Chapter 1 Flashcards
(18 cards)
Which description of an organism includes characteristics shared by all living things?
Breathes oxygen; is unicellular; processes genetic information.
Obtains food from outside sources; has cells; its population evolves.
Made up of cells; depends on water to carry out functions; reproduces sexually.
Made up of cells; carries out reproduction; processes genetic and environmental information.
Made up of cells; carries out reproduction; processes genetic and environmental information.
The cell theory, once proven and accepted, put to rest which popular theory that prevailed during the eighteenth and half of the nineteenth century?
theory of spontaneous generation
creationism theory
common ancestry theory
germ theory of disease
theory of spontaneous generation
A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time constitutes a _____.
genus
community
phylum
population
population
How are fitness and adaptation important to natural selection?
Adaptations affect the success of individuals, which in turn affects fitness and natural selection in populations.
Adaptations can either increase or decrease an individual
’
s fitness.
All organisms possessing adaptations to new situations tend to be more fit, or healthier, which makes them more able to reproduce.
Individuals with adaptations have a higher fitness, so they are more likely to reproduce and pass those traits to their offspring.
Individuals with adaptations have a higher fitness, so they are more likely to reproduce and pass those traits to their offspring.
Which of the following statements best describes the difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
Prokaryotes include only plants; eukaryotes include all other organisms.
Eukaryotic cells have a membrane-bound nucleus; prokaryotic cells do not.
Prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells differ only in their size.
Most eukaryotes are unicellular; most prokaryotes are multicellular.
Eukaryotic cells have a membrane-bound nucleus; prokaryotic cells do not.
Which domains include prokaryotes?
Archaea and Eukarya
Archaea and Bacteria
Bacteria only
Archaea only
Archaea and Bacteria
Which statement supports the sexual selection hypothesis of giraffe neck length?
Long necks allow giraffes to feed on higher vegetation that giraffes with shorter necks cannot reach.
Males compete for the opportunity to mate with females by striking each other with their heads. Males with longer necks deliver more powerful strikes to their opponents than males with shorter necks.
Shorter-necked giraffes have a structurally sounder neck and are more likely to win the head-striking contests, winning the opportunity to mate with a female.
The longer-necked giraffes are faster and less susceptible to predation.
Males compete for the opportunity to mate with females by striking each other with their heads. Males with longer necks deliver more powerful strikes to their opponents than males with shorter necks.
A null hypothesis in an experiment is _____.
an experiment to test for factors that might influence an experiment
’
s outcome
an alternative possibility in the event that the explanation being tested does not apply
what should be observed in the experiment if a hypothesis is correct
a proposed explanation for a scientific phenomenon
an alternative possibility in the event that the explanation being tested does not apply
Small subunit RNA sequences are useful for understanding phylogeny because _____.
the sequences clearly indicate where lineages of organisms belong on the tree of life
the sequences vary widely among all organisms
the sequences are similar in closely related organisms and less similar in less closely related organisms
not all organisms have small subunit RNA, indicating that organisms with small subunit RNA are closely related
the sequences are similar in closely related organisms and less similar in less closely related organisms
When designing an experiment, which of the following is critical in determining that your results are due to a specific treatment, and not to random variation or other factors that might affect outcome?
repetition
bias
a hypothesis
a control
a control
Linnaeus’ taxonomic system specifies a unique name for each organism. The first part of the name is the organism’s _____, and the second part is its _____.
genus; species
genus; taxon
species; phylum
phylum; genus
genus; species
Taxonomy attempts to describe the _____, or historical relationships, among organisms.
natural selection
differences
adaptation
phylogeny
phylogeny
Which of the following conditions is necessary for natural selection to occur?
The population must be large.
Humans select which individuals mate.
Random mating must occur.
Individuals within a population vary in their characteristics.
Individuals within a population vary in their characteristics.
By definition, traits that are _____ are passed from one generation to the next.
heritable
profitable
prokaryotic
acquired
heritable
Which of the following discoveries occurring after the common ancestry theory was proposed has provided strong supporting evidence for it?
All cells have the molecule DNA as a basis for genetic inheritance.
Maggots do not grow on meat in jars that are covered.
Organisms do not grow on broth that is boiled in swan-necked flasks.
All organisms are made up of cells.
All cells have the molecule DNA as a basis for genetic inheritance.
The theory of evolution claims that _____.
the gene pool or genetic makeup of a species remains unchanged over generations
all species are descended from a common ancestor
features that enhance survival of an organism are randomly distributed among organisms within a population, and randomly passed from generation to generation
many species arose independently
all species are descended from a common ancestor
Land features and climates change over time. In order to survive in changing environments, an organism must change or adapt. Adaptation takes place over a period of generations through the process of _____.
artificial selection
heritability
natural selection
catastrophism
natural selection
Pasteur’s experiment with the swan-necked flask supported the all-cells-from-cells hypothesis by demonstrating that _____.
bacteria, but not fungi, can grow in broth
microorganisms grow in broth after it has been boiled
microorganisms grow only in broth exposed to a source of preexisting cells
microorganisms grow in broth unless the broth is sealed off from the air
microorganisms grow only in broth exposed to a source of preexisting cells
