Natural Selection and Evolution Review

1. The forelimbs of humans, cats, whales, and bats are similar in structure due to having a common ancestor hundreds of millions of years ago. Is this considered homology or analogy?

• Homology

• analogy

If modern organisms have a lot of homologous structures, what inference might paleontologists make about those organisms?

• They are reptiles

• The organisms have a common ancestor

• One organism evolved from the other.

• The organisms are best friends

Which of the following answer choices best identifies the taxonomic sequence of scientific names for the following organism, "Bos taurus"?

• Genus = Bos and Species = tarus

• Domain = Bos and Kingdom = tarus

• Kingdom = Bos and Domain = tarus

• Species = Bos and Genus = tarus

A severe drought on the island where the following finch species lived resulted in tiny seeds. Over time, the overall finch population saw an increase in the frequency of species 4 and a decline in species 1, 2, and 3. What is this scenario the best example of?

• Frequency inversion due to the changes in amounts of finches found.

• Natural selection due to differential fitness.

• Mutation due to the variation in the beak sizes.

• Camouflage due to the change in coloring of the finches' feathers.

Which mechanism of evolution introduces new genetic variation that did not previously exist?

• Gene flow

• Genetic drift

• Mutation

• Artificial selection

Zoos frequently exchange animals for breeding purposes, rather than always mating animals with animals from the same zoo. Which natural mechanism of evolution does this artificial practice most closely resemble?

• Natural Selection

• Mutation

• Gene Flow

• Genetic Drift

The table below shows DNA differences in the hemoglobin gene between humans and other species. Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on this data?

• The shark is most closely related to the dolphin

• The shark and the human share the least recent common ancestor.

• The hamster is most closely to the human

• The turtle and the human share the most recent common ancestor.

Based on the table, which species share the most recent common ancestor?

• E. ferus and D. polylepis

• A. forsteri and E. africanus

• E. ferus and E. africanus.

• D. polylepis and E. africanus

750 deer were living peacefully in a forest. Humans decided that they wanted the wood from the forest and cut down many of the trees in the forest. As such the deer population quickly decreased to only 100. The genetic diversity of the population has drastically decreased because of this. Which mechanism of evolution is shown in this example.

• Genetic Drift

• Mutations

• Non-random mating

• Gene Flow

Bats are common in Texas, especially in rocky regions. Bats with longer hang claws have demonstrated high fitness because of the ability to cling to rock while resting. This adaptation is becoming more frequent in this population. What mechanism of evolution is this?

• Natural Selection

• Non-random mating

• Gene Flow

• Genetic Drift