The osmoregulatory/excretory system of an earthworm is based on the operation of
_____.
A) protonephridia
B) metanephridia
C) Malpighian tubules
D) nephrons
Which of the following is an example of alternation of generations?
A) A grandparent and grandchild each have dark hair, but the parent has blond hair.
B) A diploid plant (sporophyte) produces, by meiosis, a spore that gives rise to a
multicellular, haploid pollen grain (gametophyte).
C) A diploid animal produces gametes by meiosis, and the gametes undergo fertilization
to produce a diploid zygote.
D) A haploid mushroom produces gametes by mitosis, and the gametes undergo
fertilization, which is immediately followed by meiosis.
After telophase I of meiosis, the chromosomal makeup of each daughter cell is _____.
A) diploid, and the chromosomes are each composed of a single chromatid
B) diploid, and the chromosomes are each composed of two chromatids
C) haploid, and the chromosomes are each composed of a single chromatid
D) haploid, and the chromosomes are each composed of two chromatids
Dwarf mistletoes are flowering plants that grow on certain forest trees. They obtain
nutrients and water from the vascular tissues of the trees. The trees derive no known
benefits from the dwarf mistletoes. Which of the following best describes the
interactions between dwarf mistletoes and trees?
A) mutualism
B) parasitism
C) competition
D) facilitation
Lateral inhibition via amacrine cells in the mammalian retina _____.
A) underlies habituation of vision
B) enhances visual contrast
C) prevents bleaching in bright light
D) recycles neurotransmitter molecules
Natural selection involves energetic trade-offs between _____.
A) choosing how many offspring to produce over the course of a lifetime and how long
to live
B) producing large numbers of gametes when employing internal fertilization versus
fewer numbers of gametes when employing external fertilization
C) increasing the number of individuals produced during each reproductive episode and
a corresponding decrease in parental care
D) high survival rates of offspring and the cost of parental care
What probably explains why coastal and inland garter snakes react differently to banana
slug prey?
A) Ancestors of coastal snakes that could eat the abundant banana slugs had increased
fitness. No such selection occurred inland, where banana slugs were absent.
B) Banana slugs are camouflaged, and inland snakes, which have poorer vision than
coastal snakes, are less able to see them.
C) Garter snakes learn about prey from other garter snakes. Inland garter snakes have
fewer types of prey because they are less social.
D) Inland banana slugs are distasteful, so inland snakes learn to avoid them. Coastal
banana slugs are palatable to garter snakes.
Given that early land plants most likely share a common ancestor with green algae, the
earliest land plants were most likely _____.
A) nonvascular plants that grew leafless, photosynthetic shoots
B) species that did not exhibit alternation of generations
C) vascular plants with well-defined root systems
D) plants with well-developed leaves
The hydrostatic skeleton of the earthworm allows it to move around in its environment
by _____.
A) walking on its limbs
B) swimming with its setae
C) using peristaltic contractions of its circular and longitudinal muscles
D) alternating contractions and relaxations of its flagella
Use the following information to answer the question(s) below.
The Brazil nut tree, Bertholletia excels (n = 17), is native to tropical rain forests of
South America. It is a hardwood tree that can grow to over 50 meters tall, is a source of
high-quality lumber, and is a favorite nesting site for harpy eagles. As the rainy season
ends, tough-walled fruits, each containing 8-25 seeds (Brazil nuts), fall to the forest
floor. Brazil nuts are composed primarily of endosperm. About $50 million worth of
nuts are harvested each year. Scientists have discovered that the pale yellow flowers of
Brazil nut trees cannot fertilize themselves and admit only female orchid bees as
pollinators. The agouti (Dasyprocta spp.), a cat-sized rodent, is the only animal with
teeth strong enough to crack the hard wall of Brazil nut fruits. It typically eats some of
the seeds, buries others, and leaves still others inside the fruit, which moisture can now
enter. The uneaten seeds may subsequently germinate.
Many mammals have skins and mucous membranes that are sensitive to phenolic
secretions of plants like poison oak (Rhus). These secondary compounds are primarily
adaptations that _____.
A) favor pollination
B) foster seed dispersal
C) decrease competition
D) inhibit herbivory
If the sequence of a cDNA has matches with DNA sequences in the genome, then this
genomic DNA is likely to _____.
A) code for a protein
B) code for an rRNA
C) be part of an intron
D) be a regulatory sequence
Use the following information to answer the question(s) below.
