1. Evolution is not a random process.

The genetic variation on which natural selection acts

may occur randomly, but natural selection itself is not random at all. The survival and
reproductive success of an individual is directly related to the ways its inherited traits
function in the context of its local environment. Whether or not an individual survives and
reproduces depends on whether it has genes that produce traits that are well adapted to
its environment.

2. In the 150 years since Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection, a
mountain of evidence has accumulated to support the theory of evolution.
A greatly expanded fossil record since Darwin's time, the discovery of DNA and the process of
genetic replication, an understanding of radioactive decay, observations of natural selection in
the wild and in laboratories, and evidence in the genomes of many different organisms,
including humans, have all bolstered the validity of the theory of evolution .
3.

a. Fish are a paraphyletic group.

b. Some fish are warm blooded, as are all mammals and birds. With this knowledge, are
warm-blooded animals a monophyletic, paraphyletic, or polyphyletic group? Polyphyletic
c. Gills are used for breathing underwater by lamprey, fish and some amphibians in early
development. Are considered an apomorphy or plesiomorphy? Plesiomorphy
d. All tetrapods have an amniotic egg except for amphibians, who lay their eggs in water.
With this knowledge, are amniotic eggs an apomorphy, or plesiomorphy? Apomorphy
4. All organisms are part of the tree of life resulting from divergence from a common ancestor
via speciation. TRUE
5. Evolution is primarily concerned with the origin of humans. FALSE
6. Evolution is like a chain, with each group of organisms evolving into the next "link" in the
chain. FALSE
7. Evolution stops once a species has become a species. FALSE
8. In the biological evolution of organisms, There is no particular direction to evolutionary
change.
9.

The presence of vertebrae in fish and snake indicates that this trait is Homologous

10. Loss of walking limbs in snakes is a(n) _____ character, relative to the most recent common
ancestor. Apomorphic
11. If you were to group vertebrates that lack walking limbs together, this group would be
Polyphyletic

12. Which of the following is consistent with Darwin's ideas of evolution?

-gradual change of heritable traits over time
-Speciation via common descent
-Changes in variation of individuals within a population Species do not change
13. When populations descended from the same ancestral group show different adaptations
with the same basic underlying structure to them (for example whale flippers and human arms),
it is referred to as Homology
14. The process of biological evolution [Select All that apply]
-requires variation in a population
-results in change in heritable traits over generations
15. When populations with separate ancestors adapt in similar ways to similar environmental
constraints (e.g., "flippers" in whales and penguins), it is referred to as homoplasy
16. Birds share a common ancestor with which extinct tetrapods?
Answers:
Crocodiles

Dinosaurs

Archaeopteryx
17. Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the wing of a bat? The arm
of a human
18. What was the missing ingredient in Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection?
Genetic variation via mutation
19. Natural selection is one of several mechanisms of evolution. Which of the following is not
considered one of them?
Artificial selection
20.

According to the phylogeny, which of the following is plesiomorphic to bony skeleton? Vertebrate

21. The streamlined body shape of modern Dolphins and the Jurassic Ichthyosaur is an
example of _____ evolution.
Convergent Evolution
22. Charles Darwin was interested in studying the practice of dog breeding because
it was an excellent example to explain natural selection
23. Correct the following statement: "Humans evolved from apes."
Humans and apes share a common ancestor that gave rise to both
24. Vertebrate embryos resemble each other during early development. For example, fish,
turtles, chickens, mice and humans all go through a stage where they have tails and gill slits.
This suggests that____.
Ancestral vertebrates had genes causing the development of tails and gill slits, and their
descendants still retain those genes.
25. Which of the following evolve in terms of biological evolution?
B and C
26. Evolution is the theme that ties together all of biology. This is because the process of
evolution [Select All that apply]
-explains how organisms become adapted to their environment.
-explains the diversity of organisms
-explains why distantly related organisms sometimes resemble one another
27. Which signature structures are unique to human?
-Large brains
-Longer and muscular thumb

