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Kardong 1e
An Introduction to Biological Evolution
Kenneth Kardong, Washington State University---Pullman
Extinction

Practice Quiz



1

Most species that have gone extinct over the history of life have done so during mass extinctions.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
2

Which of the following is true about the expected equilibrium number of species on an island?
A)A higher equilibrium number is expected on large islands than on small islands.
B)A higher equilibrium number is expected on small islands than on large islands.
C)A higher equilibrium number is expected on islands far from the mainland than on islands close to the mainland.
D)The equilibrium number of species on an island depends on immigration rates but not on extinction rates.
3

In general, we expect to find more species on an island of a given area than we do in a region of the same total area on the nearest mainland.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
4

When we apply models of species on islands to continental scenarios,
A)we expect species number to be independent of available habitat area.
B)extinction rates can be discounted.
C)speciation rates are generally more important than immigration rates for estimating expected numbers of species.
D)we should not consider the effects of tectonic activity on availability of usable habitat.
5

Van Valen's Red Queen Hypothesis posits that biotic challenges change too fast to allow species to "catch up" adaptively, such that species in a given taxonomic group go extinct at a constant rate over geological time.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
6

Different statistical methods estimate different numbers of mass extinctions over the history of life.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
7

The dinosaurs went extinct at the end of the
A)Paleozoic.
B)Mesozoic.
C)Cenozoic.
D)none of the above
8

Endotherms rely on external sources to maintain a warm body temperature.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
9

Which of the following pieces of evidence has NOT been used to support a hypothesis of dinosaur endothermy?
A)the absence of nasal turbinate bones
B)large body size in a temperate environment
C)low predator-to-prey ratios in dinosaur fossil beds
D)more than one of the above
10

Which of the following statements is true about the effects of plate tectonics on extinction rates?
A)When sea levels rise due to tectonic activity, we expect higher extinction rates.
B)The formation of large supercontinents is expected to increase trophic stability and thus decrease extinction rates.
C)Continents coming together after long periods of time crush animals in their paths, causing mass extinctions.
D)Continents coming together after long periods of separation can create new competitive interactions that drive many species extinct.
11

The end-Permian extinction could not have been caused by either the formation of a supercontinent or a drop in sea level.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
12

We are currently experiencing the interglacial phase of an ice age that began about 30-40 million years ago.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
13

Which of the following does NOT support the hypothesis that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction was caused by the impact of an asteroid or meteor?
A)Rocks from the end of the Cretaceous contain shocked quartz, which forms under conditions of heat and pressure characteristic of an impact.
B)Iridium concentrations in rocks from the end of the Cretaceous are much higher than are characteristic of the Earth's crust; asteroids and meteors contain high concentrations of this metal.
C)Fossil evidence suggests that plants and animals that went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous did so over a period of less than a year.
D)There is an impact crater along the Yucatan Peninsula that can be dated to the end of the Cretaceous.
14

The five undisputed mass extinctions must have been caused by the same set of factors.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
15

Adaptation by natural selection generally does not prepare organisms to withstand the forces that cause mass extinctions.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE








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