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Question 1
In the field of taxonomy, organisms are identified by using their species and genus names. |
a) | What is the term used for this method of naming organisms?
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b) | There are several species of water voles, all of which have names that start with Arvicola. What does this tell us about water voles?
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c) | The table below shows the classification of the European water vole, Arvicola amphibius. Complete the table by filling in the blank spaces with the correct terms.
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d) | The southwestern water vole is native to France, Spain and Portugal. Historically it was considered to be the same species as the European water vole. However, it is now considered as a distinct species. Describe how scientists could have used breeding experiments to determine whether the two water voles should be considered the same species.
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Question 2
The diagram below represents the phylogenetic classification of six different penguin species. |
a) | Explain how the diagram above shows a hierarchy.
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b) | Which taxon does Spheniscidae belong to?
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c) | The diagram above shows some of the phylogenetic groups for penguins. What is meant by a phylogenetic group?
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Question 3
Salamanders are amphibians that share many physical characteristics with lizards. There are over 700 species of salamanders, all of which evolved from a common ancestor. The diagram below shows some of the evolutionary relationships between different salamander species. |
a) | How many different genera are shown in the diagram above?
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b) | Which salamander species is most closely related to Salamandra atra?
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c) | Which salamander species is most distantly related to Salamandra atra?
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d) | The diagram shows several different salamander species. Explain what is meant by the term species.
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Question 4
Cytochrome c is one of the proteins involved in respiration. A group of scientists determined the amino acid sequence of the cytochrome c protein found in humans, pigs, dogs, moths, Rhesus monkeys, and yeast. They then compared all amino acid sequences to that of human cytochrome c and recorded the number of differences. Their results are shown below. |
a) | Explain how these results provide evidence that humans are most closely related to Rhesus monkeys.
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b) | A student analysed these results and concluded that dogs and pigs are more closely related to one another than to any of the other organisms investigated. Explain why this conclusion is probably incorrect.
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c) | Haemoglobin is another protein that can be used to study how closely related organisms are to one another. Suggest why haemoglobin is less useful than cytochrome c.
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d) | Cytochrome c is also used to construct phylogenetic trees. Suggest a disadvantage of using cytochrome c for this purpose.
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Question 5
Species can be classified by comparing observable or genetic characteristics. The diagram below shows two different classifications of the same three cat species. Classification 1 is based on observable characteristics whereas classification 2 is based on genetic characteristics. |
a) | What does classification 1 suggest about the evolutionary relationships of these three cat species?
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b) | What does classification 2 suggest about the evolutionary relationships of these three cat species?
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c) | State three comparisons of genetic diversity that scientists could use to construct classification 2.
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d) | The names included in the diagram above are the binomial names for these three cat species. Suggest two advantages of using this binomial naming system.
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Question 6
The pipistrelle is the most common species of bat in Europe. The diagram below shows information about two different populations of pipistrelle. |
a) | Biologists can use information shown in the diagram above to classify organisms. Describe the principles that biologists use to classify organisms into groups.
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b) | Describe the evidence from the table above that the common and soprano pipistrelle belong to the same species.
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c) | Describe the evidence from the table above that the common and soprano pipistrelle are distinct species.
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d) | The biologists could analyse the amino acid sequences of blood protein samples from these bats. Explain how these sequences could provide evidence as to whether the common and soprano pipistrelle bats are different species.
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Question 7
Taxonomy uses taxons to classify organisms using the following groups: species, class, order, kingdom, genus, phylum, and family. |
a) | Place the taxons above into the correct sequence from, ordered from largest group to smallest.
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b) | Describe the different pieces of information that scientists can use to classify an organism as a new species.
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c) | Suggest why it might be difficult to classify a newly discovered organism as a distinct species.
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d) | Living organisms can also be classified into three groups known as domains. Describe the features of this classification system compared with the five kingdom system.
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Question 8
Charles Darwin sailed around the world from 1831 to 1836 aboard the HMS Beagle. Shortly afterwards, Darwin sketched a diagram in his notebook. His sketch is shown in the diagram below. A, B, C, and D represent modern day organisms whereas 1 represents an ancestral organism. |
a) | Explain what Darwin’s sketch suggests about the relationships between organisms A, B, C, and D.
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b) | The diagram below shows the current phylogenetic tree of life in which all organisms are grouped into 3 domains A, B, and C. Name domains A, B, and C labelled in the diagram above.
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c) | Explain what the diagram above suggests about the relationship between domains B and C.
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d) | The three domain system was proposed due to the discovery of molecular evidence. State the names of three types of molecules that can be used as molecular evidence for classifying organisms.
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Question 9
The classification of a cheetah is shown below. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Acinonyx Species: jubatus |
a) | Suggest two features of cheetahs that place them into the animal kingdom.
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b) | Organisms such as E. coli and cyanobacteria are placed in the kingdom Prokaryotae. List two features of these organisms that place them in this kingdom.
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c) | Mucor (pin mould) and mushrooms are placed in the kingdom Fungi. List two features of these organisms that place them in this kingdom.
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d) | Viruses are acellular and so are not included in the classification system. Describe the taxonomic system for classifying viruses.
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