homework help

1. The term "homoplasy" is most applicable to which of these features?
a) the legless condition found in various types of extant lizards
b) the 5-digit condition of human hands and bat wings
c) the beta-hemoglobin genes of mice and humans
d) the fur that covers Austrailian moles and North American moles
e) the basic skeletal features of dog forelimbs and cat forelimbs


2. Some molecular data place the giant panda in the bear family (Ursidae) but place the lesser panda in the raccoon family (Procyonidae). Consequently, the morphological similarities of these two species are probably due to

a) inheritance of acquired characteristics
b) sexual selection
c) inheritance of shared derived characteristics
d) posession of analogous structures
e) possession of shared primitive characters


3.  When using a cladistic approach to systematics, which of the following is considered most important for classification?

a) shared primitive characters
b) analogous primitive characters
c) shared derived characters
d) the number of homoplasies
e)overall phenotypic similarity