Week 1 Flashcards
(10 cards)
What must be true of any organ that is described as vestigial?
A) It must be analogous to some feature in an ancestor.
B) It must be homologous to some feature in an ancestor.
C) It must be both homologous and analogous to some feature in an ancestor.
D) It need be neither homologous nor analogous to some feature in an ancestor.
B) It must be homologous to some feature in an ancestor.
Artificial selection is:
A) human-directed selective breeding.
B) past extinction.
C) patterns of evolution.
D) slower than natural selection.
A) human-directed selective breeding.
Darwin’s observation of the Galápagos Islands finches’ various beaks and behaviors could be explained by
A) inherited traits that did not survive.
B) adaptations forged by natural selection.
C) inherited traits that did survive and proliferate.
D) none of the above.
B) adaptations forged by natural selection.
Analogous features share ________ function but not ________ ancestry.
A) common; common
B) common; similar
C) similar; similar
D) similar; common
D) similar; common
Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of
A) parallel evolution.
B) convergent evolution.
C) allopatric speciation.
D) gene flow.
B) convergent evolution.
What is one common mistake taxonomists may make when attempting to place seemingly closely related species into a shared classification group?
A) The two species seem to be located in the same region on the planet.
B) The two species share similar morphology or character traits.
C) The two species share an evolutionary history based upon matching DNA.
D) The two species share many structural proteins, genes, and metabolic pathways.
B) The two species share similar morphology or character traits.
Some molecular data place the giant panda in the bear family (Ursidae) but place the lesser panda in the raccoon family (Procyonidae). Consequently, the morphological similarities of these two species are probably due to
A) inheritance of acquired characteristics.
B) sexual selection.
C) inheritance of shared derived characters.
D) possession of analogous structures.
D) possession of analogous structures.
According to the principle of maximum parsimony,
A) phylogenies based in DNA require the most base changes between taxa.
B) the preferred tree is the one that minimizes the amount of evolutionary change.
C) in the case of trees based on morphology, a parsimonious tree requires the most changes.
D) a large number of trees should be examined.
B) the preferred tree is the one that minimizes the amount of evolutionary change.
A shared ancestral character is
A) a character that originated in an ancestor of two taxa.
B) shared by all mammals but not found in their ancestors.
C) an evolutionary novelty unique to a clade.
D) an outgroup character.
A) a character that originated in an ancestor of two taxa.
