Question 1

Evidence that parthenogenetic whiptail lizards are derived from sexually reproducing ancestors includes
A) the requirement for male-like behaviors in some females before their partners will ovulate.
B) the development and then regression of testes prior to sexual maturation.
C) the observation that all of the offspring are haploid.
D) dependence on favorable weather conditions for ovulation to occur.
E) a complete cycle of fragmentation and regeneration of female gonadal structures.

Accepted Answer

Parthenogenetic whiptail lizards exhibit male-like behaviors in some females to stimulate ovulation, indicating a sexual reproduction origin, as these behaviors mimic mating rituals found in sexually reproducing species.

Question 2

The junction of the upper vagina and the uterus is called the
A) fallopian tube.
B) clitoris.
C) oviduct.
D) labia majora.
E) cervix.

Accepted Answer

The junction of the upper vagina and the uterus is called the cervix. The fallopian tube, clitoris, oviduct, and labia majora are all separate structures in the female reproductive system.

Question 3

An advantage of asexual reproduction is that it
A) allows the species to endure long periods of unstable environmental conditions.
B) enhances genetic variability in the species.
C) enables the species to rapidly colonize habitats that are favorable to that species.
D) produces offspring that respond effectively to new pathogens.
E) allows a species to easily rid itself of harmful mutations.

Accepted Answer

Asexual reproduction allows for rapid reproduction and colonization of favorable habitats, giving the species a competitive advantage in those environments.

Question 4

Like many other fishes, bluehead wrasses utilize harem mating as they reproduce sexually. However, unlike most fishes,
A) they also reproduce by fission.
B) they function without any signaling by steroid hormones.
C) they undergo a prolonged menopause during low tide.
D) their offspring can be either haploid or diploid.
E) large females morph into reproductively competent males.

Accepted Answer

Bluehead wrasses are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning that they start off as females but can morph into males later on in life. This is a unique reproductive strategy that allows them to maximize their reproductive success. Large females morph into reproductively competent males, which helps to maintain a stable harem structure and ensures that there are enough males to fertilize the eggs of the females in the harem.

Question 5

In close comparisons, external fertilization often yields more offspring than does internal fertilization. However, internal fertilization offers the advantage that
A) it is the only way to ensure the survival of the species.
B) it requires less time and energy to be devoted to reproduction.
C) the smaller number of offspring produced often receive a greater amount of parental investment.
D) it permits the most rapid population increase.
E) it requires expression of fewer genes and maximizes genetic stability.

Accepted Answer

Internal fertilization often allows for a smaller number of offspring to be produced, but this can lead to a greater amount of parental investment in each individual offspring. This can increase the likelihood of survival and success for each offspring, ultimately leading to a higher overall fitness for the population.

Question 6

Springtails are a type of arthropod. Male springtails drop tiny beads of semen attached to stalks. Females that are ready to reproduce search out these drops and take them into their genital opening. This is an example of
A) external fertilization without copulation.
B) external fertilization with copulation.
C) internal fertilization without copulation.
D) internal fertilization with copulation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Springtails are a type of arthropod. Male...

Question 7

External chemical signals that coordinate potential reproductive partners are called
A) hormones.
B) pheromones.
C) paracrine signals.
D) cytokines.
E) gametes.

Accepted Answer

Pheromones are chemical signals released by one individual that can affect the behavior or physiology of another individual of the same species. In the context of reproduction, pheromones can attract potential mates and coordinate mating behavior. Hormones, paracrine signals, cytokines, and gametes may also play a role in reproductive processes, but pheromones specifically refer to external chemical signals that coordinate reproductive partners.

Question 8

Why might scientists want to figure out how to change sexually reproducing plants that are in high demand in agriculture into asexually reproducing plants?
A) Farmers would be able to harvest asexually producing plants in a more efficient manner because asexual reproduction has lower energy costs than sexual reproduction.
B) Farmers who constantly have to buy new seeds for high-demand plants would have their seed costs cut dramatically.
C) High-demand plants, such as beans and corn, will have higher taste quality in asexually reproducing plants.
D) Asexually reproducing plants require less water and fertilizer than sexually reproducing plants.

