Download Biology MCAS Prep 12/13 Topic: Evolution and Biodiversity

Biology MCAS Prep 12/13
Topic: Evolution and Biodiversity
Question of the Day: How does natural selection account for animal diversity here in New
England?
Key terms: Common ancestor, Selectional Pressure (Disruptive, Stabilizing, Directional),
natural selection, evolve, species,
Multiple Choice:
1. Which of the following observations best supports the conclusion that
dolphins and sharks do not have a recent common ancestor?
A. Dolphins form social groups, but sharks are solitary.
B. Dolphins hunt during the day, but sharks are nocturnal.
C. The number of dolphin species is far less than the number of shark species.
D The jawbone structure in dolphins is very different from the jawbone structure in
sharks.
2. A species of ivy invades the beetles’ current habitat and becomes the
dominant form of vegetation. The color of the ivy’s leaves is similar to the
beetles’ average color.
Considering selective pressure on the beetles from predatory birds, which type
of natural selection will most likely occur in this situation?
A. disruptive
B. stabilizing
C. directional toward dark body
color
D. directional toward light body
color
3. Suppose scientists observe a shift in the distribution of body colors in the
beetle population over time. Which of the following observations best supports
the conclusion that the population has evolved?
A.
The reproductive rate for individual beetles has increased.
B.
The size of the beetle population has increased significantly.
C.
The sequences of body color genes are different among the individual beetles.
D.
The frequencies of the alleles for body color in the beetle population have
changed.
4. Which of the following situations will most likely lead to disruptive natural
A.
B.
C.
D.
selection?
the introduction of a competing insect species that has a light body color
the preference of female beetles to mate with only dark-colored male beetles
the outbreak of plant diseases that either produce dark spots on leaves or cause leaves to lose their
color
the removal of almost all the vegetation from the habitat, exposing the light-colored soil
underneath the vegetation
5. Insects that are camouflaged in their environment are less likely to be eaten
by birds. The graph below shows the distribution of body color in a population
of an insect species.
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are needed to see this picture.
The insects live on trees. A black fungus begins to grow on the trees where the
insects live.
Which of the following graphs shows the most likely distribution of body color
in the insect population after several years of fungus growth?
A.
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6. Two groups of organisms are found living on opposite sides of an island. An
active volcano prevents each group from traveling to the opposite side of the
island. Scientists want to know if these two groups of organisms belong to the
same species.
The answer to which of the following questions would most help scientists
determine whether the two groups belong to the same species?
A.
Do the two groups eat the same kinds of food?
B.
Are the two groups active at the same times each day?
C.
Can the two groups interbreed to produce fertile offspring?
D. Do the two groups use similar anatomical structures for the same
purpose?
7. Fossils of snakes with hind limbs but no forelimbs have been discovered.
Which of the following conclusions is best supported by this fossil evidence?
A.
Snakes are likely to evolve limbs in the future.
B.
Snakes are well adapted to live on land without limbs.
C.
Snakes have evolved from an ancestral reptile with
limbs.
D. Snakes are poor competitors compared to reptiles with
limbs.
8. A group of mammals migrates away from the general population to a new
habitat. Under which of the following conditions will this group most likely
develop into a separate species?
A.
The new habitat is geographically close to the old habitat.
B.
The group returns to the general population each mating season.
C.
The ratio of males to females in the group is different than in the general
population.
D. The new habitat has conditions that differ significantly from those in the old
habitat.
9. A species of newt produces a toxin that can kill predators. Scientists have
observed that some garter snakes can feed on the newts because they have a
natural resistance to the toxin.
In areas where populations of newts and garter snakes interact, which of the
following predictions is best supported by evolutionary theory?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The garter snakes with resistance to the toxin will successfully reproduce and pass the trait on to
their offspring.
The garter snakes without resistance to the toxin will acquire resistance by increasing the rate at
which they feed on the newts.
The newts that produce low levels of toxin will also develop camouflage adaptations that allow
them to hide from the garter snakes.
The newts will stop making the toxin rather than continue to use energy to make a toxin that is
ineffective against the garter snakes.
10. Which of the following statements best explains why the chestnut-sided
warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica, and the cerulean warbler, Dendroica cerulea,
are classified as closely related species?
A.
They eat the same types of insects.
B.
They have similar DNA sequences.
C.
They show similarities in their nesting
behaviors.
D. They live in the same types of woodland
habitats.
11. Long-tailed weasels and European otters are both classified into the family
Mustelidae. Which of the following types of information was most likely used
to classify these animals into the same family?
A. food source
B. skeletal structure
C. location of
habitat
D. method of
movement
12. Two groups of very similar-looking finches are found on the Galápagos
Islands. One group of finches is found only on Floreana Island. The other group
of finches is found on several of the islands, including Floreana Island. On
Floreana Island, these two groups of finches do not interbreed.
Which of the following conclusions is best supported by this information?
A.
The two groups of finches have the same song.
B.
The two groups of finches are different species.
C.
The two groups of finches adapted to eat the same foods.
D.
The two groups of finches descended from different
ancestors.
13. Some areas of a forest contain rich soil, while in other areas the soil is poor.
Plants of a certain species grow taller in the rich soil than in the poor soil. The
taller plants receive more sunlight and are able to produce more offspring than
the shorter plants. If these offspring grow in rich soil, they are tall, but if they
grow in poor soil, they are short.
Which of the following statements best explains why this situation is not an
example of evolution by natural selection?
A. The observed differences in plant height are not due to genetics.
B. The differences in soil conditions do not affect all plants equally.
C. The short plants and tall plants are not isolated enough from each other.
D The short plants are not accumulating gene mutations as quickly as the tall
plants.
A.
B.
C.
D.
14. Which of the following is the best example of natural selection?
The lifespan of a chimpanzee is extended to 60 years in captivity.
The population size of giraffes changes over time as a result of immigration.
The bone density of a human increases significantly as a result of participation in sports.
The average toxin level in a poisonous frog population increases over time in response to high
predation.
15. The diagram below shows many finch species that originated from a single
ancestral finch species in the Galápagos Islands.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Which of the following statements best explains why many different finch
species originated from the single ancestral species?
A.
Populations adapted to environmental pressures.
B.
Recessive traits in populations were eliminated over time.
C.
Individuals acquired unique characteristics during their
lifetimes.
D.
Random mutation caused some individuals to have harmful
traits.
Open Response:
1. The graph below shows trends in bacterial resistance to different
antibiotics in pneumonia cases from 1986 to 1999.
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decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
The graph shows the changes in antibiotic resistance of Streptococcus
pneumoniae over time.
a. Based on the graph, which antibiotic had Streptococcus pneumoniae become
most resistant to by 1999?
b.Describe what usually happens to a population of Streptococcus pneumoniae
immediately after it is exposed to a new antibiotic.
c. Explain, in detail, how antibiotic-resistant populations of Streptococcus
pneumoniae develop over time as a result of the process of natural selection.
2. In contrast to web-building spiders, hunting spiders spend most of their time
on the ground hunting prey. In a population of hunting spiders, a range of body
colors from light brown to dark brown is observed. The graph below shows the
distribution of body color in this particular spider population.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
a. Describe the most likely appearance of the ground on which the spiders live
and hunt. Explain your answer.
b. Suppose the spiders’ main prey begins to dwell primarily on dark vegetation
rather than on the ground. What will most likely happen to the distribution of
body color in the spider population over the next 50 years? Make a graph to
show the expected distribution, and explain your answer.