Natural Selection

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 organism knew it needed that trait, survives, and passes it on.

Mutations are a change in what?

• DNA

• tRNA

• protein

• rRNA

The differences among a species, like different bird beaks, are called

• genes.
• variations.
• traits.
• theories.

"Organisms that are better adapted to the environment survive to pass traits to their offspring" is the definition of

• Natural Selection

• Evolution

• Selective Breeding

• Artificial Selection

Which best describes the role of mutations in natural selection?

• Mutations help an organism to better survive in their environment

• An organism may acquire a helpful mutation by interacting with the environment

• A mutation may result in a beneficial trait that makes an organism more likely to survive and reproduce

• Organisms with certain traits are more likely to win competitions for mutations

All rabbits of the same species living in a particular area would be an example of a(n)

• population

• species

• community

• ecosystem

The more genetic variation a population has,

the more likely it is for some individuals to

• evolve

• migrate

• survive

• mutate

Which organisms are most likely to survive?

• the best adapted
• the fastest
• the strongest
• the most domesticated (tamed)

Do organisms "decide" to evolve and change?

• Yes, they know they need to change to survive 
• No, they change because of natural selection

The pair of population graphs below display the results of two different five-year hunting cycles, one on light trees and one on dark trees. The population of light-colored moths is shown by the light gray dots, and the population of dark moths is shown by the dark gray dots. How do these results demonstrate natural selection?

• The moth populations shown here demonstrate random fluctuations over time that are not explained by tree color.

• On light trees, individual moths tried to become lighter in color to match the tree background. On dark trees, individual moths tried to become darker in color.

• The moths that were the same color as their background were more likely to survive and reproduce. Over time, the populations of these well-adapted moths increased.

• Small particles of tree bark became embedded in the moth’s wings, causing the moths to become darker on the dark trees and lighter on the light trees. These acquired traits were then passed down to the next generation of moths, causing the populations to change color over time.