Review Questions

What event is thought to have contributed to the evolution of eukaryotes?

1. global warming
2. glaciation
3. volcanic activity
4. oxygenation of the atmosphere

Which characteristic is shared by prokaryotes and eukaryotes?

1. cytoskeleton
2. nuclear envelope
3. DNA-based genome
4. mitochondria

Mitochondria most likely evolved by _____________.

1. a photosynthetic cyanobacterium
2. cytoskeletal elements
3. endosymbiosis
4. membrane proliferation

Which of these protists is believed to have evolved following a secondary endosymbiosis?

1. green algae
2. cyanobacteria
3. red algae
4. chlorarachniophytes

In 2016, scientists published the genome of Monocercomonoides, and demonstrated that this organism has no detectable mitochondrial genes. However, its genome was arranged in linear chromosomes wrapped around histones which are contained within the nucleus. Monocercomonoides is therefore a(n) _________.

1. Bacteria
2. Archea
3. Eukaryote
4. Endosymbiont

Which of the following observations about a bacterium would distinguish it from the last eukaryotic common ancestor?

1. A double-stranded DNA genome
2. Lack of a membrane-bound structure surrounding the genome
3. Fatty acids in the lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane
4. Enclosed by a cell wall

Protists that have a pellicle are surrounded by ______________.

1. silica dioxide
2. calcium carbonate
3. carbohydrates
4. proteins

Protists with the capabilities to perform photosynthesis and to absorb nutrients from dead organisms are called ______________.

1. photoautotrophs
2. mixotrophs
3. saprobes
4. heterotrophs

Which of these locomotor organs would likely be the shortest?

1. a flagellum
2. a cilium
3. an extended pseudopod
4. a pellicle

Alternation of generations describes which of the following?

1. The haploid form can be multicellular; the diploid form is unicellular.
2. The haploid form is unicellular; the diploid form can be multicellular.
3. Both the haploid and diploid forms can be multicellular.
4. Neither the haploid nor the diploid forms can be multicellular.

The amoeba E. histolytica is a pathogen that forms liver abscesses in infected individuals. Its metabolic classification is most likely ______.

1. Anaerobic heterotroph
2. Mixotroph
3. Aerobic phototroph
4. Phagocytic autotroph

Which protist group exhibits mitochondrial remnants with reduced functionality?

1. slime molds
2. diatoms
3. parabasalids
4. dinoflagellates

Conjugation between two Paramecia produces ________ total daughter cells.

1. 2
2. 4
3. 8
4. 16

What is the function of the raphe in diatoms?

1. locomotion
2. defense
3. capturing food
4. photosynthesis

What genus of protists appears to contradict the statement that unicellularity restricts cell size?

1. Dictyostelium
2. Ulva
3. Plasmodium
4. Caulerpa

A marine biologist analyzing water samples notices a protist with a calcium carbonate shell that moves by pseudopodia extension. The protist is likely to be closely related to which species?

1. Fuligo septica (Dog Vomit slime mold)
2. Circogonia icosahedra (Radiolarian)
3. Euglena viridis
4. Ammonia tepida

An example of carbon fixation is _____________.

1. photosynthesis
2. decomposition
3. phagocytosis
4. parasitism

Which parasitic protist evades the host immune system by altering its surface proteins with each generation?

1. Paramecium caudatum
2. Trypanosoma brucei
3. Plasmodium falciparum
4. Phytophthora infestans

Which of the following is not a way that protists contribute to the food web?

1. They fix carbon into organic molecules.
2. They occupy the apex producer niche.
3. They enter symbiotic relationships with animals.
4. They recycle nutrients back into the carbon and nitrogen cycles.