Natural Selection

What is evolution?

• a group of organisms that can mate to produce fertile offspring

• the process in which inherited traits of a population change over many generations

• the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce

• a trait that allows organisms in a population to better survive and reproduce in their environment

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What is natural selection?

• the process by which humans breed a species for certain traits

• the process in which inherited traits of a population change over many generations

• the process by which Charles Darwin noted the differences in finches while visiting the Galápagos Islands

• the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce

What is an adaptation?

• a group of organisms that can mate to produce fertile offspring

• a process by which inherited traits in a population change over generations

• a process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce

• a trait that improves chances of survival and reproduction for a group of individuals in a population

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Which of the following is an example of a species?

• birds

• birds of prey

• owls

• spotted owl- bubo eublopharius

What did Charles Darwin observe on the Galápagos Islands?

• different rock layers on different islands

• the extinction of finches on different islands

• physical differences in finches that lived on different islands

• the fossil record of finches that once lived on different islands

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The figure shows two spotted salamanders. They are the same species of salamander, but they live in different areas.

Which of these terms is used to describe the difference between them?

• overpopulation

• population

• extinction

• variation

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When Charles Darwin observed finches on the Galápagos Islands, he noted differences in the shapes of the birds’ beaks. He observed that finches that ate insects had longer, narrower beaks than finches that crushed and ate seeds. Crushing seeds requires a larger, powerful beak. Based on this information, which finch shown below would most likely have an advantage for survival in an environment where seeds are the main source of food?

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Which of these scenarios is an example of natural selection?

• Farmers crossbreed two types of cows to produce a breed of cow that has high-quality beef and can tolerate a hot climate.

• Giraffes that have longer necks survive a dry season by eating leaves from the tops of trees. Those giraffes breed more successfully that year.

• Dogs of the same breed that have a desirable coat color are bred with one another to produce more puppies with that same coat color.

• People kill rattlesnakes that rattle when approached by humans are killed, but people do no kill rattlesnakes that remain silent. The quiet snakes survive and breed.

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The diagram below shows the changes over time in a population of mice in the wild after a population of hawks has moved into their environment. The white and dark mice differ only in color.

Which statement is the most likely explanation for why the mouse population changed over time?

• The hawks eat more dark mice than white mice because the dark mice taste better.

• The white mice are able to reproduce more successfully than the dark mice do.

• The hawks eat more white mice than dark mice because they can see the white mice more easily.

• The hawks eat more dark mice than white mice, because they can see the dark mice more easily.

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Individuals within a population have slightly different traits, called variations. How do variations improve the likelihood that a population will survive?

• Variation enables individuals to produce offspring that will survive into adulthood.

• Variation enables the population to create new genes, which help individuals survive a significant change in their environment.

• Variation provides the raw material upon which natural selection acts in a population.

• Variation enables individuals who are very different from the rest of the population to reproduce more successfully.

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