SC 139 - Second Exam 2009



 

Numbers are linked to relevant passages in the book.


MULTIPLE CHOICE.

On the line to the left, place the letter of the choice that best answers the question.
Three Points Each. NOTE: "e" answers are never the correct answer.


                    1.   Convergent evolution has its best examples when features are

_______     a. Analogous and homologous            b. Analogous but not homologous            c. Homologous but not analogous
                  d. Neither analogous nor homologous                                e. Very, very convergey

 

                    2.   In a typical molecular clock, the "ticks" of the clock are

_______     a. Radioactive decay             b. Anatomical changes            c. Minerals in fossil layers             d. Mutations
                                                                    e. Probably not carrying Lyme disease

 

                    3.   A near-extinction can produce

_______     a. A bottleneck effect             b. An alternation of generations            c. A primordial effect             d. A founder effect
                                                                                e. A really bad weekend

 

                    4.   The beginnings of mitochondria and chloroplasts are found in the

_______     a. Colonialism hypothesis             b. Endosymbiont theory            c. RNA world hypothesis             d. Gaia hypothesis
                                                                                e. Unpronounceable names handbook

 

                    5.  Linkage between genes refers to their

_______     a. Making proteins used in the same processes                          b. Similarities when compared between related organisms
                  c. Codes and the proteins made from the codes                        d. Being together on the same chromosomes
                                                        e. Scandalous stories being revealed on the blogs

 

                    6.  During the Cambrian explosion,

_______     a. All modern eukaryote groups appeared                                    b. All modern animal and plant groups appeared
                  c. All modern multicellular groups appeared                                d. All modern animal groups appeared
                                                                e. Well, obviously something showed up...



                    7.  The "plant problem" made the assumption that

_______     a. Only plants could absorb greenhouse gases                                            b. Animals and plants were closely related
                  c. The very first global ecosystem had to be like today's                            d. All organisms use oxygen
                                                                            e. The green guys were out to get us

 

                    8.  In adaptive radiation, connections are made among

_______     a. Related species in the same ecosystem                                            b. Related species in very different ecosystems
                  c. Unrelated but similar species in the same ecosystem                        d. Unrelated but similar species in different ecosystems
                                                                            e. Adapty things that glow in the dark

 

                    9.  In alternations of generations, what exactly alternates?

_______     a. Male and female             b. Single-celled and multicellular            c. Animal and plant             d. Sexual and asexual
                                                                                e. Ummmm.... generations?

 

                    10.  Mutations are most likely to produce

_______     a. Major changes in traits                         b. Entirely new traits                    c. No change or a change for the worse
                  d. All of the variation in a population                                    e. American Idol contestants

 

                    11.  Evolution means change over time, but some animals appear to have evolved a resistance to change, probably because they are

_______     a. In very stable niches             b. The last of their species            c. Very advanced forms             d. Purely homeostatic
                                                                        e. The animal equivalents of Rush Limbaugh
 


                    12. If two species are considered ecospecies, then they should be

_______     a. Similar in appearance             b. Doing the same job            c. Genetically related             d. Living in the same place
                                                                                    e. Very politically correct


SHORT ANSWER.

Answer any eight of the following questions for 4 Points Each.
Note: if you answer more than eight, only the first eight will be corrected.
You can get partial credit on these answers.
 

1.  What two factors most strongly influence how quickly or slowly a group might evolve?
 

 

 

2.  What are two different things that can be compared in order to find evolutionary connections between types of organisms?

 

 

 
3.  What are two different types of energy that might have been used by the first competing molecules in the early Earth oceans?
 

 

 
4.  What is panspermia?
 

 

5.  For a high chromosome number -
ADVANTAGE

 
DISADVANTAGE

 

6.  What is the function of a HOX gene, also called a homeogene?

 

 

7.  Briefly explain how sexual selection works, in evolutionary terms.
 

 

8.  Show the chemical process of photosynthesis, including the relevant energy. You can spell out molecule names.
 


 

9.  Show the chemical process of aerobic respiration, including the movement of relevant energy. You can spell out molecule names.
 


 

10.  Give one reason why embryos are more likely to show relationships between groups than adult forms might.
 

 

11.  Translate into modern English: "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny."
 

 

12.  Why is it reasonable for evolution to be both gradual and punctuated?
 

 

13.  If a currently-living animal appears almost identical to ancient fossils, what is probably true about that animal's microenvironment?
 

 

14.  What is hybrid vigor?
 

 

 

LONG ANSWER.

Answer any four of the following questions for Eight Points Each.
Note: if you answer more than four, only the first four will be corrected.
You can get partial credit on these answers.
 

1.  What are four different conditions that a "Hardy-Weinberg population" must have?

 

 

 
 

 

 
2. For each step in the theoretical development of Life on Earth, put them in chronological order, from earliest to latest, 1 - 8 in the boxes to the left.
Photosynthesis  
                            
 ___________
Molecular
Evolution         
 ___________
Cellular
Colonialism    
___________
Aerobic
Respiration       
___________
Prokaryote
Cells                
     ___________
"Snowball"
Period            
   ___________
Primordial
Soup               
___________
Multicelled
Systems             
___________
3.  What are four different circumstances a dead organism can be in that can likely lead to their becoming fossils?
 

 

 
 

 

 
4.  For asexual reproduction, in general -

 

Definition -
 

 

Advantage over sexual
reproduction -

 

One way it overcomes its disadvantage -
 

 

5. Define or explain the exact nature of a -

GENE
 

 

ALLELE


 

DOMINANT
ALLELE

 

MEME
 

 

6.  Describe (don't just give a simple label!) four different isolating situations that can lead to the evolution of new species from the same starting group.
 



 

 
 

 

 

 
7A.  Two critical features that early molecular systems had to have to be considered the first steps of "Life" on Earth -
 

 

 

 
7B.  Two critical features that didn't have to be there right at the beginning, but had to develop early because all modern Life has them -
 

 

 

 


Link to Answer Key

 


BONUS QUESTIONS.

Answer as many as you are able. Wrong answers will not result in points being lost from the main exam. You can get partial credit on these answers.

Why would fossils from the bottoms of lakes be hard to find? Three Points.



Give one example of a type of organism that has evolved a resistance to evolutionary change. Three Points.



Why did Mendel use pea plants? Three Points.



Give an example of a genetic disease and the problem it can give an advantage over. Three Points.
 



How does gender determination work in birds? Three Points.



What was Hardy - what was his job? Three Points.



Give an example of a non-human meme. Three Points.



What appears in the fossil record that shows the evolutionary appearance of photosynthesis? Three Points.

 


For three points each, what modern discoveries have shown that photosynthesis probably evolved at hydrothermal vents?

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

Michael McDarby.

SC 139

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