The discovery of collagen protein in T. rex fossils primarily supported which concept? A) Convergent evolution B) Molecular homoplasy C) Integration of molecular and morphological evidence D) Paraphyletic grouping
C) Integration of molecular and morphological evidence — Molecular data confirmed morphology-based phylogenetic predictions.
Fossils showing dinosaurs brooding eggs provided evidence for: A) Molecular clocks B) Phylogenetic prediction testing C) Polyphyletic grouping D) Genetic drift
B) Phylogenetic prediction testing — Fossils confirmed behavioral predictions made from phylogenetic trees.
The similarity between Australian and North American moles is best explained by: A) Shared recent ancestry B) Orthologous genes C) Convergent evolution D) Molecular clock calibration
C) Convergent evolution — Similar burrowing adaptations evolved independently.
Hawaiian silverswords are morphologically diverse but genetically similar. This best illustrates: A) Molecular homoplasy B) Adaptive radiation C) Gene duplication D) Polyphyly
B) Adaptive radiation — Rapid diversification from a common ancestor into different ecological niches.
Why are gaps inserted during DNA sequence alignment? A) To increase mutation rates B) To maximize homologous positions C) To eliminate homoplasy D) To reduce sample size
B) To maximize homologous positions — Insertions/deletions must be accounted for before comparison.
When two species share identical nucleotides by chance rather than ancestry, this is called: A) Synapomorphy B) Orthology C) Molecular homoplasy D) Calibration
C) Molecular homoplasy — Similarity due to chance, not shared ancestry.
rRNA genes are most useful for studying: A) Recent divergences B) Deep evolutionary relationships C) Rapid viral evolution D) Gene duplication events
B) Deep evolutionary relationships — rRNA evolves slowly and is useful for ancient splits.
Mitochondrial DNA is often used to study recent evolutionary events because it: A) Evolves slowly B) Recombines frequently C) Evolves rapidly D) Is present only in plants
C) Evolves rapidly — High mutation rate makes it useful for recent divergence.
When constructing a phylogenetic tree, which genes should be compared? A) Paralogous genes B) Orthologous genes C) Any duplicated genes D) Regulatory sequences only
B) Orthologous genes — They diverged after speciation and reflect species relationships.
The expansion of olfactory receptor genes in mice illustrates: A) Convergent evolution B) Speciation C) Gene duplication D) Molecular clock calibration
C) Gene duplication — Gene families arise from duplication events.
The fact that humans share ~50% of genes with yeast demonstrates: A) Rapid evolution B) Deep common ancestry C) Horizontal gene transfer D) Polyphyly
B) Deep common ancestry — Many core genes are conserved across eukaryotes.
Molecular clocks require fossil calibration because: A) Mutation rates are identical in all species B) Mutation rates vary C) DNA never mutates D) Proteins evolve faster than DNA
B) Mutation rates vary — Fossils anchor divergence time estimates.
Phylogenetic analysis of HIV demonstrated that it: A) Originated in birds B) Was created recently C) Evolved from primate viruses D) Does not mutate
C) Evolved from primate viruses — HIV descended from simian immunodeficiency viruses.
DNA barcoding using the CO1 gene is especially useful for: A) Studying ancient fossils B) Identifying cryptic species C) Measuring mutation rates D) Creating paraphyletic groups
B) Identifying cryptic species — CO1 sequences distinguish species that look similar morphologically.
Maximum likelihood is often preferred over parsimony because it: A) Always produces fewer changes B) Accounts for different mutation probabilities C) Ignores homoplasy D) Does not use computers
B) Accounts for different mutation probabilities — It evaluates statistical probability of mutations across the tree.
