation as the basis of definition of a species.
D. All of the choices are correct.
32. That phylogeny recapitulates ontology literally means that
A. like begets like.
B. developmental stages of an organism repeat the life forms that led to its evolution to a higher form.
C. taxonomy is an artificial man-made process.
D. All of the choices are true.
33. All of the following are true regarding systematics EXCEPT that it
A. is the study of the diversity of organisms at all levels of organization
B. is the specific study of identification, naming, and classification of organisms
C. relies on data from the fossil record, homology, and molecular data
D. utilizes protein, DNA and RNA comparisons to determine relatedness of individuals
34. Single celled eukaryotic cells belong to which of the following kingdoms?
A. Monera
B. Protista
C. Fungi
D. Animalia
E. Plantae
35. Phylogeny is deciphered to build phylogenetic trees using
A. the fossil record
B. homology
C. molecular data
D. all of the choices
36. Which of the following are miss-matched with their school of systematics?
A. cladistic systematics --shared derived characters
B. phenetic sytematics -- number of similarities
C. traditional systematics -- anatomy
D. Parsimony -- minimum number of similar characters
37. The strictest of the systematisists
A. Phenetics
B. Traditionalists
C. Cladists
D. all are equal
38. The Whittaker classification is based upon all of the following EXCEPT
A. type of cell
B. level of organization
C. type of nutrition
D. habitat
39. Which of the following is NOT a domain?
A. Bacteria
B. Eukarya
C. Protista
D. Archae
40. Nuclear DNA is less stable and mutates faster than mitochondrial DNA.
True False
41. New data about rRNA led to the three domain system of classification.
True False
42. A taxon is the phylum, class, order, genus or species name which indicates how an organism is classified.
True False
43. The term Protista was used earlier to separate out the archaea from the true bacteria.
True False
44. DNA or protein can be used as a ‘‘molecular clock'' that tells how long it has been since two species have
diverged from a common ancestor.
True False
45. The fossil record is usually derived from sedimentary rocks laid down millions of years ago.
True False
46. Eventually scientists will find fossil remains that link all groups of organisms in fine detail.
True False
47. A cladogram is the name of a taxonomic category into which organisms are placed when their evolutionary
relationships to each other are being investigated.
True False
48. Four of the five kingdoms of organisms were apparent to the earliest scientists of Aristotle's time, and the
fifth kingdom became apparent with the invention of the microscope.
True False
49. Evidence for the three domain system comes from sequencing the rRNA that changes slowly during
evolution.
True False
50. The Great Salt Lake would be an excellent location to find methanogens.
True False
51. The amazing ability of thermoacidophiles to live at high temperatures and acidity is due to the unique nature
of their cell walls.
True False
52. The anaerobic environment of swamps and marshes is an excellent habitat for methanogens.
True False
53. Acceptance of the Three Domain system would require a complete reorganization of the Five Kingdom
classification.
True False
54. A character is any structural, chromosomal, or molecular feature that distinguishes one group from another.
True False
55. Phenetics is the strictest of the systematicists.
True False
56. If there are so many million insects and so few scientists to describe them, perhaps we could just assign
them numbers and descriptions, rather than names. Describe why this would not accomplish the same "job" as
giving them a scientific name, and provide two potential items of knowledge that would be missing with just a
number and description. Simply, what does naming an organism also accomplish?
57. Give three reasons why the common names of organisms are inadequate in science and why scientific
names are better.
58. Give the biological definition of a species and explain why each of its component parts is necessary to that
definition.
59. If biology moves to a six-kingdom system, which kingdom in the current five-kingdom system will have to
be split, and why?
60. Draw a phylogenetic tree and indicate the branching points. How is this different from a cladogram?
61. An examination of the full range of animals in Australia and the United States reveals that there are many
that look very much alike and share many similarities, such as the North American wolf and the Tasmanian
wolf, or our various small rodents and Australian numbats, etc. Yet for all the many similarities, the Australian
mammals are marsupials with pouches and the U.S. mammals are nearly all placental. Why would the
classification provided by pheneticists in this case not reflect the natural phylogeny of animals? How would
cladists solve this problem and produce a cladogram that more closely resembled an evolutionary family tree?
62. With some traits, as in marsupial and placental mammals, it is easy to determine ancestral and derived traits.
However, is an ancestral or derived state always easy to detect? Why or why not?
63. When ectoparasites first arrive and adapt to the fur or feathery habitat of a host, they often lose more
complex ancestral features. So it is possible to gain a trait in evolution and subsequently lose it. However, it is
considered vastly improbable that this same trait will again re-evolve. Therefore, in trying to trace evolutionary
lineages, can we always expect the most primitive forms to be the simplest and the most advanced to be the
most complex? Why or why not?
64. With many insects, there are two completely different lifestyles between larval caterpillars and adult
butterflies. They have completely different morphology as well. On which one should we base our classification
characteristics? If we constructed two cladograms for a group of insects, one on larval traits and one on adult
traits, would they necessarily provide the same branching? Should they?
Chapter 20 KEY
1. B
2. A
3. C
4. D
5. C
6. B
7. E
8. E
9. E
10. D
11. E
12. E
13. D
14. D
15. C
16. A
17. C
18. D
19. C
20. D
21. B
22. A
23. D
24. C
25. E
26. E
27. C
28. C
29. E
30. D
31. D
32. D
33. B
34. B
35. D
36. D
37. C
38. D
39. C
40. FALSE
41. TRUE
42. TRUE
43. FALSE
44. TRUE
45. TRUE
46. FALSE
47. FALSE
48. FALSE
49. TRUE
50. FALSE
51. TRUE
52. TRUE
53. FALSE
54. TRUE
55. FALSE
56. Answers will vary.
57. Answers will vary.
58. Answers will vary.
59. Answers will vary.
60. Answers will vary.
61. Answers will vary.
62. Answers will vary.
63. Answers will vary.
64. Answers will vary.