EXAM 2
1. Which of the following is not a source of increased genetic variation in a population?
Natural selection
2. The gene pool of a species ____ and can be characterized by the frequencies of _____
Is changed by evolution; Alleles
3. Natural selection tends to reduce variation in gene pools. What process serves to
balance natural selection by creating new alleles?
mutation
4. What must occur in order for a new trait to appear in a population and then reach a
steady, high frequency with in that population?
-New traits appear through gene mutations or through gene flow. In order to reach a
steady, high frequency in the population, the trait associated with the gene must be
favored by either natural or sexual selection.
5. A(n) ______ is a variant of a(n) _______.
Allele; Gene
6. Organisms ______ come up with a mutation needed to cope with an environmental
stress after selection pressure of that stress has been applied.
cannot
7. Recombination is one of several ways in which genetic variation is introduced into a
population. Recombination takes place
During Meiosis, when homologous chromosomes are paired
8. Why is there no perfect organism despite natural selection.
Because of limitations due to a population's existing variation in genes.
9. During a study session about evolution, one of your fellow students remarks, “The giraffe
stretched its neck while reaching for higher leaves; its offspring inherited longer necks as
a result.” To correct your friend’s misconception, what would you say?
Characteristics acquired during an organism’s life are not passed on through genes
10. Which type of selection results in greater genetic/phenotypic variation in a population?
Diversifying selection
11. The process of natural selection results in (Select all that apply).
-Extinction
-Adaptation
-Speciation
12. For a mutation to affect evolution, it must:
Be heritable (able to be passed on from parent to offspring)
13. All of the following statements are related to the ideas of natural selection, except
Production of offspring is unrelated to the availability of essential resources.
14. When we say that mutation is random, we mean that
We cannot predict which gene will undergo a mutation, and environments do not induce
adaptive mutations.
15. Which of the following would be supported by Lamarck?
The strong arms of the gorillas are the result of parents constantly climbing, lifting and
fighting.
16. People who breed domesticated animals try to avoid inbreeding even though most
domesticated animals are indiscriminate. Evaluate why this is a good practice.
A breeder would not allow close relatives to mate because inbreeding can bring together
deleterious recessive mutations that can cause abnormalities and susceptibility to
disease.
 17. Which of the following best represents "the central dogma of molecular biology"?
-DNA --> Transcription --> Translation --> Protein
18. DNA is universal in all living things and united by a universal genetic code.
TRUE
19. Sex cells are haploid (1N). They became this way via the process of mitosis.
FALSE
20. Mutations generate variation for the purpose of survival to the individual organisms.
FALSE
21. Recombination and crossing over is an cellular event that occurs during
Meiosis I
22. Gene flow decreases genetic variation in a population.
FALSE
23. Consider a population size of about 25 individuals: Mutation is absent, 20 individuals
exhibit the dominant phenotype and 5 exhibit the recessive phenotype. Which of the
following is likely to occur after a long period of time (many generations)?
Allele frequencies of one of the two alleles will reach zero in the population.
24. Gene frequencies in a gene pool may shift randomly and by chance. This is called
GENETIC DRIFT
25. A new group of islands forms far from any land mass. A pregnant toad manages to get to
one of the islands and lay her eggs. A new population forms, which initially has very low
genetic diversity since the first generation were all siblings. Over millions of years, 15
species of toad evolve from the original population. Then a freak snow storm kills off all
but the seven hairiest, fattest toads, who were able to survive the cold. These seven
toads start a new population, and again genetic diversity is greatly reduced. This story
demonstrates....
the founder effect, followed by the bottleneck effect

26. Peter and Rosemary Grant study natural selection in finches on the Galápagos Islands.
They have hypothesized that dry condition produce larger seeds and may result in larger
beaks in succeeding generations of finches. The figure below shows their data from
1975 and 1978. Do their data support their hypothesis and why?
Yes; because the average beak depth of birds in the population increased after the drought in
1978.
27. While hiking in Central Florida, you are lucky enough to see many swallowtail tiger
butterflies. You observe that there are two types, or morphs, of the butterflies — a yellow
morph and a black morph. What is a likely explanation for this?
The swallowtail tiger butterfly has more than one allele for the gene that determines
color.
28. Evolution at the genomic level involves changes in
chromosome structure and number.
29. Which scenario best illustrates the process of natural selection?
a population of mosquitoes develops resistance to a pesticide
30. You are excited because you just purchased a male guppy that has red, blue and green
colors on its fins and tail. Your guppies at home do not have this combination of colors.
You place the new male in with three females for mating purposes. After three weeks
you have many new baby guppies and with the new color combination. This is an
example of which type of selection?
ARTIFICIAL

