Which is strong evidence that similar traits in different evolutionary lineages are the result of homology and not homoplasy?
answer
The traits are also found in many intervening lineages on the tree of life.
question
Why is bipedalism considered a synapomorphy for hominins (the group that includes humans)?
answer
Hominins are the only mammal group to walk on two legs.
question
Which structures are homologous?
answer
oak leaf and maple leaf
question
How might paleontologists be misled by their observations of fossils?
answer
They typically only find species that were widespread and/or present on the Earth for long periods of time.
question
Which statement about fossilization is correct?
answer
Rare, local, or ephemeral species leave a poor fossil record.
question
Which of the following statements about adaptive radiation is correct?
answer
Adaptive radiation occurs within a single lineage.
question
Which organisms are not examples of an adaptive radiation?
answer
Mammals and reptiles in the post-dinosaur age
question
True or false? Convergent evolution is said to have occurred if the mouse species on two islands with similar habitats are found to have similar characteristics even though they originated from different species that did not have these characteristics.
answer
True
question
Which Anolis lizard ecomorph has long legs?
answer
Trunk/ground
question
Which of the following statements about the evolution of Anolis lizards in the Caribbean islands is true?
answer
The phylogeny of ecomorphs on a given island reveals that adaptive radiation has taken place.
question
What was the main selective pressure behind the evolution of different Anolis lizard species in the Caribbean?
answer
Specific ecological niches
question
True or false? The evolution of different ecomorphs on the Caribbean islands is an example of stabilizing selection.
answer
False
question
How do lizard species on mainland California compare in diversity to those found on islands?
answer
Due to more open ecological opportunities on a given island, greater differences occur between island species.
question
Which is the best definition of adaptive radiation?
answer
An adaptive radiation occurs when a single lineage produces many ecologically diverse descendant species in a relatively short period of time.
question
Why do mass extinctions wipe out species more or less randomly?
answer
They are caused by exceptionally harsh, short-term conditions.
question
How can mass extinction events be distinguished from background extinctions?
answer
A mass extinction occurs when at least 60 percent of species are wiped out within 1 million years.
question
Which of the following best characterizes an adaptive radiation?
answer
A single lineage diversifies rapidly, and descendant populations occupy many habitats and ecological roles.
question
What is the difference between a branch and a root on a phylogenetic tree?
answer
A branch is a population through time; a root is the most ancestral branch in the tree.
question
Which of the following is an example of homoplasy?
answer
streamlined bodies in dolphins and ichthyosaurs
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