Exam Revision

Question 1

Do the eggs of amphibians contain yolk?

Answer 1

Yes

Question 2

What are the three orders within the class Amphibia?

Answer 2

1. Anura (frogs & toads)
2. Caudata (salamanders & newts)
3. Gymnophiona (caecilians)

Question 3

List three advantages of the amniotic egg.

Answer 3

1. resistance to desiccation
2. mechanical support
3. calcium deposit

Question 4

Are mammals anapsid, synapsid or diapsid?

Answer 4

synapsid

Question 5

Are birds anapsid, synapsid or diapsid?

Answer 5

diapsid

Question 6

Are reptiles anapsid, synapsid or diapsid?

Answer 6

Reptiles are diapsid, except for turtles, which are secondarily anapsid.

Question 7

Do snakes have pectoral and/or pelvic girdles?

Answer 7

No, snakes have de-evolved both girdles.

Question 8

What are two weight-saving adaptations seen in birds?

Answer 8

1. keratinised beak instead of teeth
2. skeleton containing air cavities

Question 9

List two major mammal lineages that are absent in Australia.

Answer 9

1. terrestrial Carnivora
2. ungulates

Question 10

What are the consequences of Australia’s historic lack of glaciers?

Answer 10

Glaciers grind down rocks and release nutrients into the soil. Since there have been few glaciers in Australia, the soil is nutrient poor, and plant and herbivore species are adapted to this low nutrient soil.

Question 11

Ratites are an illustrative example of a lineage with Gondwanan origins. What are three main ratite species and where are they found?

Answer 11

Emus are found in Australia, whilst rheas are found in South America and ostriches are found in Africa.

Question 12

Where is Alfred Russel Wallace’s ‘faunal boundary’ located?

Answer 12

Wallace’s Line runs between Bali and Lombok in Indonesia.

Question 13

Which animal taxa made it to Australia across Wallace’s Line?

Answer 13

1. pig-nosed turtle
2. flying foxes
3. Murid rodents
4. Colubrid snakes
5. oriental dollarbird

Question 14

What is King’s Canyon?

Answer 14

King’s Canyon is a remnant of Gondwanan rainforest, found in a central Australian desert region.

Question 15

How many bird species are there in Australia?

Answer 15

There are ~900 bird species in Australia. Australia is a global hotspot for avian endemism.

Question 16

True or false? Passerines are a monophyletic group.

Answer 16

True

Question 17

Are ratites passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 17

non-passerine

Question 18

What adaptations to flightlessness do emus and cassowaries show?

Answer 18

Emus and cassowaries have heavier bones and more well-developed legs than flighted birds. They also lack a breastbone keel and feather barbules.

Question 19

What is the diet of frogmouths and nightjars?

Answer 19

Frogmouths and nightjars are insectivorous.

Question 20

Which bird lineage is most closely related to the pigeons?

Answer 20

cuckoos

Question 21

Are seabirds passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 21

non-passerine

Question 22

How do migratory shorebirds survive during long migrations?

Answer 22

Many shorebirds double their body weight with fat before they undertake a migration.

Question 23

Are raptors passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 23

non-passerine

Question 24

Are raptors monophyletic?

Answer 24

No - There are two distinct raptor radiations.

Question 25

Are kingfishers passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 25

non-passerine

Question 26

List three characteristics of parrots.

Answer 26

Any three of the following: 1. zygodactyl feet 2. hooked bill 3. colourful plumage 4. high intelligence 5. dexterity

Question 27

How many species of passerine birds exist worldwide?

Answer 27

~5000

Question 28

Are lyrebirds passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 28

passerine

Question 29

Are fairy-wrens passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 29

passerine

Question 30

What is the largest radiation of Australian passerines?

Answer 30

Australian honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)

Question 31

Are whistlers passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 31

passerine

Question 32

Are butcherbirds passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 32

passerine

Question 33

What do you call the food store of a butcherbird?

Answer 33

a larder

Question 34

Are bowerbirds passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 34

passerine

Question 35

Are birds of paradise passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 35

passerine

Question 36

Are finches passerine or non-passerine?