PHOTO IS USED IN 31 AND 32

31. All of the following mutations are nonsense mutations, except [Use the genetic code for
a hint]
-CGU → UGG
32. Which of the following mutations lead to a change in the the amino acid code? This type
of mutation can be classified as ____. [Use the genetic code for a hint]
- CGU → GCA; missense
33. Which robin is most fit?
Robin 4 lays 4 eggs, of which all 4 hatched and all 4 young successfully left the nest.
 34. ~Anomalocaris : Thought to be distantly to arthropods (resembling a giant shrimp) and
considered the first large predator on earth during the Cambrian.
~Burgess Shale : Rich fossil-bearing deposit site found in the Canadian Rockies of
British Columbia, Canada, which represents the Cambrian Explosion (~508 MYA ago)
~Trilobites: Considered most advanced life during the Cambrian, with hard exoskeleton
and achieved great diversity.
~Arthropleura : Largest known land invertebrate millipede that lived during the
Carboniferous.
~Pneumodesmus newmani : Earliest documented millipede (arthropod), and first known
oxygen-breathing animal on land.
~Aysheaia : Cambrian-aged soft-bodied, caterpillar-shaped fossil, resembling the
modern velvet worms.
~Pikaia : Ancestor of vertebrates providing evidence for the first sign of a backbone.

35. Consider a population size of about 25 individuals. Mutation is absent, 20 individuals

exhibit the dominant phenotype and 5 exhibit the recessive phenotype. Which of the
following is likely to occur after 100 generations)?
Select the statement the best represents the above scenario. Use the image below
as a hint. [Red=Dominant Allele; Blue = Recessive Allele; Red Phenotype = Dominant
Phenotype; Purple = Heterozygous; Blue = Recessive Phenotype]

Allele frequencies of one of the two alleles will reach zero in the population.
36. Identify the following ancient organisms:
~Fractofusus : Due to its simple fractile design, this species is an example of an
evolutionary ‘dead end’
~Kimberella : Considered an early ancestor of molluscs, resembling gastropods (e.g.,
snails and slugs)
~Stromatolites : Colonial cyanobacteria that form in layers in sedimentary rock. Fossil
evidence of ancient life.
~Spriggina : Provides early evidence for several major body plan changes that are seen
in animals today: bilateral symmetry, segmentation, sensory organs
~Charnia : Marine proto animal that lived in the bottom of the ocean at around 579
million year ago. Considered to be among first animals to have evolved.
~Funisia : Provides early evidence for sexual reproduction and hypothesized to
resemble the mode of sexual reproduction seen in modern corals.
~Dickinsonia: Provides the first evidence of mobility on the sea floor during the
Cambrian.

