Natural Selection

Seals that live in the icy regions of the Arctic have adaptations to help them survive. Which adaptation helps keep them warm in cold water?

• Flippers with long claws

• Mouth full of sharp teeth

• Narrow head with large eyes

• Thick layer of fat called blubber

In a rainforest ecosystem, some plants are able to grow attached to the sides of the tallest trees. This adaptation benefits these plants by allowing them to better compete for what resources that are limited on the forest floor?

• Sunlight

• Water

• Nutrients

• Air

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Over time, a species of mammals living in cold environments may evolve longer fur. This is due to the action of natural selection. Which of the following best describes how natural selection creates this adaptation?

• Mammals with slightly longer fur have a survival advantage.

• Mammals in colder climates produce more offspring.

• Cold climates stimulate the growth of longer fur in mammals.

• Individuals with longer hair migrate to colder climates.

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The arctic fox has white fur during the part of the year and brown fur during the rest of the year. This adaptation is helpful for an animal in what kind of habitat? A habitat that –

• has very hot summers

• has snow during the winter

• does not have many predators

• is cold during the entire year

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Illustrations of four antlers from four specimens in a population of moose, along with other data, are provided in the table. In order to grow antlers, a male moose must expend a great amount of energy it gets from food. In an environment where food resources are limited, it would be predicted that there would be an increase in which kind of antlers?

• Moose A

• Moose B

• Moose C

• Moose D

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Mudskippers are a species of fish which, over thousands of generations, have developed adaptations that allow them not only to survive outside of the water, but to actually travel from one water source to another. What environmental condition most likely led to these adaptations?

• Lower temperatures

• Frequent droughts

• Larger predators

• Increased precipitation

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Leopard seals are animals adapted to survive in the freezing conditions of Antarctica. Individual leopard seals vary in their different traits. Which of the following variations would give a leopard seal the greatest chance of surviving in its harsh environment?

• More spots on its coat

• Thicker layer of blubber

• More elongated head

• Wider, flatter teeth

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Artificial selection has the greatest impact on society by providing which of the following?

• More efficient energy

• Improved food sources

• Reduced air pollution

• Increased gas mileage

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Which of the following provides the best example of artificial selection?

• Scientists have noted that different varieties of birds on different islands have beaks that are suited to each bird’s available food

• Leopard seals captured in Antarctica have thicker layers of blubber than harbor seals captured in the Pacific Ocean.

• Hummingbirds have a long, narrow beak that enables them to reach food in the deepest parts of a flower.

• Racehorses that run fastest are the ones that are allowed to produce offspring, leading to faster racehorses.

Natural selection occurs when which of the following conditions are met?

• Individual organisms depend on each other to obtain available resources

• Variations between individual organisms lead to differential survival chances

• Habitat and nutrient resources in an area are plentiful over a long period of time

• The conditions in an ecosystem support a wide range of living organisms

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