B.7 CDE Natural selection past Staar questions

Male guppies found in areas without predators are more colorful than the ones found in locations with large predator populations. A population of adult guppies originating from an area With a large number of predators is transferred to a nearby area With few predators.

Which of these is most likely to happen over a few generations?

• The mortality rate of the guppies will increase.

• Offspring will stop competing for resources.

• There will be an increase in mutations in the offspring.

• There will be an increase in the number of colorful guppies.

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The diagram shows light- and dark-colored beetles that live on a tree. Which result is most likely to occur to the beetle population due to predation over time?

• The number of light-colored beetles in the population will increase.

• There will be more dark-colored beetles than light-colored beetles.

• The number Of light-colored beetles will decrease.

• The dark-colored beetles will move to a different type of tree.

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The quiver tree grows in desert areas in southern Africa. In recent decades average temperatures have been rising in southern Africa. Scientists predict that this warming trend will continue. Quiver trees in the hottest parts of their range near the equator are dying, but quiver trees at high elevations or in parts of the range that are farther from the equator are growing and reproducing. Which of these best explains what is happening to the quiver tree population in southern

Africa?

• Individual quiver trees are unable to adjust to the rising temperatures, and only those in cooler parts of the range will survive

• The quiver tree species is unable to survive rising temperatures throughout its range. The species is likely to undergo rapid extinction.

• Individual quiver trees can quickly adapt to rising temperatures. Individual trees will change their method of seed dispersal in cooler parts of the range.

• The quiver tree species will survive by producing offspring suited for warmer temperatures.

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White-tailed deer are seasonal breeders. Female white-tailed deer begin their reproductive cycle in the fall. Rising testosterone levels in male white-tailed deer cause them to start their breeding season around the same time. Offspring are born the following spring and summer.

• Male and female deer come into contact with each other only in the fall.

• Large predators are not found in deer habitats during the spring and summer months.

• Giving birth only in the spring and summer ensures that offspring are born when food is most available.

• Deer give birth in the spring and summer in order to avoid being pregnant during the hot summer months.

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The green frog (Lithobates clamitans clamitans) is found in many parts of the United States. The table contains some information about this frog.

Why does the ability to lay 1,000 to 5,000 eggs increase the fitness of the species

L. clamitans clamitans?

• It increases opportunities for offspring to compete for limited resources.

• It increases the probability that some offspring will survive long enough to reproduce.

• It increases the probability that moving water will promote gene flow from one population

  to another.

• It increases the chance of the recombination of alleles, leading to genetic drift in the

  population.

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Which condition is essential for natural selection to result in a new species?

• Unlimited resources

• An inherited variation

• A static environment

• A long life span

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A new predator of rabbits has been introduced within an ecosystem. This new predator runs faster than the native predators of rabbits.

Which statement describes what will most likely occur in the rabbit population due to the introduction of the predator?

• The rabbits will mutate their genes and express genes that increase their speed.

• Slower rabbits will develop stronger legs and pass this trait to their offspring.

• Rabbits will mate and produce offspring with a different species that has faster runners.

• Faster rabbits will survive and reproduce increasing the average speed of the rabbit population.

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The aye-aye lemur is a mammal that feeds mostly on insect larvae that live inside trees. The aye-aye lemur has a specialized middle finger that is long and thin. The aye-aye lemur moves along a tree branch and taps the branch with its specialized finger. When the aye-aye lemur hears a difference in the echo, it will tear open the bark with its teeth until the insect tunnel is exposed. The aye-aye lemur then uses its specialized finger to reach the insect larvae and remove it.

Which selective pressure most likely resulted in the development of the aye-aye lemur's

special adaptation?

• Limited availability of water

• Competing for mates

• Large numbers of natural predators

• Food sources that are hard to find

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The white cattail is a hybrid species Of plant that is a result Of the cross between the broad-leaved cattail and the narrow-leaved cattail. Over time, the white cattail has established itself in the wetlands Of Midwestern states.

Which of these explains the success of the white cattail?

• Favorable genes from parental generations provide advantageous characteristics to the hybrid species.

• Hybridization produces offspring traits that allow different species to survive in extreme environments.

• Inherited traits passed on from parental generations make hybrid species more susceptible to disease.

• Hybrid species display more adaptations due to their reduced genetic diversity.

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Adaptations that result from natural selection are expected to increase the fitness of an organism. In terms Of natural selection, which Of the following best describes fitness?

• Being able to escape from predators

• Being among the strongest organisms in a population

• Being able to survive, find a mate, and produce offspring

• Being able to survive long enough to reach the adult stage

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