CHAPTER 24—SYSTEMATICS AND PHYLOGENETICS: REVEALING THE
TREE OF LIFE
1. The classification of species often leads to
a.
understanding evolutionary relationships that directly and positively influence human
health.
b.
new phylums.
c.
a list of names with no significance to biological function.
d.
new evolutionary theories.
e.
a decrease in the actual number of species that exist.
2. What is a reason for the eradication of malaria in Europe owing a debt to systematics?
a.
Systematists developed insecticides to fight malaria.
b.
Systematists re-categorized mosquitoes into six species.
c.
Systematists discovered that mosquitoes breed in standing water.
d.
Systematists cloned the genes for malaria
e.
Systematists developed new insecticides.
3. The eradication of malaria in Europe resulted from a specific breakthrough in the science of
a.
systematics.
b.
ecology.
c.
evolutionary studies.
d.
pest control.
e.
sanitation.
4. A plant systematist aims to
a.
identify and name plant species.
b.
classify plant species within larger groups.
c.
understand the evolutionary history and relationships of plant species.
d.
Identify and name plant species, and classify plant species within larger groups
e.
Identify and name plant species, classify plant species within larger groups and understand
the evolutionary history and relationships of plant species.
5. In what other areas of biological study is systematics important?
a.
ecology
b.
physiology
c.
anatomy
d.
genetics
e.
all of the these
6. The twin goals of systematics concern
a.
taxonomy and ecology.
b.
phylogeny and taxonomy.
c.
phylogeny and ecology.
d.
taxonomy and disease control.
e.
phylogeny and disease control.
7. In the taxonomic hierarchy, a family consists of a group of similar
a.
orders.
b.
classes.
c.
species.
d.
genera.
e.
domains.
8. A formal 2-part name, or binomial, combines the names of
a.
a family plus a genus.
b.
a class plus a specific epithet.
c.
a genus plus a specific epithet.
d.
a family plus a class.
e.
a family plus a specific epithet.
9. Which of the following lists of taxonomic levels is in correct order, from largest to smallest?
a.
domain – kingdom – phylum – class
b.
species – kingdom – family – order
c.
genus – family – order – species
d.
phylum – genus – family – species
e.
kingdom – family – class – order
10. Who was responsible for establishing the classification system that uses binomial nomenclature?
a.
Charles Darwin
b.
Louis Pasteur
c.
Carolus Linnaeus
d.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
e.
Gregor Mendel
11. Given the plant species’ name Claytonia virginica, what might you surmise about it?
a.
It was named in honor of somebody named Clayton and was found it in Virginia.
b.
It grows on clay soils in virgin forests.
c.
It was described and named by someone named Clayton
d.
It is related to Ostrya virginiana.
e.
Absolutely nothing.
12. According to the convention for properly writing Latin binomials, the scientific name for modern
human beings should be written as
a.
Homo sapiens.
b.
Homo Sapiens.
c.
Homo sapiens.
d.
homo sapiens.
e.
homo sapiens.
13. A diagram that hypothesizes a set of organisms’ evolutionary relationships to one another is a
a.
comparison tree.
b.
phylogenetic tree.
c.
classification tree.
d.
taxonomic tree.
e.
species tree
14. When describing phylogenetic trees, each branching point is called a
a.
clade
d.
lineage
b.
node
e.
split
c.
point
15. By definition, a monophyletic lineage is a
a.
clade.
b.
taxon.
c.
genus.
d.
family.
e.
phylogenetic tree.
16. A group that contains species from separate evolutionary lineages is
a.
paraphyletic.
b.
polyphyletic.
c.
monophyletic.
d.
haplophyletic.
e.
multiphyletic.
17. The Class Reptilia is a group of species that share a common ancestor, but does not include all of that
ancestor’s descendants. It is therefore considered to be
a.
monophyletic.
b.
polyphyletic.
c.
paraphyletic.
d.
an outgroup.
e.
a mosaic.
18. In developing his classification, Linnaeus focused on
a.
chromosomal anatomy.
b.
morphology.
c.
physiology.
d.
behavioral traits.
e.
molecular sequences.
