Monophyletic and paraphyletic are important terms in describing the evolutionary
ID: 62089 • Letter: M
Question
Monophyletic and paraphyletic are important terms in describing the evolutionary relationships among taxa, partly because they call attention to potential misunderstandings about those relationships. Which definitions of monophyletic and paraphyletic are correct? Select one: a. a) A monophyletic group of species is comprised of a common ancestor species and all its descendant species. For example, the birds are monophyletic. A paraphyletic group of species is the same, except that it leaves out one or more of those descendant species. For example, reptiles are paraphyletic because they leave out the birds. b. b) No, (a) has it exactly backwards. A paraphyletic group of species is comprised of a common ancestor species and all its descendant species. For example, the birds are paraphyletic. A monophyletic group of species is the same, except that it leaves out one or more of those descendant species. For example, reptiles are monophyletic because they leave out the birds.
If a group of organisms share a trait in common, it means they're more closely related to one another than to other organisms, and we can group them as one another's closest relatives, putting them in the same taxon.
Select one:
a. a) Yes. In fact, establishing similarity is how we typically determine evolutionary relationships.
b. b) Not quite. Similarity isn't enough to establish phylogenetic relationships.
To explain the origin and maintenance of biodiversity, including humans, and to convince the public, creationists have presented the problem as black and white: you can believe in God (for Christian and Islamic versions) or you can be an atheist and believe in evolution.
Select one:
a. a) And they're right about that -- we have to make a choice or put our heads in the sand.
b. b) And they're wrong about that -- even within Christianity, just as an example, there are many denominations that hold intermediate views, accepting a blend of natural (=scientifically testable) and supernatural beliefs
One of these statements about functional shifts is FALSE. Which one?
Select one:
a. a) Most, if perhaps not quite all, complex traits evolved via functional shifts.
b. b) Functional shifts can occur in cases where a trait acquires two functions.
c. c) Functional shifts can occur when two traits have acquired the same function.
d. d) It was Charles Darwin who proposed that complex traits can evolve by functional shifts.
Proponents of Intelligent Design hold that some traits are comprised of parts so complex and interdependent that they cannot have arisen through natural selection; they must have been designed and built. Is this an argument from incredulity?
Select one:
a. a) Yes.
b. b) No.
Many simple organisms have patches of light-detecting cells on the surface of their bodies. Developmentally, it's pretty easy to turn that into a cup-shaped patch -- just increase the growth rate of the cells in the middle of the patch, or else let them grow for a little longer than the cells outside the patch.
But what would be a fitness advantage for an animal having a cup-shaped patch?
Select one:
a. a) No real advantage, but probably no real cost either -- it would be a neutral trait.
b. b) Not much real advantage by itself, but the benefit is that it's a necessary stage in the evolution of a more complex eye.
c. c) It gives the animal the ability to detect the direction that light is coming from.
d. d) It helps create a sharper image on the light-detecting cells.
Explanation / Answer
1. definitions of monophyletic and paraphyletic
a) A monophyletic group of species is comprised of a common ancestor species and all its descendant species. For example, the birds are monophyletic. A paraphyletic group of species is the same, except that it leaves out one or more of those descendant species. For example, reptiles are paraphyletic because they leave out the birds.
2.