Accepted Answer

Asexually reproducing plants would produce offspring identical to the parent plant, eliminating the need for farmers to constantly purchase new seeds. This would greatly reduce seed costs for farmers.

Question 9

An oocyte released from a human ovary enters the oviduct as a result of
A) the beating action of the flagellum on the oocyte.
B) the force of the follicular ejection directing the oocyte into the oviduct.
C) the wavelike beating of cilia lining the oviduct.
D) movement of the oocyte through the pulsating uterus into the oviduct.
E) peristaltic contraction of ovarian muscles.

Accepted Answer

The oocyte is guided into the oviduct primarily by the wavelike beating of cilia that line the oviduct, which helps to move the oocyte in the direction of the uterus.

Question 10

Sexual reproduction
A) allows animals to conserve resources and reproduce only during optimal conditions.
B) can produce diverse phenotypes that may enhance survival of a population in a changing environment.
C) yields more numerous offspring more rapidly than is possible with asexual reproduction.
D) enables males and females to remain isolated from each other while rapidly colonizing habitats.
E) guarantees that both parents will provide care for each offspring.

Accepted Answer

Sexual reproduction can produce diverse combinations of genes in offspring, potentially increasing the chances that some individuals will have traits that allow them to survive and thrive in changing environments. This is called genetic diversity, and it is an advantage of sexual reproduction over asexual reproduction. The other options are incorrect: A is incorrect because sexual reproduction actually requires more resources than asexual reproduction, due to the need to find and court mates; C is incorrect because in many cases, animals that reproduce sexually produce fewer offspring than those that reproduce asexually; D is incorrect because sexual reproduction typically requires males and females to come together, not remain isolated; and E is incorrect because not all animals that reproduce sexually provide care for their offspring (some lay eggs and abandon them, for example).

Question 11

Horseshoe crabs, genetically related to scorpions and spiders, are capable of only one type of fertilization. Female horseshoe crabs dig a shallow hole near the ocean shoreline that can fill with water. They then lay their eggs in that hole, and male horseshoe crabs mount the females and deposit their sperm over the eggs. This is an example of
A) external fertilization without copulation.
B) external fertilization with copulation.
C) internal fertilization without copulation.
D) internal fertilization with copulation.

Accepted Answer

This is external fertilization because the eggs and sperm are released outside of the body, but it involves copulation because the male physically mounts the female to deposit his sperm.

Question 12

Females of many insect species can store sperm in
A) their nests.
B) the abdominal tract.
C) the cloaca.
D) the uterus.
E) the spermathecae.

Accepted Answer

Females of many insect species store sperm in specialized structures called spermathecae, which are located in the reproductive tract. This allows them to fertilize eggs over an extended period of time without the need for continuous mating.

Question 13

Environmental cues that influence the timing of reproduction generally do so by
A) increasing organisms' body temperature.
B) providing access to water for external fertilization.
C) increasing the ambient temperature to that which is comfortable for sexual reproduction.
D) causing direct effects on gonadal structures.
E) causing direct effects on hormonal control mechanisms.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Environmental cues that influence the timing of...

Question 14

Asexual reproduction results in greater reproductive success than does sexual reproduction when
A) pathogens are rapidly diversifying.
B) a species has accumulated numerous deleterious mutations.
C) there is some potential for rapid overpopulation.
D) a species is expanding into diverse geographic settings.
E) a species is in stable and favorable environments.

Accepted Answer

Asexual reproduction can lead to greater reproductive success in stable and favorable environments because all offspring are genetically identical to the parent, which means they are well-suited for the current conditions. Sexual reproduction, on the other hand, generates genetic diversity that may not always be advantageous in a stable and unchanging environment.

Therefore, asexual reproduction is often more beneficial in these environments because it produces high-quality offspring that can efficiently utilize the resources available without competition or the need to adapt to new conditions. Additionally, asexual reproduction ensures that favorable traits are passed on to all offspring, which can lead to more successful population growth and expansion.

Question 15

Animals with reproduction dependent on internal fertilization need all of the following except
A) cooperative copulatory behavior.
B) sophisticated reproductive systems.
C) compatible reproductive systems.
D) a moist environment for spawning.
E) sperm.

