Evolution and Diversity of Life Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What term did Darwin use to describe the concept of species evolving through descent from ancestral species?

Natural selection

Theory of use and disuse

Descent with modification (correct)

Artificial selection

Which of the following was NOT one of the four observations Darwin noted in nature regarding natural selection?

Members of a population often vary greatly in their traits

Traits are inherited from parents to offspring

Species arise from a common ancestor (correct)

All species are capable of producing more offspring than the environment can support

What is the primary process by which humans modify other species according to Darwin?

Artificial selection (correct)

Natural selection

Biological adaptation

Einstein's theory

Which best describes the outcome of the speciation observed in the Galápagos finches?

Finches adapted to different environments and evolved into separate species. Signup and view all the answers

Which concept suggests that traits acquired during an organism's lifetime can be passed on to its offspring?

Theory of use and disuse Signup and view all the answers

What was one key idea that Darwin rejected in favor of his own evolutionary theory?

Species evolve through the inheritance of acquired traits. Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between adaptation and speciation as understood by Darwin?

Adaptation contributes to the origin of new species. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement reflects the consequences of natural selection in populations over time?

Favorable traits become more prevalent as the environment changes. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary hypothesis proposed by the endosymbiont theory?

Mitochondria and plastids were once free-living prokaryotes. Signup and view all the answers

Which event does the Cambrian explosion primarily signify?

The emergence of modern animal phyla. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement describes the timeline of land colonization by life forms?

Plants and fungi colonized land before animals. Signup and view all the answers

What geological process is explained by the continental drift theory?

Movement of continents over the mantle. Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of marine animal species became extinct during the Permian extinction?

96% Signup and view all the answers

What is one suggested cause of mass extinction events?

Major volcanic eruptions. Signup and view all the answers

During which time frame do the earliest fossils of eukaryotic cells date back to?

2.1 billion years ago. Signup and view all the answers

What significant event is associated with the formation of the supercontinent Pangaea?

Effects on global ecosystems. Signup and view all the answers

What type of evidence suggests a meteorite impact occurred about 65 million years ago?

Presence of iridium in sedimentary rocks Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes the system of naming organisms published by Carolus Linnaeus?

Binomial nomenclature Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between bryophytes and vascular plants?

Presence of vascular tissue Signup and view all the answers

What are the two clades into which seedless vascular plants can be divided?

Lycophytes and Pterophytes Signup and view all the answers

Which taxonomic group is the broadest in Linnaeus's hierarchical classification system?

Domain Signup and view all the answers

In binomial nomenclature, how is the species specific epithet presented?

Italicized only Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is true about seed plants?

They form a clade and include gymnosperms and angiosperms. Signup and view all the answers

What classification level is referred to as a 'taxon'?

Any taxonomic group at any level Signup and view all the answers

What structures do liverworts primarily lack?

Leaves and seeds Signup and view all the answers

Which life stage is dominant in liverworts?

Gametophyte Signup and view all the answers

In mosses, what plays a crucial role in reproduction?

Water for sperm mobility Signup and view all the answers

How do mosses absorb water?

Via osmosis from the surface of the gametophyte Signup and view all the answers

What are gemmae in liverworts used for?

Asexual reproduction Signup and view all the answers

What type of habitat do bryophytes typically occupy?

Moist environments Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of mosses' rhizoids compared to liverworts' rhizoids?

Mosses have multicellular rhizoids Signup and view all the answers

What is one ecological importance of mosses?

They absorb and retain rainwater Signup and view all the answers

What type of life cycle do ferns (Pteridophyta) exhibit?

Sporic life cycle with sporophyte predominance Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is true for whisk ferns (Psilotopsida)?

They exhibit homospory. Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant feature of horse tails (Equisetopsida)?

They possess segmented stems that are photosynthetic. Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes giant ferns (Marattiopsida) from other fern groups?

They are known to have coiled young leaves. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements is correct regarding Lycophyte sporangia?

They often condense sporangia-bearing leaves into strobili. Signup and view all the answers

What is a defining feature of true ferns (Pteridopsida)?

