A Farm Pond, Usually Dry During Winter, Has Plenty of Water

question 49

Multiple Choice

A farm pond, usually dry during winter, has plenty of water and aquatic pond life during the summer. One summer, Sarah returns to the family farm from college. Observing the pond, she is fascinated by some six-legged organisms that can crawl about on submerged surfaces or, when disturbed, seemingly "jet" through the water. Watching further, she is able to conclude that the "mystery organisms" are ambush predators, and their prey includes everything from insects to small fish and tadpoles.
-Sarah had learned that ancestral (Carboniferous era) dragonfly species were much larger than extant dragonfly species are, with wingspans of 70 cm. This struck her as odd, because she had also learned that one of the things that keeps insects small is their relatively inefficient respiratory system. Which two hypotheses might help account for the large size of ancestral dragonflies?
1) If the atmosphere during the Carboniferous era had featured a higher oxygen content than the modern atmosphere, then the tracheae might have been a sufficient means for oxygen delivery to the interior tissues.
2) If large size was a drawback, then the large dragonflies underwent extinction, which explains why all extant dragonflies are smaller.
3) If the ancestral dragonflies had possessed muscles that permitted effective ventilation of the tracheae, then the tracheae might have been a sufficient means for oxygen delivery to the interior tissues.
4) If ancestral dragonflies existed during greenhouse conditions, then they must have survived by decreasing their activity levels, such as no longer capturing prey in flight. Thus, for them, an ineffective respiratory system was sufficient.

• A) 1 and 2
• B) 1 and 3
• C) 1 and 4
• D) 2 and 3
• E) 2 and 4

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