Answer 36

passerine

Question 37

Do parrots and pigeons have Gondwanan, Laurasian or Pangaean origins?

Answer 37

Parrots and pigeons are likely to have Gondwanan origins.

Question 38

Which passerine radiation originated in Australia?

Answer 38

the Oscine passerines

Question 39

True or false? The south western Bassian region is a hotspot for biodiversity.

Answer 39

True

Question 40

In which bioregion is the lovely fairy-wren found?

Answer 40

Tumbunan

Question 41

In which bioregion is the red-backed fairy-wren found?

Answer 41

Torresian

Question 42

In which bioregion is the red-winged fairy-wren found?

Answer 42

Bassian (west)

Question 43

In which bioregion is the superb fairy-wren found?

Answer 43

Bassian (east)

Question 44

In which bioregion is the white-winged fairy-wren found?

Answer 44

Eyrian

Question 45

What water-related adaptation is shared by the diamond dove and the flock bronzewing?

Answer 45

Both have beaks that act as straws.

Question 46

How do Gouldian finches benefit from small bush fires?

Answer 46

Fires burn away dead grass, thereby exposing grass seeds which the finches eat.

Question 47

Why is the Torres Strait a major fly-way for land birds?

Answer 47

The Torres Strait is scattered with many islands. Land birds prefer to fly over islands than over open sea.

Question 48

Why do Australian birds favour many small clutches over one large clutch?

Answer 48

The Australian climate is highly unpredictable. By raising many small clutches, Australian birds are 'hedging their bets'.

Question 49

What environmental signal triggers breeding in zebra finches?

Answer 49

Zebra finches breed within three months of rain.

Question 50

Is Marsupialia a class, subclass or order?

Answer 50

subclass

Question 51

What is the diet of numbats?

Answer 51

Numbats are specialist termite-eaters.

Question 52

What is the key characteristic of diprotodont dentition?

Answer 52

Diprotodonts have two incisors in the bottom jaw.

Question 53

Which animals are the closest relatives of wombats?

Answer 53

koalas

Question 54

What is unusual about the musky rat kangaroo?

Answer 54

Musky rat kangaroos are macropods that don't hop. They are quadrapedal.

Question 55

When did the 'old endemic' wave of rodents arrive in Australia?

Answer 55

It arrived during the Pliocene (5.3-2.6 million years ago).

Question 56

When did the 'new endemic' wave of rodents arrive in Australia?

Answer 56

It arrived during the Pleistocene (2.6 million years ago - 11,600 years ago).

Question 57

What kind of rodents make up the 'new endemic' wave?

Answer 57

All 'new endemic' species are from the genus Rattus.

Question 58

When did the third wave of rodents arrive in Australia?

Answer 58

The third wave (e.g. brown rat, black rat) arrived with humans travelling to Australia on ships during the second millennium CE.

Question 59

Where are Microbiotheria present?

Answer 59

Microbiotheria are found in both South America and Australia.

Question 60

How many native Australian mammal species are there?

Answer 60

312

Question 61

List four factors that have made Australia relatively depauperate in mammal species.

Answer 61

1. arid climate 2. megafaunal extinction 3. dingo arrival 4. European colonisation

Question 62

List three possible causes of the megafauna extinction in Australia.

Answer 62

1. hunting by humans 2. changes to the landscape for agriculture 3. climate change

Question 63

In which bioregion do you find the New Guinea quoll?

Answer 63

Irian

Question 64

In which bioregion do you find the bronze quoll?

Answer 64

Torresian

Question 65

In which bioregion do you find the western quoll?

Answer 65

Eyrian

Question 66

In which bioregions do you find the northern quoll?

Answer 66

Tumbunan and Torresian

Question 67

In which bioregion do you find the spotted-tailed quoll?

Answer 67

Bassian

Question 68

In which bioregion do you find the red kangaroo?

Answer 68

Eyrian

Question 69

In which bioregion do you find the musky rat kangaroo?

Answer 69

Tumbunan

Question 70

In which bioregion do you find the nail-tailed wallaby?

