Chapter 4

Evolution and Biodiversity

Multiple Choice Questions

Origins of Life

1. Which of the following factors makes life on earth possible?

a. the earth’s orbit is the correct distance from the sun
b. the amount of oxygen present in the atmosphere is not too little or too much
c. temperatures remain relatively stale despite an increased amount of energy emitted from the sun
d. an ozone layer exists due to the evolution of plants
e. All of the above.

2. Evidence for the evolution of life comes from all of the following except
a. chemical experiments.
b. fossils.
c. chemical analysis of ancient rocks and core samples.
d. the Bible and the Koran.
e. DNA mutations

3. Within a population and due to competition between individuals, those individuals with an advantage will
survive to pass their genes on to the next generation. This idea is called
a. evolution
b. adaptation
c. Darwinian theory
d. speciation
e. natural selection

4. Which of the following best describe biologists' current hypothesis about the production of the earth's first
atmospheric oxygen?
a. Photosynthesis by terrestrial plants produced atmospheric oxygen.
b. The breakdown of iron ore deposits produced atmospheric oxygen.
c. Photosynthesis by cyanobacteria produced atmospheric oxygen.
d. Chemosynthesis by terrestrial plants produced atmospheric oxygen.
e. Chemosynthesis by aquatic plants produced atmospheric oxygen.

5. The most likely sequence for the biological evolution of life is

a. aerobic prokaryotes—photosynthetic prokaryotes—anaerobic prokaryotes—eukaryotes—
multicellular organisms.
b. photosynthetic prokaryotes—anaerobic prokaryotes—aerobic prokaryotes—eukaryotes—
multicellular organisms.
c. anaerobic prokaryotes—photosynthetic prokaryotes—aerobic prokaryotes—eukaryotes—
multicellular organisms.
d. eukaryotes—anaerobic prokaryotes—photosynthetic prokaryotes—aerobic prokaryotes—
multicellular organisms.
e. aerobic prokaryotes—eukaryotes—anaerobic prokaryotes photosynthetic prokaryotes—multicellular
organisms.

6. The fossil record is incomplete because

a. not all fossils have been found.
b. some fossils have decomposed.
c. some life forms left no fossils.
d. All of these answers.
e. None of these answers.

7. You are a fossil hunter. Which of the following are you least likely to find in a fossil?
a. bone
 b. leaves
c. teeth
d. muscle
e. shells

Evolution, Natural Selection, and Adaptation

8. A change in the genetic composition of a population over successive generations is called

a. emigration.
b. mutation.
c. natural selection.
d. evolution.
e. genetic drift

9. Mutations can be caused by

a. ultraviolet light.
b. X rays.
c. certain chemicals.
d. radioactivity
e. All of these answers.

10. Mutations are

a. always occurring in patterns.
b. always helpful to the organism they occur in.
c. a source of new genetic material.
d. always harmful.
e. All of these answers.

11 Any heritable trait that enables an organism to survive through natural selection and reproduce better
under prevailing environmental conditions is called
a. evolution
b. adaptation
c. natural selection
d. a mutation
e. None of the above.

12 Coevolution can involve the interaction of

a. plants and herbivores.
b. pollinators and flowers.
c. parasites and hosts.
d. plant roots and fungi.
e. All of these answers.

D 13 Which of the following is false? Coevolution

a. occurs when interacting species exert selective pressures on each other.
b. occurs between plants and the herbivores that eat them.
c. may play a role in the evolution of camouflage.
d. leads to competitive relationships.
e. All of these answers.

M 14 Over the course of time, the change in the gene pool of one species may lead to the change of the gene
pool of another species. This process is called
a. coevolution.
b. microevolution.
c. convergent evolution.
d. macroevolution.
e. diversifying natural selection.
Geologic Process, Climate Change, Catastrophes, and Evolution

15. The movement of tectonic plates influences evolution by

a. increasing atmospheric carbon, changing the location of different types of ecosystems
b. leaving deposits of lava, wiping out or reducing populations of species
c. changing the locations of continents, causing some species to be geographically isolated from others
d. increasing soil richness and thus species diversity
e. causing mass extinctions that open up opportunities of new species

16. Which of the following events have forced species to adapt to environmental conditions or go extinct?
a. drastic heating and cooling of the earth
b. meteorites and asteroids hitting the earth
c. upheaval of the earth’s crust
d. a and b only
e. All of the above.

Ecological Niches and Adaptation

17. An organism's niche is analogous to its

a. address.
b. way of life.
c. food source.
d. trash dump.
e. All of these answers.

18. The process in which one species evolves into a variety of species is called
a. coevolution.
b. microevolution.
c. divergent evolution.
d. macroevolution.
e. diversifying natural selection.

19. A hummingbird would be considered a specialist species because

a. it can only eat one certain type of food
b. it can live in a variety of habitats
c. it can tolerate a wide range of temperatures
d. Only a and c are true.
e. All of the above are true.

Speciation, Extinction, and Biodiversity

20. Which of the following statements is false?

a. Genetic diversity helps prevent a species from becoming extinct.
b. The phenomenon in which animals with favorable adaptation reproduce more rapidly is called
differential reproduction.
c. Geographic isolation is a common mechanism contributing to speciation.
d. By definition, the fittest animals are the largest and strongest animals.
e. Biologists estimate that 99% of all the species that have ever existed are now extinct.

21. Geographic isolation may result from

a. a volcanic eruption.
b. an earthquake.
c. a mountain range.
d. a river
e. All of these answers.

22. Darwin's description of macroevolution as an accumulation of steady, small evolutionary changes is best
described as
a. dynamic equilibrium.
 b. a steady state hypothesis.
c. a punctuated equilibrium hypothesis.
d. a gradualist model of evolution.
e. natural selection

23. Gould's view of macroevolution as long periods of relatively little change interrupted by short periods of
relatively rapid change is best described as
a. dynamic equilibrium.
b. a steady state hypothesis.
c. a punctuated equilibrium hypothesis.
d. a gradualist model of evolution.
e. natural selection

24. Patterns of speciation and extinction are least likely to be affected by

a. climatic changes.
b. continental drift.
c. meteorites crashing into the earth.
d. changes in the weather.
e. human activity

25. It takes on the order of _____ years for adaptive radiations to rebuild biological diversity after a mass
extinction.
a. 100
b. 100 thousand
c. 1 million
d. 10 million
e. 100 million