19. Which of the following pairs of traits are homologous?
a.
butterfly wings and bat wings
b.
the surface areas of bird and bat wings
c.
the bones of bird and bat wings
d.
butterfly wings and bird wings
e.
bird wings and bat wings
20. Behavioral traits are useful in distinguishing among species because
a.
behaviors are always genetically determined.
b.
courtship behaviors and timing of mating may create prezygotic isolation.
c.
behaviors are easy to assess in dead and fossilized specimens.
d.
behaviors are independent of morphological characteristics.
e.
behaviors are always learned
21. Which of the following kinds of traits was originally used for classifying organisms into taxonomic
categories?
a.
morphology and behavior
b.
DNA and amino acid sequences
c.
physiology and biochemical pathways
d.
geography and ecology
e.
morphology and physiology
22. Morphological characteristics are widely used for taxonomic classifications because
a.
they are the most likely indicators of evolutionary relationships.
b.
they are the most likely to represent reproductive isolation among groups.
c.
they are easy to assess in living, preserved, or fossilized specimens.
d.
they are always the exact phenotypic expression of genotypes.
e.
they indicate genetic relatedness.
23. Characters that provide evidence for evolutionary relationship are
a.
homologous.
b.
analogous.
c.
taxonomic.
d.
convergent.
e.
morphological.
24. Character changes in molecular sequences are generated by
a.
insertions.
b.
deletions.
c.
substitutions.
d.
base pairing.
e.
insertions, deletions, and substitutions.
25. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has advanced an understanding of systematics because it allows
a.
for analysis of morphological traits.
b.
for analysis of small amounts of DNA from dried museum specimens and some fossils.
c.
for the reconstruction of entire individuals from a small amount of DNA.
d.
for the reconstruction of entire individuals from a small amount of RNA.
e.
for the analysis of an entire genome from a small fragment of the genome.
26. Phenotypic similarities that provide no information about shared ancestry are called
a.
homologies.
b.
homoplasies.
c.
morphological.
d.
anatomical.
e.
mosaic characters.
27. The wings of birds and the wings of bats represent
a.
homologous structures.
b.
analogous structures.
c.
homoplastic structures.
d.
vestigial structures.
e.
structures that are homoplastic but with homologous components.
28. Which lineage(s) diverged before the turtle lineage?
a.
mammalian
d.
mammalian and amphibian
b.
amphibian
e.
amphibian and lizard
c.
lizard
29. Which of the following innovations merits birds being a separate class?
a.
wings
d.
metabolic rate and dry skin
b.
metabolic rate
e.
wings, flight and metabolic rate
c.
wings and flight
30. The closest living relatives of birds are
a.
mammals.
b.
snakes and lizards.
c.
turtles.
d.
crocodiles.
e.
amphibians.
31. SINEs in molecular phylogenetics are
a.
Substituted Integrated Elements.
b.
Short Interspersed Elements.
c.
Single Insertion Elements.
d.
Smart Innovative Entrepreneurs.
e.
Species Inter-related Elements.
32. A recent study of SINEs in whales and other mammals generated results that show that whales are
derived from a common ancestor with
a.
pigs and camels.
b.
dogs and cats.
c.
ruminants and hippos.
d.
sharks and rays.
e.
elephants and horses.
33. The LEAST most parsimonious explanation for the existence of beaks in birds is that
a.
they arose once in a common ancestor of beaked groups.
b.
they arose multiple times in different bird lineages.
c.
they are a product of convergent evolution among birds.
d.
they are not a genetically determined trait, and thus independent characters.
e.
they arose one time in one bird lineage
34. Fossils of plants found in deeper geologic layers do not show vascular tissues, while fossils in
shallower geologic layers include some specimens with and some without vascular tissues. Thus,
vascular tissue in plants is considered a ____ character.
a.
ancestral
b.
mosaic
c.
primitive
d.
derived
e.
physiologically essential
35. The Phylocode is a set of rules for
a.
naming traditional taxa.
b.
making a phylogenetic tree.
c.
naming clades.
d.
creating binomials.
e.
insuring strict monophyly in classification.
