Textbook Questions

Which of the following is not contained in phylum Chordata?

1. Cephalochordata

2. Echinodermata

3. Urochordata

4. Vertebrata

Echinodermata, a separate phylum that includes marine animals like starfish and sea urchins, distinct from the phylum Chordata.

Which group of invertebrates is most closely related to vertebrates?

1. cephalochordates

2. echinoderms

3. arthropods

4. urochordates

Cephalochordates

Hagfish, lampreys, sharks, and tuna are all chordates that can also be classified into which group?

1. Craniates

2. Vertebrates

3. Cartilaginous fish

4. Cephalochordata

Craniates, which possess a skull and spinal column.

Members of Chondrichthyes differ from members of Osteichthyes by having (a) ________.

1. jaw

2. bony skeleton

3. cartilaginous skeleton

4. two sets of paired fins

cartilaginous skeleton, which is made primarily of cartilage instead of bone.

Members of Chondrichthyes are thought to be descended from fishes that had ________.

1. a cartilaginous skeleton

2. a bony skeleton

3. mucus glands

4. slime glands

bony skeleton, evolving into a cartilaginous structure over time.

A marine biologist catches a species of fish she has never seen before. Upon examination, she determines that the species has a predominantly cartilaginous skeleton and a swim bladder. If its pectoral fins are not fused with its head, to which category of fish does the specimen belong?

1. Rays

2. Osteichthyes

3. Sharks

4. Hagfish

Osteichthyes, a class of fish characterized by a bony skeleton and swim bladder, allowing better buoyancy control.

Which of the following is not true of Acanthostega?

1. It was aquatic.

2. It had gills.

3. It had four limbs.

4. It laid shelled eggs.

it laid shell eggs, which is incorrect as Acanthostega likely reproduced in water and did not have the adaptations for laying shelled eggs on land.

Frogs belong to which order?

1. Anura

2. Urodela

3. Caudata

4. Apoda

Anura, the order of amphibians that includes frogs and toads, characterized by a tailless adult life stage and a body adapted for jumping.

During the Mesozoic period, diapsids diverged into_______.

1. pterosaurs and dinosaurs

2. mammals and reptiles

3. lepidosaurs and archosaurs

4. Testudines and Sphenodontia

archosaurs and lepidosaurs.

Squamata includes_______.

1. crocodiles and alligators

2. turtles

3. tuataras

4. lizards and snakes

lizards and snakes, the group of reptiles characterized by their elongated bodies and lack of limbs.

Which of the following reptile groups gave rise to modern birds?

1. Lepidosaurs

2. Pterosaurs

3. Anapsids

4. Archosaurs

Archosaurs, a clade that includes dinosaurs and crocodilians, is the group that gave rise to modern birds.

A bird or feathered dinosaur is ________.

1. Neornithes

2. Archaeopteryx

3. Enantiornithes

4. Paleognathae

Archaeopteryx, an early genus of bird known for its feathered wings and transitional features between dinosaurs and modern birds.

Which of the following feather types helps to reduce drag produced by wind resistance during flight?

1. Flight feathers

2. Primary feathers

3. Secondary feathers

4. Contour feathers

Contour feathers, which smooth the bird's body and streamline its shape, helping to reduce drag during flight.

Eccrine glands produce ________.

1. sweat

2. lipids

3. scents

4. milk

Sweat, which is primarily composed of water and salts, is produced by eccrine glands to help regulate body temperature.

Monotremes include:

1. kangaroos.

2. koalas.

3. bandicoots.

4. platypuses.

Platypuses, egg-laying mammals categorized as monotremes.

The evolution of which of the following features of mammals is hardest to trace through the fossil record?

1. Jaw structure

2. Mammary glands

3. Middle ear structure

4. Development of hair

Mammary glands, which are specialized organs for producing milk in female mammals, have a complex evolutionary history that makes them difficult to trace in fossils.

Which of the following is not an anthropoid?

1. Lemurs

2. Monkeys

3. Apes

4. Humans

Lemurs, which are prosimians.

Which of the following is part of a clade believed to have died out, leaving no descendants?

1. Paranthropus robustus

2. Australopithecus africanus

3. Homo erectus

4. Homo sapiens sapiens

Paranthropus robustus, an extinct species of early hominins, is part of a clade that is believed to have no surviving descendants.

Which of the following human traits is not a shared characteristic of primates?

1. Hip structure supporting bipedalism

2. Detection and processing of three-color vision

3. Nails at the end of each digit

4. Enlarged brain area associated with vision, and reduced area associated with smell

Detection and processing of three-color vision, is a characteristic more common in some primates but is not universally shared across all primates.