Natural Selection

Charles Darwin’s observation that finches of different species on the Galápagos Islands have many similar physical characteristics supports the hypothesis that these finches 
 

• have the ability to interbreed.
  have the ability to interbreed.
• acquired traits through use and disuse.
• all eat the same type of food.
• descended from a common ancestor.

Darwin theorized that individuals having an advantage due to their traits or abilities will be more likely to survive and reproduce.  This theory is known as

• evolution
• speciation
• adaptation
• natural selection

What is survival of the fittest?

• It is where the fittest die out and therefore reproduce and pass on their genes
• It is where the fittest die out and therefore can't reproduce and pass on their genes
• It is where the fittest don't die out and therefore can't reproduce and pass on their genes
• It is where the fittest don't die out and therefore reproduce and pass on their genes

Darwin wrote that organisms with traits that are best suited to the environment will ________________

• increase in number
  
• become extinct
  

What characteristic did Darwin observe about the finches on the Galapagos Islands?

• Their feathers 
• Genotypes 
• Their beaks
• Their body sizes

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

Genetic differences between organisms of the same species

• Variation
• Adaptation
• Behavior
• Environment

According to the theory of natural selection, why are some individuals more likely than others to survive and reproduce? 

• Some individuals pass on to their offspring new characteristics they have acquired during their lifetimes. 
• Some individuals are better adapted to exist in their environment than others are. 
• Some individuals do not pass on to their offspring new characteristics they have acquired during their lifetimes. 
• Some individuals tend to produce fewer offspring than others in the same environment. 

Base your answer(s) to the following question(s) on the information below and on your knowledge of biology. The diagram below represents the relationship between beak structure and food in several species of finches in the Galapagos Islands. 
Which factor most directly influenced the evolution of the diverse types of beaks of these finches? 

• predation by humans 
• available food sources 
• oceanic storms 
• lack of available niches 

Who developed the theory of evolution?

• Charles Darwin

• Mike Tyson

• George Washington

• Patton Manning