Natural Selection

The graph shows the results of experiments using two different species of duckweed, L. polyrrhiza and L. gibba. Which of these best explains why growth is less when these two species are grown together?

• They attract more herbivores
• One grows faster than the other
• They compete for the same resources
• One stimulates the growth of the other

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The desert pupfish is a tiny fish that lives in small isolated pools in the deserts of Nevada, Arizona and California.  These regions used to be lush with forests and abundant water.  The pupfish that lived there were very large.  As the environment changed into desert, access to water became severely limited.  The pupfish became isolated in to small pools.  Over time their size became much smaller, in some cases less than an inch in length.  Which of the following best explains the change in pupfish size?

• Speciation
• Convergent evolution
• Inbreeding
• Natural selection

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Which of the following scientists is considered to be the father of evolution?

• Carolus Linnaeus
• James Watson
• Gregor Mendel
• Charles Darwin

Which of these best illustrates natural selection?

• An organism with favorable genetic variations will tend to survive and breed successfully.
• A population monopolizes all of the resources in its habitat, forcing other species to migrate.
• A community whose members work together utilizes all existing resources and migratory routes.
• The largest organisms in a species receive the only breeding opportunities.

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All of the following are elements of Natural Selection except --

• All species have inherited genetic variations
• Organisms produce less offspring then can survive
• Competition exists for environmental resources
• Descent with modifications

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When mountain lions prey on a herd of white-tailed deer, some deer are killed and some escape. Which part of the theory of natural selection best describes this situation?

• commensalism
• survival of the fittest
• geographic isolation
• competition

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The random loss of alleles in a population is called --

• mutation
• artificial selection
• genetic drift
• gene flow

A large island in the Pacific Ocean supports isolated populations of two groups of frogs. The following observations of these frogs were recorded by scientists.
(A) Are different in color
(B) Excrete different products
(C) Live in different, isolated habitats
(D) Can interbreed and produce fertile offspring  
Which observation best supports the inference that these frogs belong to the same species?

• Observation A
• Observation B
• Observation C
• Observation D

Which of these graphs shows the most stable population?

• A
• B
• C
• D

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Organisms can have structures that are similar in appearance but perform different functions.
  These structures are called --

• vestigial structures
• homologous structures
• natural structures
• analogous structures.

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