Nudibranchs, a type of predatory sea slug, can have various protuberances (that is,
extensions) on their dorsal surfaces. Rhinophores are paired structures, located close to
the head, which bear many chemoreceptors. Dorsal plummules, usually located
posteriorly, perform respiratory gas exchange. Cerata usually cover much of the dorsal
surface and contain nematocysts at their tips.
The claws (fangs) on the foremost trunk segment of centipedes have a function most
similar to that of _____.
A) rhinophores
B) dorsal plummules
C) cerata
D) chemoreceptors
A P. bursaria cell that has lost its zoochlorellae is said to be aposymbiotic. It might be
able to replenish its contingent of zoochlorellae by ingesting them without subsequently
digesting them. Which of the following situations would be most favorable to the
reestablishment of resident zoochlorellae, assuming compatible Chlorella are present in
P. bursaria’shabitat?
A) abundant light, no bacterial prey
B) abundant light, abundant bacterial prey
C) no light, no bacterial prey
D) no light, abundant bacterial prey
Which statement describes how climate might change if Earth was 75 percent land and
25 percent water?
A) Terrestrial ecosystems would likely experience more precipitation.
B) Earth’s daytime temperatures would be higher and nighttime temperatures lower.
C) Summers would be longer and winters shorter at midlatitude locations.
D) Earth would experience an unprecedented global warming.
Why might the cricket genome have eleven times as many base pairs as that of
Drosophila melanogaster?
A) Crickets have higher gene density.
B) Drosophila are more complex organisms.
C) Crickets must have more noncoding DNA.
D) Crickets must make many more proteins.
Chordate pharyngeal slits appear to have functioned first as _____.
A) the digestive system’s opening
B) suspension-feeding devices
C) components of the jaw
D) sites of respiration
Biologists sometimes divide living organisms into two groups: autotrophs and
heterotrophs. These two groups differ in _____.
A) their sources of energy
B) their electron acceptors
C) their mode of nutrition
D) the way that they generate ATP
A zoologist analyzes the jawbones of an extinct mammal and concludes that it was an
herbivore. The zoologist most likely came to this conclusion based upon _____.
A) the position of muscle attachment sites
B) the shape of the teeth
C) the size of the mouth opening
D) the angle of the teeth in the mouth
Use the following information to answer the question(s) below.
An elementary school science teacher decided to liven up the classroom with a
saltwater aquarium. Knowing that saltwater aquaria can be quite a hassle, the teacher
proceeded stepwise. First, the teacher conditioned the water. Next, the teacher decided
to stock the tank with various marine invertebrates, including a polychaete, a siliceous
sponge, several bivalves, a shrimp, several sea anemones of different types, a colonial
hydra, a few coral species, an ectoproct, a sea star, and several herbivorous gastropod
varieties. Lastly, she added some vertebratesa parrotfish and a clownfish. She arranged
for daily feedings of copepods and feeder fish.
One day, Tommy, a student in an undersupervised class of forty fifth graders, got the
urge to pet Nemo (the clownfish), who was swimming among the waving petals of a
pretty underwater “flower” that had a big hole in the midst of the petals. Tommy
giggled upon finding that these petals felt sticky. A few hours later, Tommy was in the
nurse’s office with nausea and cramps. Microscopic examination of his fingers would
probably have revealed the presence of _____.
A) teeth marks
B) spines
C) spicules
D) nematocysts
Use the following table to answer the question(s) below.
Proposed Number of HoxGenes in Various Extant and Extinct Animals
What conclusion is apparent from the data in the table above?
A) Land animals have more Hox genes than do those that live in water.
B) All bilaterian phyla have had the same degree of expansion in their numbers of Hox
genes.
C) The expansion in number of Hox genes throughout vertebrate evolution cannot be
explained merely by three duplications of the ancestral vertebrate Hox cluster.
D) Extant insects all have seven Hox genes.
For the following questions, match the labeled component of the cell membrane in
the figure with its description.
Which component is a peripheral protein?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Use the following information to answer the question(s) below.
Suzanne Simard and colleagues knew that the same mycorrhizal fungal species could
colonize multiple types of trees. They wondered if the same fungal individual would
colonize different trees, forming an underground network that potentially could
transport carbon and nutrients from one tree to another (S. Simard et al. 1997. Net
transfer of carbon between mycorrhizal tree species in the field. Nature 388:579-82).