Accepted Answer

Animals with reproduction dependent on internal fertilization do not need a moist environment for spawning, as fertilization occurs within the body of one of the individuals involved in copulation.

Question 16

Sexual reproduction patterns include
A) fragmentation.
B) budding.
C) hermaphroditism.
D) parthenogenesis.
E) fission.

Accepted Answer

Hermaphroditism is a form of sexual reproduction where an organism has both male and female reproductive organs, allowing it to produce gametes of both sexes. The other options are forms of asexual reproduction.

Question 17

Regeneration, the regrowth of lost body parts, normally follows
A) all types of asexual reproduction.
B) all types of sexual reproduction.
C) fission.
D) fragmentation.
E) parthenogenesis.

Accepted Answer

Regeneration typically occurs after fragmentation, where a piece of the organism breaks off and regrows into a whole new individual with the missing body part. It is not typically associated with asexual or sexual reproduction, fission, or parthenogenesis.

Question 18

Among nonmammalian vertebrates, the cloaca is an anatomical structure that functions as a
A) specialized sperm-transfer device produced only by males.
B) shared pathway for the digestive, excretory, and reproductive systems.
C) region bordered by the labia minora and clitoris in females.
D) source of nutrients for developing sperm in the testes.
E) gland that secretes mucus to lubricate the vaginal opening.

Accepted Answer

The cloaca is an anatomical structure found in nonmammalian vertebrates that serves as a shared pathway for the digestive, excretory, and reproductive systems. This means that waste products, such as feces and urine, are eliminated through the same opening as reproductive products, such as eggs or sperm.

Question 19

One of the evolutionary "enigmas," or unsolved puzzles, of sexual reproduction is that
A) sexual reproduction allows for more rapid population growth than does asexual reproduction.
B) only half of the offspring from sexually reproducing females are also females.
C) asexual reproduction produces offspring of greater genetic variety.
D) sexual reproduction is completed more rapidly than asexual reproduction.
E) asexual reproduction is better suited to environments with extremely varying conditions.

Accepted Answer

Sexual reproduction results in only half of the offspring from females being female, which at first glance seems less efficient for population growth compared to asexual reproduction, where every individual can produce offspring. This is considered an evolutionary puzzle because it suggests a cost to sexual reproduction in terms of the rate at which a population can grow.

Question 20

Which of the following patterns of reproduction are found only among invertebrate animals?
A) sexual and asexual reproduction
B) external and internal fertilization
C) hermaphroditism and parthenogenesis
D) fission and budding

Accepted Answer

Fission and budding are modes of asexual reproduction found only among invertebrate animals. Sexual and asexual reproduction, external and internal fertilization, and hermaphroditism and parthenogenesis are found in both invertebrate and vertebrate animals.

Quiz 36: Reproduction and Development

Evidence that parthenogenetic whiptail lizards are derived from sexually reproducing ancestors includes

The junction of the upper vagina and the uterus is called the

An advantage of asexual reproduction is that it

Like many other fishes, bluehead wrasses utilize harem mating as they reproduce sexually. However, unlike most fishes,

In close comparisons, external fertilization often yields more offspring than does internal fertilization. However, internal fertilization offers the advantage that

Springtails are a type of arthropod. Male springtails drop tiny beads of semen attached to stalks. Females that are ready to reproduce search out these drops and take them into their genital opening. This is an example of

External chemical signals that coordinate potential reproductive partners are called

Why might scientists want to figure out how to change sexually reproducing plants that are in high demand in agriculture into asexually reproducing plants?

An oocyte released from a human ovary enters the oviduct as a result of

Sexual reproduction

Females of many insect species can store sperm in

Environmental cues that influence the timing of reproduction generally do so by

Asexual reproduction results in greater reproductive success than does sexual reproduction when

Animals with reproduction dependent on internal fertilization need all of the following except

Sexual reproduction patterns include

Regeneration, the regrowth of lost body parts, normally follows

Among nonmammalian vertebrates, the cloaca is an anatomical structure that functions as a

One of the evolutionary "enigmas," or unsolved puzzles, of sexual reproduction is that

Which of the following patterns of reproduction are found only among invertebrate animals?