Darwin, Natural Selection, Adaptation, Fitness

The role an organism plays in its ecosystem

• niche

• behavior

• structure

• function

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

• niche
• structure
• characteristic
• adaptation

Organisms with the most beneficial traits will survive.  This is commonly known as ___.

• theory of evolution
• variations
  
• survival of the fittest
• ecosystems
  

Occurs when a population of organisms cannot adapt quickly enough to environmental changes.

• Evolution
• Adaptation
• Selective Pressure
• Extinction  

Why are advantageous traits more likely to be passed onto offspring?

• Because they are more likely to survive and reproduce.
• Because they come from dominant alleles.
• Because they come from recessive alleles.
• Because the trait is an acquired phenotype.

Charles Darwin called the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its specific environment

• diversity.

• evolution.

• adaptation.

• fitness.

Which of the following is a situation that could cause evolutionary change that is NOT due to natural selection?

• A volcano erupts and kills many individuals in a population.

• A mutation produces sea stars that are less visible to predators.

• An insecticide is sprayed in a community to combat mosquitoes.

• Cattle are treated with antibiotics to prevent the spread of infections.

The graphs below show the changes in crab color at one beach.

Which of the following is most likely to have caused the change in the distribution?

• A new predator arrived that preferred dark-tan crabs.

• A new predator arrived that preferred light-tan crabs.

• A change in beach color made medium-tan crabs the least visible to predators.

• A change in beach color made medium-tan crabs the most visible to predators.

What is the most likely explanation of the data shown below?

• There has been a drought in the area that is affecting all life forms.

• The population of natural predators of the moths has gotten smaller.

• The moths are living in an environment with light trees.

• The moths are living in an environment with dark trees.

Humans have been a very successful species on earth.  They have very large, very diverse populations spread all around the world. As a result,

• Human have very limited ability to adapt to changes in the environment.
• Young humans have lower survival rates as compared to other species.
• Humans have a potential to adapt to various environmental changes.
• All humans are more disease resistant.