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- 1. Multiple Choice
What does each node of a phylogenetic tree represent?
A combining of separate populations into one large population
A time interval of approximately 1000 years
An event that splits a single lineage into two lineages
A documented piece of fossil evidence
- 2. Multiple Choice
Which statement about the relatedness of organisms is true?
Organisms living now cannot be related to extinct organisms that died out thousands of years ago.
Because they are physically separated, two organisms living in completely different parts of the world cannot be related.
For organisms to be related to one another, they must share similar physical traits.
A relationship exists between any two organisms because they share a common ancestor.
- 3. Multiple Choice
What is the difference between a root and a node of a phylogenetic tree?
A root represents all living species, whereas a node represents a single species.
A root represents living species that have undergone little or no evolutionary change, whereas a node represents living species that have undergone evolutionary change.
A root represents an extinct species, whereas a node represents a living species.
A root represents the earliest ancestor that all species have in common, whereas a node represents later ancestors that some species have in common.
- 4. Multiple Choice
Which statement about phylogenetic trees is false?
Rotation of lineages around a node can change the meaning of a phylogenetic tree.
A node is another word for branching point on a phylogenetic tree.
Both large and small groups of organisms can be used to construct a phylogenetic tree.
A phylogenetic tree is a representation of evolutionary relationships among organisms.
- 5. Multiple Choice
A group of species that consists of a common ancestor and all of its evolutionary descendants is called a
population
lineage
clade
taxon
- 6. Multiple Choice
Which group of species represents a clade?
A, B, D, and E
B, C, and D
C and E
D, C and E
- 7. Multiple Choice
Which diagram conveys phylogenetic information that differs from the others?
Tree 1
Tree 2
Tree 3
Tree 4
- 8. Multiple Choice
What statement is consistent with this phylogenetic tree?
Lampreys and lizards do not have a common ancestor.
Perch and crocodiles have the same common ancestor as chimpanzees and lampreys.
Pigeons and mice belong to sister clades.
Salamanders and mice cannot be grouped in the same clade.
- 9. Multiple Choice
Biologists would use a phylogenetic tree to
date a fossil
compare developmental stages within a species
classify a newly-discovered species
predict effects of environmental change on an organism's life span
- 10. Multiple Choice
Any features shared by two species and inherited from a common ancestor are said to be
Homologous
Convergent
Phylogenetic
Ancestral
- 11. Multiple Choice
A phylogenetic analysis of a group of organisms can
provide information about when specific traits evolved.
help pinpoint when a particular genetic mutation occurred.
allow biologists to make predictions about the relationship between traits and selective pressures.
identify the sequence of evolutionary change in a particular lineage.
- 12. Multiple Choice
Which pair of organisms has the most shared derived traits?
Cow; whale
Whale; lizard
Lizard; hawk
Horse; cow
- 13. Multiple Choice
Similar traits that arise independently in different lineages through convergent evolution are called
Homologous traits
Homoplastic traits
Derived traits
Synapomorphies
- 14. Multiple Choice
What synapomorphies are shared by lizards and salamanders?
Lungs only
Lungs and jaws
Lungs, jaws, and claws/nails
Lungs and claws/nails
- 15. Multiple Choice
Derived traits that are shared among a group of organisms are called
homoplasies
synapomorphies
convergent traits
parsimonies
- 16. Multiple Choice
Which statement about traits and phylogeny is true?
All similar traits are evidence of relatedness
All shared traits are synapomorphies
All synapomorphies can be classified as either ancestral or derived traits, depending on the point of reference.
Some traits can appear to have different origins but evolved from a common ancestor
through evolutionary reversal.
- 17. Multiple Choice
Biologists have observed a similar change in several distantly related vertebrates. These organisms all decreased in size when they migrated from the mainland to different islands. The most likely explanation for this shared similarity is that the traits
resulted from synapomorphy.
arose by convergent evolution.
evolved as homologous traits.
share the same ancestral genes.
- 18. Multiple Choice
Why are the bones making up bird and bat wings considered to be homologous, but the wings as a whole are not?
The bones in birds and bats are similar in appearance, whereas the wing structures in these organisms are very different.
Bone traits are governed by fewer genetic elements than wing traits, which are more complex.
Bone traits are under much different selective pressures from the environment than wing traits.
Bone traits existed in a common ancestor from long ago, while wing traits evolved after the bird and bat lineages split.
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