Diagnostic questions Ecology - Answers

Biology Diagnostic questions: Ecology 1. Which is not a principle of Darwin’s theory about the origin of species? a. b. c. d. Individuals show variations. Variations can be inherited. Organisms have more offspring than available resources will support. Offspring always inherit the best traits. 2. Identify the term that is used to describe anatomically similar structures inherited from a common ancestor a. b. c. d. ancestral traits analogous structures homologous structures vestigial structures 3. Which is not a vestigial structure? a. b. c. d. snake pelvis Kiwi wings porpoise flipper human appendix 4. Which was Charles Darwin’s only qualification for his position as naturalist on the Beagle? a. b. c. d. a degree in theology an interest in science a knowledge of biology an understanding of geology 5. What was Darwin’s term for selective breeding? a. b. c. d. evolution speciation artificial selection natural selection 6. What did Darwin infer from his observations of artificial selection? a. b. c. d. Animal breeders could create new species. A similar process could work in nature. Reproductive success could be increased. Variation in a species could be produced. 7. What is the relationship between the terms natural selection and evolution? a. b. c. d. They mean the same thing. Evolution works against natural selection. Evolution explains how natural selection works Natural selection explains how evolution works 8. The Archaeopteryx seems to have evolved from reptiles and is a direct ancestor of modern birds. a. True b. False 9. Which is an example of a derived trait? a. b. c. d. a tail bones feathers teeth 10. Which features are similar in use and evolve in similar environments, but do not evolve from a common ancestor? a. b. c. d. analogous structures embryological structures homologous structures vestigial structures 11. Organisms with similar anatomy share similar DNA sequences. a. True b. False 12. At the heart of the theory of evolution by natural selection lies the concept of __________. a. b. c. d. adaptation biogeography gradualism speciation 13. The development of the evolutionary theory has led to the understanding that the raw material for evolution is _________. a. b. c. d. genes traits adaptation competition 14. Why does the ratio of gray to red owls remain the same after the population has doubled? a. They each have different predators. b. They compete with one another for resources. c. Both are equally adapted to survive in their environment. d. New individuals have emigrated into the population. 15. Which of these conditions can act on phenotypes to provide adaptive advantages to a population? a. b. c. d. Mutations natural selection nonrandom mating small population size 16. Which description is evidence that a speciation has taken place? a. A physical barrier has caused two groups from a population to adapt to different environments. b. Some members can no longer produce fertile offspring with members of the original population. c. A small group has developed mating behaviors that are different than those of the rest of the population. d. Some members from a population have developed physical characteristics that are different than the original population. 17. Which evolutionary pattern is represented by the similarities between these two organisms that live on separate continents? a. b. c. d. Coevolution convergent evolution directional evolution divergent evolution 18. Determine which morphological adaptation the monarch butterfly exhibits. a. b. c. d. camouflage mimicry embryological adaptation vestigial structure 19. The divergent evolution of these cichlid fish is an example of what type of speciation? a. b. c. d. Coevolution Mutation Adaptive radiation Convergent evolution 20. What tempo of evolution does this model represent? a. b. c. d. gradual elevated sequential punctuated 21. Which explains why the tortoises on the different islands of the Galápagos had slightly different variations in their shells? a. b. c. d. The different tortoises were different species. The environment on each island was different. Each type of tortoise could survive only on its own island. They arrived on the islands from different continents. 22. Which is the best explanation for the similarities in the construction of these forelimbs? a. b. c. d. Each forelimb is a similar modification derived from a different ancestor. Natural selection has produced similar modifications in the forelimb. They are functionally similar features that have evolved independently. They are modifications of the forelimbs of a common ancestor. 23. Predators learn to avoid monarch butterflies because they contain a poison that is distasteful and can cause the predator to get sick. The viceroy butterfly finds protection by closely resembling the monarch. What is this adaptation in the viceroy called? a. b. c. d. camouflage fitness mimicry resemblance 24. Why are cheetahs so genetically similar that they appear inbred? a. b. c. d. Individuals in the population had mated randomly. Their population had declined to a very low number. A large sample of the population settled in a separate location. A mutation appeared and became common in subsequent generations. 25. These cichlid fish are believed to have diverged from a single ancestor. What type of speciation is represented by this divergence? a. b. c. d. adaptive radiation allopatric speciation convergent evolution disruptive coevolution