36. A diagram of relationships that are constructed objectively using a table of discrete characters is called
a
a.
karyogram.
b.
phylogenetic tree.
c.
character tree.
d.
cladogram.
e.
genetic tree.
37. On a cladogram, branches represent
a.
common ancestors.
b.
groups of organisms that share a common ancestor.
c.
distinguishing characters.
d.
common characters.
e.
extinct species.
38. A molecular clock is based on
a.
measurement of daylength by pigment complexes.
b.
daily changes in amino acid sequence in specialized proteins.
c.
regulation of the order in which genes are turned on.
d.
precise oscillations of atoms in a crystal.
e.
a constant rate of mutation in DNA sequences.
39. Gene sequences that evolve at a constant rate can be used to
a.
index the time of divergence between two
species.
d.
index the number of extinct species within
a lineage.
b.
calculate speciation rates across lineages.
e.
calculate extinction rates across lineages.
c.
calculate speciation rates within different
lineages.
40. The most parsimonious inference about the evolution of parental care behavior in crocodilians and
birds is
a.
it evolved once in the common ancestor of
the two groups.
d.
it is a learned behavior.
b.
the derived character state is an
apomorphy.
e.
parental care arose due to coevolution.
c.
it evolved numerous times within each
lineage.
41. Currently, taxonomic domains include
a.
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, and Species.
b.
Plants, Animals, Fungi, Protists, and Monerans.
c.
Archaea, Bacteria, Eukarya.
d.
Mammalia, Insecta, Aves, and Planta.
e.
North America, South America, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia.
42. The movement of genetic material from one clade to another is called
a.
gene substitution.
b.
polyphyly.
c.
hybridization.
d.
cloning.
e.
horizontal gene transfer.
43. Which of the following is the most important contribution of molecular phylogenetics?
a.
the discovery of rRNA
b.
the reanalysis of the morphology of Amborella trichopoda
c.
the reorganization of living systems from five to six Kingdoms
d.
the reorganization of living systems into three domains
e.
the realization that morphological characters are not representative of phylogenetic
relationships
44. The systematics of today is very different than the systematics learned a generation ago. As a result,
which of the following statements do we know to be entirely inaccurate?
a.
the biological species concept has no validity
b.
the number of existing species is known with certainty
c.
the Linnaean system of classification is wrong most of the time
d.
morphological traits are not reliable for determining species relationships
e.
evolutionary based classification has entirely re-organized the classification and categories
of organisms and their relationships to one another.
45. Birds and mammals are considered polyphyletic when considering that
a.
birds have wings and mammals do not.
b.
birds have feathers and mammals do not.
c.
birds and mammals do not share the same common reptilian ancestor.
d.
birds and mammals cannot interbreed.
e.
molecular clock data indicates birds and mammals diverged at the same time.
46. Of the following choices, the best outgroup to use to resolve a phylogeny for great apes would be
a.
lemurs.
b.
butterflies.
c.
angiosperms.
d.
slime molds.
e.
Archaea.
47. Which of the following is/are inaccurate about the Linnaean system of classification?
a.
It does not rely on molecular data.
b.
It does not contribute to an understanding of evolutionary relationships.
c.
It does not help solve problems that are related to human health and welfare.
d.
Both a and b are inaccurate.
e.
Both b and c are inaccurate.
492
Match each of the following terms with its correct definition.
a.
Cladistic system of naming groups based on evolutionary relationships
b.
Distantly related group used as a comparison in a phylogeny
c.
Similarities in characters that arose from shared ancestry
d.
Technique to amplify DNA for use in sequencing
e.
Group with one ancestral species and all of its descendants
f.
Mutation rate that indexes time of divergence among groups
g.
Highest level of taxonomic hierarchy
h.
Variation in rates of evolution of characters within a group
i.
Identifying, naming, and classifying species
j.
Evolutionary history of a group of organisms
k.