EXAM 3
1. What does speciation usually require?
reproductive isolation
2. If two species of cichlid fish are observed in the same lake, they are said to be ______. If
two closely related species of porkfish are observed on either side of the Isthmus of
Panama (i.e. in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans), they are said to be _______.
Sympatric; allopatric
3. A(n) ______ is a variant of a(n) _______.
Allele; Gene
4. Which is an example of temporal (reproductive) isolation?
a type of fly is ready to mate by the middle of February every year, while a closely
related species does not mate until the middle of March.
5. Consider the Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium. the specific variables used to designate
genotype frequencies are?
~A) p and q
~B) p2 and q2
~C) 2pq
~B and C
~all of the above
6. You analyze the DNA sequences of 3 different butterflies and find that butterflies A and B
have exactly the same DNA sequences, where those of butterfly C are different in
several places. You can infer that
ii) butterflies A and B are the same species
7. Assuming that a population is in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium, if you were to observe this
population over 120 generations you would expect the allele frequencies to
Remain the same
8. A population of field mice has recently undergone a reduction in population size due to
homozygous recessive individuals not surviving. Which assumption of Hardy Weinberg
equilibrium is being violated?
Large population size
9. Which of the following is (are) true of species, according to the unified species concept?
b) A species is a group or population of individuals that evolves as a unit from origination
to extinction.
10. If you found a fish fossil, you would determine which species the fossil belonged to
based on
the morphological species concept
11. Which of the following can promote the occurrence of extinction and speciation events?
All of the above
12. Which of the following is an example of a microevolution?
Change in phenotype frequencies in the peppered moth.
13. Which observation would be evidence for allopatric speciation among finch species of
the Galápagos Islands?
Pairs of sister species can be found on different islands.
14. You collect individuals from different allopatric populations of the leaf beetle
Neochlamisus bebbianae. Back in the laboratory, you conduct mate-choice experiments
to assess levels of reproductive isolation among beetles from different populations.
Assuming that ecological speciation occurred in the wild, which of the following patterns
should you expect?
Reproductive isolation
15. Match the following:
~Behavioral Isolation : Two species of birds with overlapping ranges will only respond to
species-specific mating calls
~Ecological Isolation : Woodpecker finch on Isabela Island (Galapagos) and Large
ground finch on Santa Cruz Island (Galapagos)
~Hybrid Inviability : the offspring of a goat and sheep do not survive
~Hybrid Infertility: the offspring of a zonkey (zebra x donkey) sterile
~Hybrid Breakdown : after two generations 80% of sunflower hybrids are defective in
some way and cannot successfully reproduce.
~Temporal Isolation : Two species of fish living in the same lake but breed during
different seasons
16. A population of deer mice has both brown and white color morphs, where brown is
dominant to white. If two individuals that are heterozygous and homozygous dominant,
respectively, mate, what is the probability of offspring being a) homozygous dominant, b)
heterozygous or c) homozygous recessive, if the allele frequencies are 0.50 (B allele)
and 0.50 (b allele). Match the correct answers.
Hint: Use the table below to help with calculations
~Probability of homozygous dominant offspring?
0.5
~Probability of heterozygous offspring?
0.5
~Probability of homozygous recessive offspring?
0
17. In a certain plant population, red flowers (R) are dominant to yellow flowers (r). If there
are 50 plants, 10 homozygous dominant, 35 heterozygous, and 5 homozygous
recessive, what are the allele frequencies in that population?
0.55 R, 0.45 r
18. The dear mouse has both brown (B) and white (b) color morphs, where brown is
dominant to white. In a population 500, 250 have white fur and 50 have brown fur and
are homozygous dominant.
~What is the genotype frequency white deer mice?
0.5
~What is the genotype frequency homozygous brown deer mice?
0.10
~What is the genotype frequency heterozygous brown deer mice?
0.40
~What is the frequency of the allele for white fur?
0.70
~What is the frequency of the allele for brown fur?
0.30
~If the white deer mice suddenly die, what would be the frequency of the white allele?
[the number of brown mice did not change]
0.40
~If the white deer mice suddenly die, what would be the frequency of the brown allele?
[the number of brown individuals did not change]
0.60
~Is the population in Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium?
No
 EXAM 4
1. Wallace’s line is a deep-water boundary that separates islands that differ greatly
in their fauna, despite their close proximity and similar climate. Accordingly, these islands
are assigned to two different biogeographic realms, each of which has a large number of
species that are restricted to that location and found nowhere else in the world) These
species are considered
Endemic
2. Parallelism refers to which of the following patterns seen in the fossil record?
Multiple lineages evolving through similar stages.
3. _____ biogeography studies past geological events in order to understand the present
distribution of organisms, whereas _____ biogeography
Historical; Ecological
4. Which of the following provide evidence for the existence of Pangea? [Select all that
apply.]
~Continents appear to fit like a puzzle
~Similarities of ancient climates on "disjunct" continents (Paleoclimatology)
~Similar fossil species are found on disjunct continents today
~Similarities in geological rock ages and types found on disjunct continents today
5. The product of macroevolution is best described as all of the following except
Natural Selection
6. Climate change is currently taking place at such a fast rate that many species will fail to
adapt quickly enough to avoid extinction. Which of the following may limit evolution in
response to climate change?
All of the above
7. Phylogenetic evidence has been used to determine the biogeographic history of a
number of taxa. For which of the following groups is the distribution best explained by
vicariance due to continental drift rather than dispersal?
Godwanan Harvestmen

