Principles of Evolution

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Which of the following is a factor in natural selection? Individuals of species compete with one another to survive., All species are genetically diverse., Individuals better able to adapt to changes leave more offspring., All are correct

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All are correct

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The fossil record provides evidence that

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Older species gave rise to more-recent species.

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Individuals that are better able to cope with the challenges of their environment tend to

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Leave more offspring than those less suited to the environment.

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Starting in 1954, commercial fishers in the northwest Pacific were paid by weight, rather than by the individual fish, for pink salmon. The fishers increased the use of a type of net that selectively catches larger fish. Which effect did this change in fishing technique most likely have on the salmon population over the next 20 years?

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The average body size of the salmon population decreased significantly.

Front

What best explains the decrease in the rabbit death rate after the introduction of a virus to control the European rabbit population in Australia? Options: Young rabbits learned to avoid being infected with the virus., The lifespan of the virus was too short to affect rabbits over a long period of time., Natural selection favored rabbits that were resistant to the virus., No correct choices.

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Natural selection favored rabbits that were resistant to the virus.

Front

Which of the following is the most likely reason that the average shell thickness of the blue mussel population has increased since the Asian shore crab invaded parts of the eastern coast of the United States? Options: Blue mussels with thick shells attract more crabs than mussels without thick shells, Blue mussels with thick shells grow in larger colonies than mussels without thick shells, Blue mussels with thick shells catch more food per day than mussels without thick shells, Blue mussels with thick shells survive and reproduce more successfully than mussels without thick shells.

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Blue mussels with thick shells survive and reproduce more successfully than mussels without thick shells.

Front

Some willow trees alter the chemical composition of their leaves when attacked by caterpillars. Compared to normal leaves, the chemically altered leaves are less nutritious and more difficult for caterpillars to digest.
 Which of the following is a likely effect of this ability to alter leaf composition? Options: Willow trees with this ability will attract more caterpillars than other willow trees., Willow trees with this ability have a survival advantage over other willow trees. , More butterflies will lay their eggs on willow trees with this ability than other willow trees. , None are correct

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Willow trees with this ability have a survival advantage over other willow trees. 

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Structures that share a common ancestry or are similar because they are modified versions of structures from a common ancestor that contain the same basic bone structure are

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Homologous.

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The process in which organisms with traits well suited to an environment are more likely to survive and to produce offspring is

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Natural Selection

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Structures with no function that are remnants of an organism’s evolutionary past are

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Vestigial