Answer 70

Torresian

Question 71

What are the two most significant factors causing extinction of Australian mammals?

Answer 71

1. predation by feral cats 2. predation by red foxes

Question 72

Why are feral cat numbers more difficult to suppress than red fox numbers?

Answer 72

Feral cats are more discerning when choosing meals than foxes, so they often ignore poisoned bait.

Question 73

What are the two key characteristics of fossil mammals?

Answer 73

1. definitive mammalian middle ear 2. tribosphenic teeth

Question 74

Place the epochs within the Cenozoic era in chronological order.

Answer 74

Holocene Pleistocene Pliocene Miocene Oligocene Eocene Paleocene

Question 75

What are the two defining characteristics of modern mammals?

Answer 75

1. hair 2. milk

Question 76

What is the difference between the terms 'marsupial' and 'metatherian'?

Answer 76

'Marsupial' refers only to extant species, whilst 'metatherian' includes extant and extinct species.

Question 77

What is the oldest monotreme fossil?

Answer 77

Teinolophos trusleri

Question 78

What is the oldest metatherian fossil?

Answer 78

(Probably) Sinodelphys

Question 79

Which marsupials are polyprotodont?

Answer 79

South American marsupials and Australian dasyurids

Question 80

True or false? Wombats have low-crown teeth.

Answer 80

False

Question 81

True or false? The definitive mammalian middle ear only evolved once.

Answer 81

False. The DMME evolved at least three separate times.

Question 82

What are the two major elements of tooth design?

Answer 82

1. tool (blade/cusp) shape 2. tool (blade/cusp) number

Question 83

Does a tooth cusp with a high radius of curvature require more or less force to break down food than a cusp with a low radius or curvature?

Answer 83

less force

Question 84

Does a blade with a small approach angle require more or less force to cut than a blade with a large approach angle?

Answer 84

more force

Question 85

In terms of diet, are vertebrates more or less difficult to break down than insects?

Answer 85

less difficult

Question 86

In terms of diet, are roots more or less difficult to break down than leaves?

Answer 86

less difficult

Question 87

Are all members of Carnivora carnivorous?

Answer 87

No. The giant panda is herbivorous.

Question 88

Put these diets in order from least to most complex associated gut: browser, grazer, omnivore.

Answer 88

1. omnivore 2. browser 3. grazer

Question 89

Is molar progression associated with browsing or grazing?

Answer 89

grazing

Question 90

How does the nabarlek deal with its diet of abrasive ferns?

Answer 90

The nabarlek can continuously replace its molars throughout its entire lifetime.

Question 91

Why is the invasive plant known as Salvation Jane or Paterson's curse harmful?

Answer 91

The weed is toxic to many grazing animals, including horses and pigs.

Question 92

Name a species that has been accidentally introduced to new territory via the ballast water of ships.

Answer 92

Northern Pacific seastar

Question 93

List two reasons why a species might be deliberately introduced to new territory.

Answer 93

Any two of the following: 1. aesthetic quality 2. companionship 3. recreational hunting 4. agriculture 5. biological control

Question 94

True or false? Australia is exceptionally vulnerable to invasive species.

Answer 94

True

Question 95

What are the top three threats to Australia's threatened species?

Answer 95

1. invasive species 2. ecosystem modifications 3. agriculture

Question 96

What are the top three threats to threatened species worldwide?

Answer 96

1. agriculture 2. overexploitation 3. urban development

Question 97

What is the most damaging invasive species in Australia, in terms of number of plant and animal species listed as threatened due to its impact?

Answer 97

the European rabbit

Question 98

True or false? Invasive predators and native predators are equally successful at killing avian/mammalian native prey.

Answer 98

False. Invasive predators are more successful.

Question 99

Why are Australian animals so vulnerable to invasive species?

Answer 99

Due to longterm geographic isolation and the absence of certain animal lineages, Australian animals are evolutionarily naïve to many invasive species.

Question 100

Explain the theory of 'Eurasian superiority'.

Answer 100

Eurasian species tend to do well when introduced to new territory, out-competing native species. This might be due to innate evolutionary superiority, or because they have had help from past Eurasian colonisation.