Evolution & History of Life

What conclusion can you draw from the amino acid chart?

• The chimp and human are the most closely related organisms with the fewest differences in their amino acid sequences.

• The human and horse are the most closely related organisms with the fewest differences in their amino acid sequences.

How is similar patterns in embryological development provide support of evolution?

• organisms have descended from a common ancestor

• vertebrates pass through each of the adult stages of their evolutionary history

• vertebrates can undergo genetic changes during development that lead to the evolution of new species

What conclusion can be drawn from the image above?

• Man evolved from gorillas which evolved from chimps

• Gibbons are most closely related to man because of similarities in their skeletal structure.

• Gorillas continued to walk on all four limbs to move around on the floor of forests, while man became bipedal to live in grasslands in order to hunt and carry food.

What is the importance of the Miller Urey experiment?

• Life began when water vapor become electrified

• Life evolved from the DNA of unicellular organisms

• Life assembled from chemical building blocks

Which sequence of events best describes the current theory of the origin of life on Earth?

• RNA formation→ DNA formation→ Development of simple bacteria

• Development of simple bacteria→ DNA formation→ RNA formation

Which is NOT required for natural selection?

• overproduction of offspring

• competition for resources

• genetic variation

• natural disasters

Which of the following is the most reliable piece of evidence ?

• Teeth from a fossil closely resemble the teeth of a modern day shark.

• DNA samples from a fossil and from a modern day shark have been compared and show a high percentage of similarities.

• Bone structures of a fossil are compared to a modern day shark and several similarities are noted.

What effect could a dramatic reduction in the size of a population have on future populations?

• increase ability to find genetically different mates

• reduce causes of mutations

• increase amount of competition

• reduce the ability to adapt to future issues/problems

How does gene flow affect populations?

• Gene flow between populations increases genetic diversity over time.

• Gene flow between populations decreases genetic diversity over time.

Which of the following conditions is least likely to have an effect on natural selection in a species of sheep that are geographically isolated on an island?

• available niches

• existing predators

• chromosome number

• available food resources