Phenotypic similarities that arose in different lineages
48. Phylogeny
49. Taxonomy
50. Domain
51. Homology
52. Homoplasy
53. Mosaic Evolution
54. Outgroup
55. Monophyletic taxa
56. Phylocode
57. Molecular clock
58. PCR
Canis canis, Carnivora, Animalia, Mammalia, Chordata, Canis, Canidae, Eukarya
(Least Inclusive)
(Most Inclusive)
Species
Genus
Canidae
Family
Carnivora
Order
Mammalia
Class
Chordata
Phylum
Animalia
Kingdom
Eukarya
Domain
ANS:
60. Describe the difference between anagenesis and cladogenesis?
61. Why is the traditionally defined taxon Reptilia paraphyletic?
62. Describe why many systematists adopt the principle of parsimony?
63. Carolus Linnaeus developed a classification system for organisms based on their DNA sequences.
64. Common names for a species may vary widely among different groups of people who use those
names, and thus are not reliable for scientific use.
65. Systematists strive to organize taxa that represent monophyletic groups.
66. Homoplasies are the result of convergent evolution.
67. Homoplasies are useful characters for phylogenetic analyses.
495
68. Traditional evolutionary systematics used Linnaean systems of classification.
69. Polymerase Chain Reaction is a technique to produce multiple copies of a sequence of DNA.
70. Cladograms allow for paraphyletic and polyphyletic groupings
71. A plant systematist studies the physiological systems of plants.
72. All evolutionarily meaningful characters evolve at the same rate.
73. The traditional Kingdom Monera is currently divided between two Domains.
Alignment
74. Consider the following DNA sequences:
Segment A:
A A T G C G G T A C A T G C A T T G
Segment B:
A A T G G C G G T A C A T G C A T T G
Segment C:
A A T G C G G A C A T G C T T G
Segment D:
A A T G G G G T A C A T C C A T T G
Part A: Align the segments.
Segment A:
Segment B:
Segment C:
Segment D:
Part B: Assuming segment A is the ancestral group, indicate where the following mutations
have occurred in the derived groups.
Insertions:
Deletions:
Substitutions:
Segment A:
A A T G C G G T A C A T G C A T T G
Segment B:
A A T G G C G G T A C A T G C A T T G
Segment C:
A A T G C G G A C A T G C T T G
Segment D:
A A T G G G G T A C A T C C A T T G
Segment B:
G insertion between positions 4 and 5
Segment D:
Substitution of G for C at position 5, substitution of C for G at position 13
497
75. Refer to the figure below for the following question(s).
Using the information in the following table, fill in the cladogram with the appropriate groups (A-J)
and the distinguishing characteristics (K-S).
©2014 Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
R.
S.
A.
Lancelets
B.
Lampreys
Sharks
D.
Bony fishes
E.
Amphibians
F.
Mammals
G.
Turtles
H.
Lizards
Crocodilians
Birds
K.
Vertebrae
L.
Jaws
M.
Swim bladder or lungs
N.
Paired limbs
O.
Extraembryonic membranes
P.
Dry, scaly skin
Q.
Two openings at back of skull
One opening in front of eye
S.
Feathers
76. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using molecular sequences for phylogenetic analysis.
Describe the methods a molecular systematist would use to resolve the hypotheses generated by
multiple possible phylogenies from molecular data. Then, explain how systematists might resolve a
strongly supported molecular phylogeny with a different traditionally established morphological
phylogeny.
77. A conservation manager is planning to reintroduce collared lizards into an isolated glade in Missouri,
where she assumes they have gone locally extinct. Several other isolated glades in the region have
populations of collared lizards from which she can draw. Based on your understandings of
phylogenetics, provide arguments for why she should draw individuals from a single extant glade
population versus from multiple extant glade populations to repopulate the empty glade. What tools
might she use to make this decision?
78. Explain how the Linnaean system of classification, although developed without any concept of
evolutionary theory, provided a reasonable, if not perfect, framework for later application of
evolutionary systematics. What limitations of the Linnaean system have spurred cladists to argue for
its abandonment and replacement by modern cladistic approaches?