Friday 3/15: Intro to Natural Selection

Natural Selection: How Does it Work?

Evolution results from a process called natural selection.

Natural Selection!

Natural selection is a process in which organisms better suited to their environment are able to survive and reproduce more offspring

These favorable traits and characteristics are then passed on to their babies through a process called inheritance.

Multiple Choice

Evolution is the result of a process called ____________

• Natural Selection

• Artificial Selection

• Survival of the Weakest

• Supernatural Selection

Multiple Choice

According to natural selection, organisms more suited to their environment are better able to

• Sleep

• Survive

• Perish

• Migrate

Multiple Choice

The process of passing down favorable traits to one's offspring is called

• Artificial Selection

• Mutations

• Evolution

• Inheritance

The process of natural selection happens when an individual’s genes become different in some way from the genes of others of its kind.

Differences in genes cause differences in an individual’s traits—such as how it looks or its behavior.

Multiple Choice

Natural selection happens when an individual's genes ______________ from the genes of other members of its species.

• Become different

• Stay the same

• Become separated

Multiple Choice

Differences in genes can cause differences in __________ (Choose the best answer).

• Mutations

• RNA

• Appearance

Changes in genetic material are called mutations.

Mutations can occur at any time during an organism’s life span.

Mutations can be inherited or happen randomly. They can also be caused by environmental factors such as too much sunlight.

Multiple Choice

Changes in genetic material are called _____________

• Mutations

• RNA

• Genes

Multiple Choice

Mutations can be inherited or be

• Chosen by the individual organism

• Caused by environmental factors

• Refused at any time

Most changes in genes either harm the individual or do not matter much.

But some changes help an individual to survive and reproduce.

For example, an animal may have better vision or faster legs. These traits may help it find food and avoid its enemies.

Multiple Choice

True or False? All changes in genes are harmless.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Some changes in genes can help organisms _____

• Survive

• Mutate

• Rest

Multiple Choice

Drawn observed several different types of finches.  Why are there so many different types?

• Finches live in different places, but eat the same food.
• Finches live in the same place, but eat different types of food.
• Finches live in different habitats and eat different types of food.
• Finches are found all over the world.

Multiple Choice

The differences among a species, like different bird beaks, are called

• genes.
• variations.
• traits.
• theories.

Multiple Choice

Organisms with the most beneficial traits will survive.  This is commonly known as

• theory of evolution.
• variations.
• survival of the fittest.
• ecosystems.

Multiple Choice

This scientist developed the theory of evolution as he studied the finches.

• Charles Darwin
• Isaac Newton
• Albert Einstein
• Marie Curie

Multiple Choice

Behavioral changes of individuals of a species that allow for better survival. (Acquired traits)

• Variation
• Adaptation
• Behavior
• Environment

Multiple Choice

Where the better adapted organisms survive to pass traits along to offspring.

• Evolution
• Natural Selection
• Extinction
• Artifical Selection

Multiple Choice

What are the most studied animals in the galapagos?

• Finches
• Tortoises
• Turtles
• Lizards

Multiple Choice

What is the advantage of having different shaped beaks?

• To look different from other species.
• To be able to eat the food readily available in the environment.
• To protect itself against predators.
• To protect itself against prey.

Multiple Choice

Why are advantageous traits more likely to be passed onto offspring?

• Because they are more likely to survive and reproduce.
• Because they come from dominant alleles.
• Because they come from recessive alleles.
• Because the trait is an acquired phenotype.

Multiple Choice

Do organisms "decide" to evolve and change?

• Yes, they know they need to change to survive 
• No, they change because of natural selection

Multiple Choice

A yellow morph and green morph of an insect lives in the rainforest canopy. You would expect:

• the green population to increase and the yellow to decrease

• both populations should stay the same

• both populations will increase

• the green population to decrease and the yellow to increaseThis is a wrong answer

Multiple Choice

What word describes a trait that helps an organism survive in its environment?

• natural selection

• mutation

• camouflage

• adaptation

Multiple Choice

Dogs such as Chihuahuas are examples of....

• Artificial Selection 
• Natural Selection 
• Mutations 

Multiple Choice

Natural Selection is driven by a change in the environment and survival of the

• Earth

• Fastest

• Fittest

• Biggest

Multiple Choice

Why are advantageous traits more likely to be passed onto offspring?

• Because they are more likely to survive and reproduce.

• Because they come from dominant alleles.

• Because they come from recessive alleles.

• Because the organism knew it needed that trait, survives, and passes it on.

Multiple Choice

Mutations are a change in what?

• DNA

• tRNA

• protein

• rRNA

Multiple Choice

Why is the mouse population changing over time?

