Evolution and Natural Selection

Front

What is the founder effect?

Back

The founder effect is a phenomenon that occurs when a small group of individuals establishes a new population, leading to reduced genetic diversity and different allele frequencies compared to the original population.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-2

Front

Give an example of the founder effect.

Back

A small group of iguanas floats to an island and starts a new population.

Front

What is adaptation in the context of evolution?

Back

Adaptation is a trait that enhances an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-2

NGSS.HS-LS4-4

Front

Provide an example of adaptation.

Back

The white feathers of a snowy owl allow it to blend in with its snowy environment during winter.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-4

Front

What does punctuated equilibrium imply?

Back

Punctuated equilibrium suggests that species experience long periods of stability interrupted by brief periods of rapid change due to catastrophic events.

Front

True or False: Punctuated equilibrium implies that natural selection speeds up due to great environmental changes.

Back

True

Front

What did Darwin propose about organisms with favorable traits?

Back

Darwin proposed that organisms with traits best suited to their environment will increase in number.

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NGSS.HS-LS4-2

NGSS.HS-LS4-4

Front

What is a gene pool?

Back

A gene pool is the total collection of genes and their alleles in a population.

Front

What is relative frequency in genetics?

Back

Relative frequency refers to how often a particular allele appears in a gene pool compared to other alleles.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS3-3

NGSS.HS-LS4-3

Front

Define genetic drift.

Back

Genetic drift is a random change in allele frequencies in a population, often having a more significant effect in small populations.