Unit 7, Module 44 Teacher Version

Active Reading Guide

Biology for the AP® Course: Active Reading Guide

Unit 7 Evolution and Natural Selection
Module 44 Evidence of Common Ancestry and Evolution

44.1 Homologous traits provide evidence for common ancestry

1. Traits that are similar because of convergent evolution are __analagous___________.

2. Traits that are similar because of descent from a common ancestor are ____
homologous _________.

3. (Homologous or Analogous) traits provide evidence for evolution. (Circle the correct
answer)

4. Define morphological homologies.

An anatomical structure that is similar in two groups of organisms because it was
present in the common ancestor of the two groups and retained over evolutionary time

5. Examine Figure 44.2 An evolutionary tree showing the origin of walking legs.

Why is the trait of “walking legs” an example of a homologous trait?

The trait of “walking legs” evolved once in the common ancestor of all the tetrapods
shown in the figure. Homologous traits evolve from a common ancestor.

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6. Identify three homologous traits shared by eukaryotes.

Answers will vary but may include: nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, endoplasmic
reticulum, Golgi apparatus, linear chromosomes, genes that contain introns.

7. Identify five functional, universal traits shared by all organisms.

a. The ability to grow and reproduce
b. The ability to evolve
c. The ability to respond to the environment
d. The ability to maintain homeostasis
e. The ability to harness energy

8. Identify three structural, universal traits shared by all organisms.

Answers will vary and may include cell membrane, cytoplasm, ribosomes, and DNA

9. The extent of genetic differences between two species is a function of the

___time______they have genetically been isolated from each other.

10. Define term molecular clock.

The observation that the extent of genetic divergence between two groups reflects the
time since the groups shared a common ancestor.

11. Genes that code for the histone proteins are evolutionarily conserved.
a. What does evolutionarily conserved mean?
Histones (and the gene that codes for them) have hardly changed throughout history.
b. What does the fact that histones have been evolutionarily conserved tell you about
the importance of histones? What happened to organism that had mutated histones?
Histones are critical to life and natural selection has eliminated any variation in histones
over time. Organisms with mutated histones have not been able to survive and pass on
their genes to their offspring.
c. The histone molecular clock is very (slow or fast). (Circle the correct answer)

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__________________________________________________________________________
Concept Check
(Answers can be found in the Teacher’s Edition and at the back of the Student Edition.)

1. Describe a homologous trait.

2. Identify two examples of homologous traits.

3. Identify three homologous traits shared by all eukaryotes.

__________________________________________________________________________

44.2 Vestigial structures provide a window on the past

12. Define vestigial structure.

Traits that were once useful and functional but are no longer; tend to be reduced in
size or function

13. Describe a pseudogene.

A gene that was once functional but is no longer; the gene no longer produces a
protein product

14. Why do pseudogenes have a very fast molecular clock?

All mutations in a pseudogene are neutral. Mutations are neither selected for or against
and are preserved in populations.

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__________________________________________________________________________
Concept Check
(Answers can be found in the Teacher’s Edition and at the back of the Student Edition.)

4. Describe what a vestigial structure is.

5. Identify two examples of vestigial structures.

__________________________________________________________________________

44.3 Fossils provide direct evidence of past life

15. Define fossil

The remains of a once living organism

16. True or False? All living organisms have the same change of being preserved as a
fossil.
False

17. Are organisms more or less likely to be preserved when they live in environments
where burial in sediment is unlikely?
Less

18. Which is more likely to be preserved as fossils: organisms with hard parts or
organisms with soft parts?
Hard

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________________________________________________________________
Practicing Science: Do fossils bridge the evolutionary gap between fish
and tetrapod vertebrates?

AP® Practice Question

(Answers can be found in the Teacher’s Edition)

In newspaper articles, Tiktaalik was proclaimed as the missing link between fish and
tetrapods. The figure to the left correctly shows Tiktaalik having come into existence
“in between” fish and tetrapods. This conclusion is supported by the fossil record,
which shows early fish fossils in older rocks than those in which Tiktaalik were found,
and tetrapod fossils in younger rocks than those in which Tiktaalik were found.
However, the term “missing link” and the chronological representation of the fossils
can lead to the misconception that modern fish gave rise to Tiktaalik, which
subsequentially gave rise to modern tetrapods and that there is an unbroken chain that
connects modern forms.

(a) Explain the evolutionary relationship Tiktaalik has with fish and tetrapods, and the
reason “missing link” may lead to misunderstandings about evolution.

(b) Place the following statements in the correct order that they most likely occurred:
• The group possessing the flattened head and the true neck split into two groups,
with one of them continuing to evolve into Tiktaalik .
• A common ancestor to all three groups existed, possessing fishlike traits.
• The second group from the second split continued to evolve into the present-day
tetrapods.
• The second group developed a flattened head and a true neck.
• The common ancestor split into two groups, one of which continued to evolve into
the present-day fishes.

________________________________________________________________

19. Describe the process of radiometric dating.

The process of dating ancient materials using the decay of radioisotopes

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20. How many protons does carbon have?

6

21. What makes carbon-14 (14C) different from more stable forms of carbon?
Carbon-14 has 8 neutrons instead of 6 neutrons.

22.
a. Define half-life.
The time it takes for an amount of a substance to reach half its original value

b. What is the radioactive half-life of 14C?

5,730 years

23.
a. How does carbon-14 form in the atmosphere?
Cosmic rays generate neutrons that collide with nitrogen to form carbon-14
b. How does the carbon-14 from the atmosphere get into plants?
Photosynthesis
c. How does the carbon-14 from the plants get into animals?
Animals eat the plants
d. What happens when the animal dies? Once and organism dies 14C is no longer
added. The unstable 14C breaks down and forms more stable isotope of 14N.
e. How is this process useful for dating fossils?
Scientists can measure the amount of 14C in a fossil and compare it to the amount of
14
C in a sample of known age.

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––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzing Statistics and Data: Radiometric Dating

Your Turn
Be sure to show your work
(Answers can be found in the Teacher’s Edition.)

A new isotope has been discovered to be useful in the radiometric dating of rocks and
fossils. It has a half-life of 1.5 million years.

1. Draw a graph showing the decay of this isotope over the course of 7.5 million years.
Include the time elapsed on the x -axis and the percentage of isotope remaining on the
y -axis.

2. Indicate how many total half-lives have occurred at each half-life.

3. Calculate how many grams of the isotope would remain in a fossil that is 6 million
years old if it originally contained 0.58 gram of the isotope.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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__________________________________________________________________________
Concept Check
(Answers can be found in the Teacher’s Edition and at the back of the Student Edition.)

6. Describe conditions in which fossilization is likely.

7. Describe the technique that is used to date fossils.

__________________________________________________________________________

44.4 The distribution of organisms on Earth sheds light on evolutionary

history

24. Define biogeography.

The distribution of organisms on Earth.

25.
a. What is an endemic species?
A species found only in one place
b. Why do islands have a great deal of endemic species?
When a new species arrives on an island, there are many open habitats available. The
new open habitats provide unique selective pressures that result in the evolution of
many new species.

26.
a. Define invasive species.
A non-native species that becomes established in a new ecosystem
b. Why do some invasive species undergo massive population growth?
The invasive species may not have predators or other natural checks on its population
growth.

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__________________________________________________________________________
Concept Check
(Answers can be found in the Teacher’s Edition and at the back of the Student Edition.)

8. Describe two factors that determine the distribution of organisms around the world.

9. Describe invasive species.

__________________________________________________________________________

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