Natural Selection Assessment Review

Which statement about the traits of individuals in a species is generally true?

• All individuals tend to have the same traits

• Very few traits in a species have variation

• Some traits in a species have variation

• Nearly all traits in a species have variation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

A population of iguanas found on an island are 2 feet longer than iguanas on the mainland 200 miles away. Since they are so large, the cats that inhabit the island will not try to eat them, like they would their smaller relatives. Which would NOT fit with an explanation of how the island iguanas came to be larger?

• there was always variation in iguana populations some were larger and some smaller

• iguanas that were larger had an advantage on the island, because they were less often hunted by cats.

• individual iguanas changed themselves to become larger so they wouldn’t be eaten by cats.

• larger iguanas survived and reproduced more often, so the average size of the iguanas on the island slowly got larger.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which below best summarized the change seen in the Galapagos finches from the reading above?

• Small beak birds grew their beaks larger

• Large beak birds killed smaller beaked birds

• large beak birds survived more often than small beak birds

• dark birds survived more often than light birds

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

What was the major cause for the beak size change in the population of finches we studied?

• finches with large beaks were better fighters.

• the great Galapagos volcano erupted

• they could not blend into their surroundings

• their food source changed

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

All of the mice living in an area of light sand are ALL light in color (there is NO variation of color) and there are LOTS of hungry birds that hunt mice by sight in the area. If a nearby volcano spewed ash into the air and turned all of the sand black, what might happen to the mice?

• Mice would start going to the salon to dye their fur black

• Mice would make sure their offspring were darker so they would have a better chance at survival.

• Individuals would change their fur color to match their surroundings

• The mice might all die off, since they now have no way to hide from predators

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

What is most likely to happen to moth populations in the picture shown?

• Light moths--hunted easily, dark moths--population increase

• Dark moths--hunted easily, dark moths--population increase

• Light moths--hunted easily, light moths--population increase

• Lights moths will change their color to match dark moths.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Natural selection occurs during the lifetime of a single organism.

• True

• False

Adaptations can be:

• camouflage

• ability to survive cold weather

• hunting skills

• all of the above

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

TRUE or FALSE: Natural selection will still occur if individuals are exactly the same.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

How do you "win" at natural selection?

• survive

• go extinct

• survive & reproduce

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4