Jordan Bioscience II Final Part 3

Archaeopteryx is known for its long, bony tail. This characteristic distinguishes it from modern birds, as they have shorter, more flexible tails. The long tail of Archaeopteryx is believed to have played a role in its ability to maneuver and maintain balance while flying. This feature is considered an important evolutionary adaptation in the transition from dinosaurs to birds.

Based on the given data, there is a negative deviation from expected brain size for some bird species, indicating that their brain sizes are smaller than expected based on their body mass. On the other hand, there are positive deviations, suggesting that some bird species have larger brain sizes than expected. The statement that larger than expected brain sizes are associated with lower mortality rates is the most reasonable because it suggests a potential advantage for birds with larger brains. This advantage could be increased intelligence, which helps them find food or escape predators. However, it is important to note that the data provided do not directly address this relationship.

Monotremes, such as the platypus and the echidna, are more closely related to placental mammals than to marsupial mammals. However, unlike placental and marsupial mammals, monotremes lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. This makes them oviparous. Therefore, the correct answer explains the unique reproductive characteristic of monotremes, which is the fact that they lay eggs at birth instead of giving birth to motile young.

Amphibians deposit their eggs outside the body, while reptiles and birds have eggs with membranes or shells that protect the zygote from arid conditions. This difference in reproductive strategy between amphibians and reptiles/birds leads to a difference in fertilization method. Amphibians have external fertilization, where the eggs are fertilized outside the body, while reptiles and birds have internal fertilization, where the eggs are fertilized inside the body. This is because amphibians rely on an aquatic environment for successful reproduction, while reptiles and birds are less dependent on water.

Coral animals are not protists. They are actually invertebrate animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. They form a symbiotic relationship with algae, which provide them with nutrients through photosynthesis. They primarily feed on small organisms and plankton using their tentacles, and they are most active during the night.

Bryophytes are plants that have flagellated gametes, which means that their reproductive cells have a whip-like tail that allows them to swim in water. This is a characteristic that is not found in fungi, as fungi do not have flagellated gametes. Fungi reproduce through the production of spores, which are also found in bryophytes. The statement about the sporophyte life stage being more prominent than the gametophyte life stage is not true for bryophytes, as their gametophyte stage is the dominant stage in their life cycle. Both bryophytes and fungi have cell walls made of chitin, and they are both heterotrophs, meaning they obtain their nutrients from organic sources.

Humans and other primates having digits that permit grasping is the greatest support for their close evolutionary relationship. This is because the ability to grasp objects with precision is a specialized trait that is found in both chimps and humans. The presence of this trait suggests a common ancestor and a shared evolutionary history. Other traits mentioned in the options, such as HOX genes, mammary glands, DNA with introns, and the same number of chromosomes, may also be shared between humans and chimps, but the ability to grasp objects is a more distinctive and significant characteristic that directly points to their close evolutionary relationship.

The correct answer is A because the data indicates that the two Neanderthals differed at 3.5% of their bases, suggesting they are closely related. In contrast, the Neanderthals and H. sapiens differed on average at 24% of the bases, indicating a greater genetic distance between them. The phylogenetic tree in option A likely reflects this relationship, with the two Neanderthals grouped together and separate from H. sapiens.

The correct answer is a vascular system. When plants first moved from aquatic to terrestrial habitats, they needed a way to transport water, nutrients, and sugars throughout their bodies. The evolution of a vascular system allowed for the efficient movement of these substances, enabling plants to grow taller and explore various ecological settings. This adaptation was crucial for their successful colonization of terrestrial habitats.

The coelacanth is notable because it is a rare modern representative of a lineage of fish previously thought to be extinct. This means that it belongs to a group of fish that was believed to have disappeared from the Earth, but was later discovered to still exist. This makes the coelacanth a significant find in the field of paleontology and evolutionary biology.

