37 Questions
Which scientist is credited with instituting the two-part format of the scientific name, commonly called a binomial?
Carolus Linnaeus
What is the first part of a binomial in the scientific name of an organism?
The genus name
Why do biologists refer to organisms by Latin scientific names?
To avoid ambiguity in communication
Which of the following is true about the Linnaean system of classification?
It places related genera in the same family.
What is a taxon?
A named taxonomic unit at any level of the hierarchy.
Why might a species be misclassified within a genus?
It has lost a key feature shared by its close relatives.
What does the Linnaean system tell us about the evolutionary relationships between different groups of organisms?
It reflects the branching patterns of phylogenetic trees.
Which of the following is true about phylogenetic trees?
Phylogenetic trees represent a hypothesis about evolutionary relationships.
What is a sister taxon?
A group of organisms that share an immediate common ancestor not shared by any other group.
What is a basal taxon?
A lineage that diverges from all other members of its group early in the history of the group.
What is the importance of gathering information about morphology, genes, and biochemistry in inferring phylogeny?
To focus on features that result from common ancestry.
According to the text, what assumption underlies the use of a molecular clock?
The assumption that base changes in an organism's DNA occur at a constant rate.
Based on the text, how could it happen that a molecular clock dates the divergence of two taxa at 80 million years ago, but new fossil evidence shows that the taxa diverged at least 120 million years ago?
The molecular clock is inaccurate.
According to the text, how could numerous base changes occur in an organism's DNA yet have no effect on its fitness?
The base changes occur in non-coding regions of the DNA.
Which of the following best describes molecular homoplasies?
Coincidental matches in DNA sequences
Which discipline uses data from DNA and other molecules to determine evolutionary relationships?
Molecular systematics
Which pair of species is more likely to be closely related based on similar appearances and divergent gene sequences?
Species A and species B
What is the purpose of a molecular clock in evolutionary biology?
To measure the absolute time of evolutionary change
Which of the following best describes convergent evolution?
Similarity between organisms due to analogy
What is the main difference between Australian moles and North American moles?
Australian moles are marsupials, while North American moles are eutherians.
What is the significance of complex structures with many similar elements in determining shared ancestry?
Complex structures with many similar elements are more likely to have a common ancestor.
What do comparable DNA sequences in distantly related species usually have?
Comparable DNA sequences in distantly related species usually have different bases at many sites and may have different lengths.
Which of the following best explains why some genes evolve faster than others?
The importance of the gene for survival
What is the main reason why molecular clocks do not always run smoothly?
The effect of natural selection on DNA changes
Why are estimates of divergence times using molecular clocks highly uncertain?
The constant rate assumption of molecular clocks
How have researchers overcome problems with molecular clocks in estimating divergence times?
By using many genes instead of a few
Which domain consists of all organisms with cells containing true nuclei?
Eukarya
Which kingdom is now considered obsolete because it would have members in two different domains?
Monera
What process involves the transfer of genes between different genomes?
Horizontal gene transfer
What is the main reason why phylogenetic trees built using different genes can give inconsistent results?
Horizontal gene transfer
Which of the following is a reason why biologists adopted a three-domain system instead of a two-kingdom system?
Prokaryotes differ as much from each other as they do from eukaryotes
Which of the following is true about the three domains of life?
They were discovered through the analysis of DNA and protein sequence data
Which of the following is true about the domain Archaea?
It contains most of the currently known prokaryotes
Which of the following is true about horizontal gene transfer?
It has played a key role throughout the evolutionary history of life
What is the main difference between the alga Galdieria sulphuraria and most eukaryotes?
All of the above
Which of the following best describes the early history of life according to some biologists?
A tangled network of connected branches
What is the significance of horizontal gene transfer in the evolutionary history of life?
It has led to the fusion of organisms and the origin of eukaryotes
Biol 107 lecture 2
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