8.
What caused the isolation population to undergo rapid change in the shell morphology?
All of the above are possible contributors to rapid evolutionary change.
9. If a species is found on one island, and nowhere else in the world, what is that species
said to be to that island?
Endemic
10. Transitional fossils, such as Tiktaalik and Acanthostega, were important in
understanding the evolutionary link between _______ and ______.
Fish and Humans
11. Which of the following statements is true about fossils?
Ground water percolating down through the soil contributes to the mineralization of
buried bone.
12. Which of the following statements about the distribution of organisms is true?
Wallace’s line applied to terrestrial organisms found on islands where those West of the
line appear to have Asian origins, where those East of the “line” had Australian origins.
13. Which of the following best represents the rock cycle?
There is no particular order to the rock cycle, except that all rocks are neither created or
destroyed.
14. What has been the largest mass extinction so far?
Permian
15. Complete the following statements regarding the Species and Area cladogram below:

~Species 1 and 2 are the result of

Speciation in a single area
~Species 3, 4, 5, 6 are the result of
Vicariance/Allopatric Speciation
~The presence of Species 7 in Area B is the result of
Dispersal
16. Similar genetic patterns are found among multiple unrelated species, such as the
Lepomis punctatus (spotted sunfish), Amia calva (bowfin), Geomys pinetis (pocket
gopher), and Dicerandra sp. (coastal plain balm) in Southeastern US, suggests that
The species experienced a similar evolutionary history of isolation due to geological and
climatic events
17. Which term is used to describe how plants spread their seeds?
Dispersal
18. Which of the following is not an example of a macroevolution?
The evolution of pesticide resistance in grasshoppers.
19. Which of the following is most likely to become fossilized?
Teeth
 20. After the breakup of Gondwana, new species evolved in South America, Africa, and
Australia). Which speciation model best fits this vicariance event?
Allopatric speciation
21. Arrange the following Geologiclal Time periods in the correct order.

1.
Cambrian

2.
Ordovician

3.
Silurian

4.
Devonian

5.
Carboniferous

6.
Permian

7.
Triassic

8.
Jurassic

9.
Cretaceous

10.
Tertiary
22. All of the following are examples evidence of macroevolution, except
All of the above
23. The two main hypotheses for a taxon’s distribution are dispersal and vicariance. Which
of the following could be a useful source of data for testing these hypotheses?
All of the above can be used to test biogeographic hypotheses
24. You collect individuals from different allopatric populations of the leaf beetle
Neochlamisus bebbianae. Back in the laboratory, you conduct mate-choice experiments
to assess levels of reproductive isolation among beetles from different populations.
Assuming that ecological speciation occurred in the wild, which of the following patterns
should you expect?
Reproductive isolation that is independent of habitat type
25. The phylogenetic tree depicts the inferred relationships of several major frog groups,
with branches proportional to time (Ma=million years ago). The lower figures represent
the split up of Madagascar/India and the subsequent rafting of India towards its
contemporary position, with each event marked with an arrow on the lower scale bar
(A-D).

-India (I) is shaded as dark gray, Africa (A) is shaded as light gray, and Madagascar (M)
is shaded as an intermediate gray.
-The lineage leading to Dicroglossidae diverged before the separation of India and
Madagascar 85 Million Years ago (B).
26. The isolated population is likely to undergo ______ compared to the large population.
"rapid" evolutionary change
27. Microevolution involves _______, whereas macroevolution involves _______.
processes that occur within species; evolution above the species level (i.e., higher taxa)
28. Which of the following can promote the occurrence of extinction and speciation events?
All of the above
29. Microevolution is best described as all of the following except
Fossilization
30. Fossils are used as evidence to show that ____ has occurred.
Macroevolution
31. In the term 'realized niche,' the term 'realized' most probably means __________.
the actual role that an organism plays in its environment in the face of competition
32. USE PHOTO FROM Q25
India (I) is shaded as dark grey, Africa (A) is shaded as light grey, and Madagascar (M)
is shaded as an intermediate grey. Mantellinae began to diversify after the separation of
India and Madagascar 85 Million Years ago (B).
True
33. Which of the following is an example of a microevolution?
Change in phenotype frequencies in the peppered moth.