The best description of natural selection is
a) the survival of the fittest
b) the struggle for existence
c) the reproductive success of the members of a population best adapted to the environment
d) the overproduction of offspring in environments with li

c

To Cuvier, the differences in fossils from different strata were evidence for
a) changes occurring as a result of cumulative but gradual processes
b) divine creation
c) evolution by natural selection
d) continental drift
e) local catastrophic events such

e

Darwin proposed that new species evolve from ancestral forms by
a) the gradual accumulation of adaptations to changing or different environments
b) the inheritance of acquired adaptations to the environment
c) the struggle for limited resources
d) the acc

a

All of the following influenced Darwin as he synthesized the theory of evolution by natural selection EXCEPT
a) the biogeographic distribution of species such as the mockingbirds on the Galapagos Islands
b) Lyell's book, Principles of Geology, on the grad

e

The smallest unit that can evolve is
a) an individual
b) a mating pair
c) a species
d) a population
e) a community

d

Which of the following statements is NOT considered part of the process of natural selection?
a) Many of the variations among individuals in a population are heritable
b) More offspring are produced than are able to survive and reproduce
c) Individuals wi

d

What might you conclude from the observation that the bones in your arm and hand are similar to the bones that make up a bat's wing?
a) The bones in the bat's wing are vestigial structures, no longer useful as "arm" bones.
b) The bones in a bat's wing are

b

The remnants of pelvic and leg bones in a snake
a) are vestigial structures.
b) show that lizards evolved from snakes.
c) are homologous structures.
d) provide evidence for inheritance of acquired characteristics.
e) resulted from artificial selection.

a

The hypothesis that whales evolved from land-dwelling ancestors is supported by
a) evidence form the biogeographic distribution of whales.
b) molecular comparisons of whales, fish, and reptiles.
c) historical accounts of walking whales.
d) the ability of

e

Darwin's claim that all of life descended from a common ancestor may best be supported with evidence from
a) the fossil record
b) comparative embryology
c) taxonomy
d) molecular biology
e) comparative anatomy

d

When cytochrome c molecules are compared, yeasts and molds are found to differ by approximately 46 amino acids per 100 residues (amino acids in the protein); insects and vertebrates are found to differ by 29 amino acids per 100 residues. What can one conc

c

Which was the last common ancestor of crocodiles and the lineage of lizards and snakes?
d) lineage including lizards and snakes, crocodiles, and birds

d

Which of the following can be concluded form this evolutionary tree?
a) Mammals are more closely related to amphibians than to birds.
b) Mammals are more closely related to lizards and snakes than to birds.
c) Birds are more closely related to lizards and

c

Which of the following is an example of convergent evolution?
a) the evolution of multiple-drug resistance in MRSA
b) similarities between the marsupial Tasmanian wolf and the eutherian North American wolf
c) two very different plants that are found in di

b