Their leaves are termed fronds due to apical growth. Signup and view all the answers

In tongue ferns (Ophioglossopsida), what structural feature is present in their leaves?

Leaves are bisected, forming sporophylls and leaf blades. Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is incorrect for Pteridophyta?

They possess developed secondary thickening. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Evolution

Darwin's theory of evolution, published in The Origin of Species in 1859, describes the diversity of life as a result of descent with modification.
Darwin observed the adaptations of plants and animals in various environments.
Lamarck's theory of use and disuse states that organs evolve through use or disuse and that acquired characteristics are inherited.
Darwin studied Galapagos finches, finding that speciation occurred on the islands.
Darwin proposed natural selection as a mechanism for adaptive evolution.
Artificial selection is the process of breeding individuals with desired traits.

Diversity of Life

Taxonomy involves classifying organisms and determining their evolutionary relationships.
Phylogeny is the evolutionary history of a species or group of related species.
Systematics uses various data to infer evolutionary relationships.
Carolus Linnaeus developed a system for grouping species in a hierarchy: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

Plant Diversity

Plant evolution can be traced from ancestral species to land plants, both vascular and non-vascular.
Bryophytes (non-vascular plants) lack vascular tissue, true leaves, seeds, and flowers.
Vascular plants have vascular tissue and can be divided into seedless vascular and seed plants.

Non-vascular Plants

Bryophytes, like liverworts, mosses, and hornworts, occupy moist habitats.
Liverworts have leaf-like photosynthetic tissues but lack true roots, stems, and leaves.
Liverworts have a dominant gametophyte stage and reproduce using gemmae, small pieces of haploid tissue.
Mosses have coarser rhizoids, tiny leaves, and a dominant gametophyte stage.
Mosses play ecological roles such as absorbing and retaining rainwater.

Seedless Vascular Plants

Lycophytes, like club mosses, have sporangia associated with leaves, which often form strobili.
Lycophytes were dominant plants in Carboniferous swamp forests, and their remains formed coal.
Pterophytes, like ferns, have a sporic life cycle with a dominant sporophyte and a reduced gametophyte.
Pteridophyta have true roots, but no secondary thickening.

Ferns

Horsetails have segmented stems, reduced leaves, underground rhizomes, and unique sporangia associated with stalked sporangiophores.
Whisk ferns grow as epiphytes and lack roots.
Tongue ferns have underground rhizomes, bisected leaves, and underground gametophytes.
Giant ferns have large, compound leaves, short stems, and stipules.
True ferns have unique sporangia called leptosporangia, fronds (leaves), and megaphyllous characteristics.

Early Life on Earth

Stromatolites, dating back 3.5 billion years, are the oldest fossils of prokaryotes.
Prokaryotes were the sole inhabitants of Earth from 3.5 to 2.1 billion years ago.
Eukaryotic cells emerged around 2.1 billion years ago.
The endosymbiont theory suggests that mitochondria and plastids originated from prokaryotic cells living inside host cells.

Key Events in Earth's History

The “snowball Earth” hypothesis suggests periods of extreme glaciation from 750 to 580 million years ago.
The Cambrian Explosion saw the sudden appearance of fossils resembling modern phyla around 535 to 525 million years ago.
Fungi, plants, and animals began colonizing land around 500 million years ago.
Tetrapods evolved from lobe-finned fishes around 365 million years ago.

Continental Drift and Mass Extinction

The Earth's continents have assembled into supercontinents multiple times.
The most recent supercontinent, Pangaea, formed around 250 million years ago.
Mass extinction events have occurred throughout Earth's history, resulting in significant biodiversity loss.
Five major extinction events have occurred, each wiping out more than 50% of Earth's species.
The Permian extinction, caused by volcanism and global warming, wiped out about 96% of marine animal species.
The Cretaceous mass extinction, caused by a meteorite impact, wiped out dinosaurs and other species.
The Chicxulub crater off the coast of Mexico is evidence of the impact event.

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Description

Test your knowledge on Darwin's theories of evolution and the classifications in taxonomy. Explore concepts like natural selection, phylogeny, and the contributions of early naturalists. This quiz will help you understand the complex relationships within the diversity of life on Earth.