Natural Selection & Adaptations

Adaptation is

• the process that makes an organism look better

• the process in which weak organisms are killed off

• the process in which an organism becomes better adapted to its environment

• the process in which oxygen is transformed into glucose

Which is not an adaptation of a polar bear? 

• White fur 
• Large Feet 
• Thin Layer of fat 
• Strong Swimmer 

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The process by which organisms with favorable traits survive and reproduce at a higher rate

• Natural Selection 
• Adaptation 
• Evolution 
• Speciation 

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The white feathers of a snowy owl allow it to blend in with its environment during the winter months (snow). This is an example of ________________

• Species
• Environmental Change
• Adaptation
• Variation

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An inherited trait that helps those organisms that have it to survive

• niche
• structure
• characteristic
• adaptation

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A species lives in a particular environment.  What is TRUE about the environment that the species lives in and about how the species will look over thousands of years?

• The environment will stay the same, and the traits of the species will stay the same.
• There will be changes to the environment, but the traits of the species will stay the same.
• There will be changes to the environment that could lead to changes in the traits of the species.
• There will be changes to the environment, and the traits of the species will change, but the changes in the environment could never lead to changes in the traits of species.

When the peppered moths' light-colored trees were covered in soot, the forest was suddenly made up of dark-colored trees.  Which of the following explains what will happen to the moth population?

• The light moths that survive will not mate and have offspring because they know that their offspring would easily be seen and eaten by predators.
• The light moths that survive will have dark offspring because the change in the environment will cause the parents to have offspring that would do better in the new environment.
• The light moths will see that the dark moths will be less likely to be eaten by predators, so they made themselves dark as well.
• The dark moths will be better camouflaged from predators, so more of them will survive and pass on those traits.

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Individual members of a species could have differences in inherited characteristics that affect which of the following?

• Ability to find food.
• Ability to avoid predators
• Ability to find a mate. 
• All of the above.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

A species of bird ate many types of seeds.  The individuals vary in beak size.  If a drought were to kill off the trees that produce small seeds and leave only large seeds, how would the population change?

• The birds with larger beaks were better at eating the large seeds than those with smaller beaks, so only the birds with larger beaks got enough food to survive, reproduce, and pass the trait of large beaks to the next generation.
• The birds with smaller beaks had to work harder than those with larger beaks to crack open the large seeds.  The more they used their beaks, the larger their beaks became, so they were able to get enough food to survive, reproduce, and pass the traits of large beaks to the next generation.
• The birds with smaller beaks grew their beaks so that they would be better able to eat the large seeds and get enough food to survive, reproduce, and pass the trait of larger beaks to the next generation.
• Beak size is random and will not be determined by the types of seeds available.

According to the theory of natural selection, what would happen to a species of lizards when a new predator is introduced into the environment where the lizards live?

• All of the lizards would try to develop new traits to avoid the new predator.
• Some of the lizards would try to develop new traits to avoid the new predator, and the other lizards would die.
• The lizards that already have the traits needed to avoid the new predator would be more likely to survive and reproduce, and the ones that do not would be less likely to survive and reproduce.
• Because all lizards of the same species have the same traits, one lizard would not have an advantage over another lizard. They would either all survive or all die.

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