Figure A illustrates the team’s experimental setup. Pots containing seedlings of three
different tree species were set up and grown under natural conditions for three years;
two of the three species (Douglas fir, birch) formed ectomycorrhizae and the other
(cedar) formed arbuscular mycorrhizae. For the experiment, the researchers placed
airtight bags over the Douglas fir and birch seedlings; into each bag, they injected either
carbon dioxide made from carbon-13 or carbon-14 (13CO2 and 14CO2, isotopes of
carbon). As the seedlings photosynthesized, the radioactive carbon dioxide was
converted into radioactively labeled sugars that could be tracked and measured by the
researchers.
Refer to Figure A. Which of the following results would support Simard et al.’s (1997)
hypothesis that fungi can move carbon from one plant to another? [Hypothesis: Sugars
made by one plant during photosynthesis can travel through a mycorrhizal fungus and
be incorporated into the tissues of another plant.]
A) Carbon-14 is found in the birch seedling’s tissues and carbon-13 in the Douglas fir.
B) Carbon-14 is found in the Douglas fir seedling’s tissues and carbon-13 in the birch.
C) Either carbon-13 or carbon-14 is found in the fungal tissues.
D) Either carbon-13 or carbon-14 is found in the cedar seedling’s tissues.
In a hypothetical situation, a certain species of flea feeds only on pronghorn antelopes.
In the western United States, pronghorns and cattle often associate with one another in
the same open rangeland. Some of these fleas develop a strong preference for cattle
blood and mate only with other fleas that prefer cattle blood. The host mammal can be
considered as the fleas’ habitat. If this situation persists, and new species evolve, this
would be an example of _____.
A) sympatric speciation and habitat isolation
B) sympatric speciation and temporal isolation
C) allopatric speciation and habitat isolation
D) allopatric speciation and gametic isolation
Which of these characteristics added most to vertebrate success in relatively dry
environments?
A) the shelled, amniotic egg
B) the ability to maintain a constant body temperature
C) two pairs of appendages
D) a four-chambered heart
All things being equal, which of these is the most parsimonious explanation for the
change in the number of Hox genes from the last common ancestor of insects and
vertebrates to ancestral vertebrates, as shown in the table above?
A) The occurrence of seven independent duplications of individual Hox genes.
B) The occurrence of two distinct duplications of the entire seven-gene cluster,
followed by the loss of one cluster.
C) The occurrence of a single duplication of the entire seven-gene cluster.
Primate evolution and behavior, such as hunting skills, have been directed in part by the
development of depth perception. What anatomical change made depth perception
possible?
A) a larger brain
B) the formation of compound eyes
C) movement of the eyes to the front of the head
D) diurnal activity
Bioinformatics includes _____.
I. using computer programs to align DNA sequences
II. creating recombinant DNA from separate species
III. developing computer-based tools for genome analysis
IV. using mathematical tools to make sense of biological systems
A) I and II
B) II and III
C) II and IV
D) I, III, and IV
A black guinea pig crossed with an albino guinea pig produced twelve black offspring.
When the albino was crossed with a second black animal, six blacks and six albinos
were obtained. What is the best explanation for this genetic situation?
A) Albino is recessive; black is dominant.
B) Albino is dominant; black is incompletely dominant.
C) Albino and black are codominant.
D) Albino is recessive; black is codominant.
Consider the following reaction at equilibrium: What would be
the effect of adding additional H2CO3?
A) It would drive the equilibrium dynamics to the right.
B) It would drive the equilibrium dynamics to the left.
C) Nothing would happen, because the reactants and products are in equilibrium.
D) The amounts of CO2 and H2O would decrease.
The structural integrity of bacteria is to peptidoglycan as the structural integrity of plant
spores is to _____.
A) lignin
B) cellulose
C) secondary compounds
D) sporopollenin
What are the products of linear electron flow?
A) heat and fluorescence
B) ATP and P700
C) ATP and NADPH
D) ADP and NADP+
A current view of how the human and chimpanzee can share most of their nucleotide
sequence yet exhibit significant phenotypic differences is that many of the most
important sequence differences alter _____.
A) structural genes
B) the number of repeated sequences
C) regulatory sequences
D) environmental factors
Which of the following was a challenge to the survival of the first land plants?
A) too much sunlight
B) a shortage of carbon dioxide
C) desiccation
D) animal predation