The answer explains that all angiosperms share basic similarities in their flowers and fruits, such as having 4 whorls of modified leaves that serve different functions. This observation suggests that all angiosperms had a common ancestor.

The lateral line system is a sensory system found in fish that allows them to detect movements and vibrations in the water. This system consists of a series of sensory organs called neuromasts, which are located along the fish's body. These neuromasts can detect changes in water pressure and movement, helping the fish to navigate and orient themselves in their aquatic environment. This ability to sense their surroundings is crucial for fish to find food, avoid predators, and navigate through their habitat. Therefore, the statement that the lateral line system permits fish to orient in water is true.

The observation that the larva of a sea squirt has a hollow nerve cord positioned on the "back" or dorsal surface of the organism supports the theory that vertebrates evolved from a lineage of urochordate-like organisms. This is because vertebrates also have a hollow nerve cord, known as the spinal cord, located on the dorsal surface of their bodies. The presence of this similar feature in both sea squirts and vertebrates suggests a common ancestry and evolutionary relationship between the two groups.

The correct answer is about the cell plate that grows during cytokinesis. The cell plate is formed during cell division and is composed of the materials that make up the cell wall and plasma membrane. This process occurs in both plant and animal cells, but the cell plate is specific to plant cells. It plays a crucial role in separating the two daughter cells and forming their individual cell walls.

During the mass extinction event 250 million years ago, the ocean levels did not reach their highest level ever seen on Earth. This is because the extinction event was caused by a variety of factors such as volcanic activity and a decrease in oxygen concentration, but not by an increase in ocean levels.

The given answer suggests that if hypothesis #1 is correct, there should be greater genetic variability in east-central Africans compared to other regions. This is because hypothesis #1 states that modern humans arose once in east-central Africa and subsequently spread around the world. Therefore, the genetic diversity would be expected to be higher in the region where humans originated. This explanation is consistent with the concept of genetic diversity being highest in the ancestral population and decreasing as populations migrate and diverge.

In a healthy coral mutualistic relationship, the photosynthetic partner is a protist. This means that the photosynthetic partner is a type of single-celled organism that can perform photosynthesis, converting sunlight into energy. This is beneficial for the coral as it provides a source of nutrients and energy. The protist, in turn, benefits from the shelter and protection provided by the coral. This mutualistic relationship allows both organisms to thrive and is essential for the health of the coral reef ecosystem.

E is also correct

If the mtDNA analysis found that the Neanderthal DNA had greater variability than that found in the H. SAPIENS sampled, then phylogeny A below must be correct. This statement is not correct because the variability of mtDNA does not necessarily determine the phylogenetic relationship between Neanderthals and modern humans. Variability in mtDNA can be influenced by various factors such as population size, genetic drift, and natural selection, and does not provide conclusive evidence for phylogenetic relationships.

The correct answer suggests that the reason for dinosaur dominance during their time was the breakup of Pangaea by plate tectonic movements. As a result of this breakup, the earth warmed and massive tropical forests covered much of its surface, providing large amounts of food to fuel the metabolic needs of dinosaurs. This explanation implies that the availability of abundant food resources in the form of tropical forests played a significant role in the dominance of dinosaurs as the dominant vertebrate group during their era.

The greater genetic diversity in the mitochondrial DNA of Asians compared to Europeans suggests that the southerly migration out of Africa occurred first. This is because genetic diversity tends to decrease as populations migrate away from their original location. Therefore, the higher genetic diversity in Asians indicates that they have had more time to accumulate genetic variations since the initial migration. On the other hand, Europeans, who would have migrated later, have had less time to accumulate genetic diversity, resulting in lower mitochondrial DNA diversity.

Charophytes should feature mitosis most similar to that of land plants because they are the closest living relatives of land plants. Charophytes share many similarities with land plants, including the presence of a cell wall composed of cellulose and the use of similar mechanisms for cell division. Therefore, it is likely that the nuclear envelope disintegrates during mitosis in charophytes, just like in land plants.