AP-Biology Review

2018 (1): Which of the following observations best supports the hypothesis that a large object collided with Earth in a period of time associated with a mass extinction?

• A species found only in Australia resembles a species found only in North America.

• An analysis of radiation reaching Earth from outer space suggests that water might have existed on distant planets.

• A fossil of an extinct species of mammal is found to have morphological characteristics that are similar to those of a living nocturnal mammal.

• Iridium, which is common in meteorites but rare on Earth, is found in sedimentary rock that contains the last appearance of many species in the fossil record.

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2018 (2): Which of the following observations best represents a mutualistic relationship?

• Some bacteria and fungi obtain their nutrients by enzymatically digesting larger organisms.

• Chloroplasts in green algae provide sugars for use in cellular metabolism.

• Hermit crabs utilize empty sea snail shells to protect themselves from predators.

• Flowers produce nectar that bees gather to make honey, and in the process the bees pollinate the flowers.

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2018 (3): A blue-flowered African violet of unknown ancestry self-pollinated and produced 50 seeds. These seeds germinate and grow into flowering plants. Of these plants, 36 produce blue flowers and 14 produce pink flowers. What is the best explanation for the pink-flowered offspring?

• Blue flowers are incompletely dominant to pink flowers.

• Pink flower color is a trait recessive to blue flower color.

• Pink flower color is the result of somatic mutations in the flower color gene.

• A previous generation of the blue-flowered parent must have included 50 percent pinkflowered plants.

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2018 (4): While there is only one species of Galápagos Island tortoise, there are several subspecies. Larger islands with more wet highlands have lush vegetation near the ground. Tortoises there tend to have high-domed shells and shorter necks, which restrict upward head movement. They also have shorter limbs. They are the heaviest and largest of the subspecies.

Smaller, drier islands are inhabited by tortoises with longer necks and limbs and with shells that are elevated above the neck, which allow them to browse taller vegetation.

Based on the information given, which of the following is a plausible explanation for the ancestry of the tortoise subspecies?

• The subspecies share a recent common ancestor whose neck length, shell shape, and leg length were intermediate between the two subspecies.

• The tortoises with shorter legs and necks were most easily preyed on as young animals by the rats that were introduced, so they survived only on a few islands.

• Random mutations coupled with the inheritance of acquired characteristics resulted in distinct subspecies.

• Individuals with different adaptations in shell shape and leg length best exploited the food resources and left more surviving offspring on each island.

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2018 (5): The graph above shows the distribution of beak depth in a finch population that had been living on an island under conditions of normal rainfall. During a subsequent drought, the small seeds normally eaten by the finches were less available. Most of the available seeds were large seeds that could be eaten most easily by finches with deep beaks.

Which of the following graphs best predicts the distribution of beak depth in the finch population after several years of drought?

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(From data on page 8)

2018 (6): Based on the data in the table, which of the following best describes the habitat preference of T. atratus when introduced alone inside the meshed enclosure?

• T. atratus exhibited equal preferences for all four zones.

• T. atratus exhibited a preference for the zones in or near water.

• T. atratus exhibited a preference for the zones most distant from the water.

• T. atratus exhibited a preference to remain within the zone in which it was initially introduced.

(From data on page 8)

2018 (7): Based on the data in the table, which of the following best predicts the results of a study in which natural populations of T. atratus and T. sirtalis are observed together in an environment that includes a freshwater pond?

• Neither T. atratus nor T. sirtalis will be observed near the water.

• T. atratus will be observed near the water whether or not T. sirtalis is present.

• T. sirtalis will be observed near the water whether or not T. atratus is present.

• T. atratus and T. sirtalis will be observed together near the water.

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2018 (11): Which of the following statements best describes how a growth factor stimulates cell division from outside a cell?

• The growth factor binds to other cells in the same area and holds them together to form a large, multicellular structure.

• The growth factor binds to receptors on the cell surface, initiating a signal transduction pathway that activates specific target genes.

• The growth factor binds to sugar molecules in the extracellular fluid and provides them to the cell as a source of energy.

• The growth factor binds to phospholipids in the plasma membrane, creating a channel through which substances enter the cell.

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2018 (12): (Read the Question on the Exam)

• P and S only

• Q and T only

• R and W only

• U and W only

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2018 (13): Which of the following changes to the environment will most likely lead to more energy entering the meadow community represented above?

• Increasing the number of nesting sites for hawks and owls

• Removing squirrels from the area

• Increasing the light available to the plants

• Applying a chemical pesticide that is specific for spiders

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