EBK BIOLOGY: CONCEPTS AND APPLICATIONS
9th Edition
ISBN: 8220100477805
Author: STARR
Publisher: CENGAGE L
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Chapter 17, Problem 1CT
Summary Introduction
To explain:
The reason behind the thought of most biologists that referring to any modern species as primitive is incorrect.
Introduction:
On the basis of evolutionary characteristics, species have been characterized as “primitive” and “advanced.” There is a sharing of characters to some extent between species from different time periods. This sharing of characters helps in classifying species as primitive or advanced.
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Students have asked these similar questions
Species have traditionally been characterized as “primitive” and “advanced.” For example, mosses were considered to be primitive, and flowering plants advanced; crocodiles were primitive and mammals were advanced. Why do most biologists of today think it is incorrect to refer to any modern species as primitive?
A biologist is trying to infer how five closely related species of snakes are related to one another. She notices that some of the snakes have forked tongues and others do not. Which of the following would help her distinguish the ancestral state?
Group of answer choices
She looks at a representative mammal species to see if it has a forked tongue.
She locates a specimen of a more closely related snake to see if it has forked tongue.
She looks among snakes fossils for evidence that being forked is a characteristic of the ancestor of this group, but determines no such fossil exist.
She flips a coin.
Evolution is the theory that species change over time. According to this theory, new species form from existing species through variation and natural selection. The evolutionary process is very slow and the transformation of one species into another requires thousands of years. Several evidences are used to prove evolution and somehow reconstruct how this process occur:
1.Fossil Records.
2.Homologous Body Structures.
3.Vestigial structures.
4.Similarity of embryo.
5.Geographical evidence
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EBK BIOLOGY: CONCEPTS AND APPLICATIONS
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- What evidence is there that the 15 species of finch all evolved from one common ancestor? DNA analysis shows that their DNA is almost identical with only minor changes. Scientists have been studying them since Darwin in 1835 and have watched them evolve. Observation of all 15 species shows that they look incredibly similar, with minor changes to beak size and shape. These 15 species are found nowhere else in the world, and the islands are located close enough to the mainland for birds to migrate.arrow_forwardWhat did Darwin’s travels reveal to him about the number and variety of living species? How did tortoises and birds differ among the islands of the Galapagos? What is evolution? Why is referred to as a theory? Darwin found fossils of many organisms that were different from any living species. How would this finding has affected his understanding of life diversity?arrow_forward1) How have scientists created the "tree of life"? Do you think that variations exist between these created trees? 2) What are the pros and cons to creating a "tree of life"? 3) When constructing this tree of life we can see many dead ends or organisms that we are unsure of their exact placement. Why is this? 4) Choose one species (either alive today or extinct) and describe its taxonomic classification. What traits or characteristics were used to classify this species into its current taxonomic classification? What other organisms are considered to be its closest relatives?arrow_forward
- Looking at the present, the evolutionary relationships between extant species can be seen in the presence of body parts sharing a common basic design. These structures are descended from a common ancestor. Sometimes, structures which no longer serve their original function are found in modern species. What is this structure?arrow_forwardTransitional species are species important in helping scientists determine the evolutionary path that species have taken over long periods of time. Lobe-finned fishes are the ancestors of amphibians and have fossils that are found in rocks that are at least 380 million years old. Fossils of the oldest amphibian-like vertebrate animals with true legs and lungs are found in rocks that are approximately 363 million years old. Paleontologists have found a sample of rock that is approximately 370 million years old which contains what seems to be a link between lobe-finned fishes and amphibians. Which of the following is a characteristic that you would not expect to see in this transitional fossil? Question options: Skeletal structures that indicate the development of legs. An intermediate structure between lungs and gills. Teeth that are intermediate to the lobe-finned fishes and amphibians. A neck that is more flexible than lobe-finned fishes.arrow_forwardA scientist used satellite images to track the natural habitats of two species of salamanders: E. eschscholtzii (shown in green) and E. klauberi (shown in brown). What type of evidence of evolution is this? *arrow_forward
- The similar appearance between elephants and mammoths is likely a product of: convergent evolution divergent evolution artificial selection parallell evolution artificial evolutionarrow_forwardTarsiers are one of the small species of primates generally found in tropical islands like Bohol, Philippines. Gibbons are small apes usually found in the forests of Southeast Asian regions. Chimpanzees are considered to be the highest form of "thinking organisms" on Earth. The theory of evolution asserts that these species evolved from a related ancestor. By observing the given figure. How will you support or reject the said claim?arrow_forwardWhat is the difference between micro- and macroevolution? a. Microevolution describes the evolution of small organisms, such as insects, while macroevolution describes the evolution of large organisms, like people and elephants. b. Microevolution describes the evolution of microscopic entities, such as molecules and proteins, while macroevolution describes the evolution of whole organisms. c. Microevolution describes the evolution of populations, while macroevolution describes the emergence of new species over long periods of time. d. Microevolution describes the evolution of organisms over their lifetimes, while macroevolution describes the evolution of organisms over multiple generations.arrow_forward
- Scientists classify living things in order to organize the astonishing diversity of life on Earth. Modern scientists base their classifications mainly on molecular similarities. They group together organisms that have similar proteins and DNA. Molecular similarities show that organisms are related. In other words, they are descendants of a common ancestor in the past. As we said earlier in our discussion, there are species that needs to be named and some are to be discovered. However, with the current environmental situation we have at the present (pollution, exploitation of resources, forest fires, and others), these species that are yet to be identified are being endangered and at the verge of extinction. As a matter of fact, the University of Turku reported last July 1, 2020 that there are 15 million estimated different species living in our planet but 2 million of them are currently known to science. Discovering these remaining species is important for them to be protected. Also,…arrow_forwardHow are transitional fossils evidence to support the process of natural selection? They show that most species have not changed over long periods of time. They show plants and animals that once existed but do not exist now. They show intermediate steps in the evolution process. They show that every species of animals developed separately.arrow_forwardIt is known that it takes very long periods of time for new species to develop, and yet the fossil record for many organisms is characterized by long periods of Stasis (no change) followed by short bursts of intense Speciation (the disappearance of one species followed by the appearance of a new species). Thus in the fossil record, organisms seem to stay the same for long periods of time followed by a “sudden” change in the organisms (sudden with respect to evolution and geology). In other words, it appears that new species evolve suddenly as opposed to over long periods of time. The Theory of Punctuated Equilibrium helps to explain these seemingly contradictory occurrences in the fossil record. Discuss how Punctuated Equilibrium works (think about small offshoot populations that break off from the main population) and how it can explain the fossil record evidence. (Be sure to include information about why fossils of the offshoot population would be rare.)arrow_forward
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