• The light mice can reproduce more successfully than the dark mice
• The hawks eat more dark mice than light mice because the dark mice taste better
• The hawks eat more light mice than dark mice because they can see the light mice more easily
• The hawks eat more dark mice than light mice because they can see the dark mice more easily

Multiple Choice

What process is being shown in this image?

• Variation
• Natural Selection
• Selective Breeding
• Homeostasis

Multiple Choice

Where do adaptations come from?

• The individual organism decides to adapt

• Mutations that give an organism an advantage in its environment

• Genetic recombination during meiosis

• Both mutations and genetic recombination are sources of adaptation

Multiple Choice

"Organisms that are better adapted to the environment survive to pass traits to their offspring" is the definition of

• Natural Selection

• Evolution

• Selective Breeding

• Artificial Selection

Multiple Choice

According to natural selection, light colored tree trunks would favor

• light colored moths

• dark colored moths

• red colored moths

• red and light colored moths

Multiple Choice

Speciation can occur as a result of geographic isolation because _________.

• members of a species can no longer find mates

• populations that live in different environments may be exposed to different selection pressures

• exchange of genes during recombination

• movement of genes within a population because of interbreeding

Multiple Choice

_______________ occurs when a population declines to a very small number then goes back up but results in a permanent loss of genetic diversity in the population (example: the Cheetah population)

• coevolution

• bottleneck

• archaeopteryz

• mutation

Multiple Choice

What does the picture represent?

• Founder Effect
• Mutations
• Bottleneck effect
• Gene Flow

Multiple Choice

What does the image represent?

• Founder effect
• Bottleneck effect
• Natural Selection
• Mutations

Multiple Choice

Adaptations can be:

• camouflage

• ability to survive cold weather

• hunting skills

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

Natural selection occurs during the lifetime of a single organism.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What is most likely to happen to moth populations in the picture shown?

• Light moths--hunted easily, dark moths--population increase

• Dark moths--hunted easily, dark moths--population increase

• Light moths--hunted easily, light moths--population increase

• Lights moths will change their color to match dark moths.

Multiple Choice

TRUE or FALSE: Natural selection will still occur if individuals are exactly the same.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

How do you "win" at natural selection?

• survive

• go extinct

• survive & reproduce

Multiple Choice

Due to pollution, a pond becomes darker over time. Which trait variation became more common?

• light fish

• dark fish

Multiple Choice

Where the better adapted organisms survive to pass traits along to offspring.

• Evolution
• Natural Selection
• Extinction
• Artifical Selection

Multiple Choice

Why are advantageous traits more likely to be passed onto offspring?

• Because they are more likely to survive and reproduce.
• Because they come from dominant alleles.
• Because they come from recessive alleles.
• Because the trait is an acquired phenotype.

Multiple Choice

According to natural selection, light colored tree trunks would favor

• light colored moths

• dark colored moths

• red colored moths

• red and light colored moths

Multiple Choice

Natural Selection is driven by a change in the environment and survival of the

• Earth

• Fastest

• Fittest

• Biggest

Multiple Choice

Where the better adapted organisms survive to pass traits along to offspring.

• Evolution
• Natural Selection
• Extinction
• Artifical Selection

Multiple Choice

Which organisms are most likely to survive?

• the best adapted
• the fastest
• the strongest
• the most domesticated (tamed)

Multiple Choice

Change in a population over time that descend from a common ancestor.

• Natural Selection

• Selective Breeding

• Homeostasis

• Evolution

Multiple Choice

Why is the mouse population changing over time?

• The light mice can reproduce more successfully than the dark mice
• The hawks eat more dark mice than light mice because the dark mice taste better
• The hawks eat more light mice than dark mice because they can see the light mice more easily
• The hawks eat more dark mice than light mice because they can see the dark mice more easily

Multiple Choice

The trees these moths used to live on were white, but have been covered in soot from coal factories. Which moth will be more successful in this environment?

• Dark moth
• Light moth
• Both will be equally successful
• Neither will be successful

Multiple Choice

Most organisms have more offspring than will survive 

• True
• False

Multiple Choice

Definition: adaptation

• inherited characteristic that increases chances of survival
• organisms with traits well suited to their environment survive and reproduce at a greater rate
• a growing population causes a scarcity of resources
• differences in the DNA sequence

Multiple Choice

Definition: natural selection

• inherited characteristic that increases chances of survival
• organisms with traits well suited to their environment survive and reproduce at a greater rate
• a growing population causes a scarcity of resources
• differences in the DNA sequence

Multiple Choice

Definition: fitness

• ability to survive and reproduce in a specific environment
• organisms with traits well suited to their environment survive and reproduce at a greater rate
• a growing population causes a scarcity of resources
• differences in the DNA sequence