In the context of natural selection, what does the term "fitness" refer to?

The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its environment

The physical strength of an individual

The ability of an individual to compete in sports

The healthiness of an individual as judged by medical professionals

What is a potential ethical concern with genetic modification?

It can lead to overpopulation of modified organisms

It may reduce genetic diversity

It can result in traits that disadvantage the organism

How might climate change influence natural selection in wild populations?

By reducing the number of viable habitats.

By increasing genetic diversity through mutations.

By promoting longer lifespans in all species.

By decreasing the competition for resources.

A population of rabbits grows rapidly from one year to the next. Then one year, a disease strikes approximately one fourth of the adult rabbits. The disease remains with the population in the years that follow. As explained by Darwin’s theory, which of these conditions allows the rabbit population to evolve by natural selection?

Some rabbits are resistant to the disease, and they pass the resistance to their offspring.

The disease affects adult and juvenile rabbits equally.

The disease reduces the ability of the rabbits to reproduce.

No rabbits are resistant to the disease, and all die when the disease strikes them.

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

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.

The figure shows how natural selection of a single-trait gene affects lizard survival. Which of the following most likely causes the changes in allele distribution?

The allele for light gray coloration disappears from the population. This may be because light gray lizards are more visible to predators and therefore they might be less likely to survive and reproduce.

The allele for black coloration decreases fitness and becomes less common. This may be because black coloration keeps the lizards cool during hot summer temperatures.

Medium gray coloration in lizards appears to be a neutral mutant allele that allows the lizards to hide better from predators. This leads to increases in phenotype and allele frequency of gray coloration.

Because black and medium gray lizards are less visible to predators, these alleles are neutral to natural selection and therefore will not disappear from the population of lizards.

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

The moths are living in an environment with dark trees.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

Eider ducks live in the ocean and have a layer of warm feathers underneath their regular feathers. They can have feathers of different thicknesses. These feathers helps the ducks stay warm in cold water. Ducks with thicker feathers are more likely to stay warm and survive in cold water. But, in warm water, thicker feathers can make the ducks overheat and die. The diagram below shows a population of ducks that live in an area of an ocean. At time 1, the population had the same number of ducks with thin and thick feather layers. At time 2, after many generations, there were many more ducks with a thin feather layer and fewer ducks in the population with a thick feather layer. How did the environment change between time 1 and time 2? How did the population change?

The water became warm. With each generation, more ducks with thin feathers survived long enough to pass on the gene for thin feathers to their offspring.

The water became warm. As a result, ducks with thin feathers were more likely to survive, so the ducks with thick feathers changed to have thin feathers.

The water became warm. As a result, ducks with thin feathers were more likely to survive, so both kinds of ducks passed on the gene for thin feathers to their offspring.

You cannot tell how the environment changed. With each generation, more ducks passed on the gene for thin feathers to their offspring.

There is a kind of snake that can be born with red, yellow, or green skin. Eagles hunt these snakes, but snakes that are the same color as their environment are harder for the eagles to see and catch. A population of snakes once lived in an environment where there was sand and dirt, but no grass. The image above shows what the population looked like then. The environment changed so that green grasses and plants now grow there. The diagrams below show two predictions for what the population could look like after many generations. Which prediction best shows what the population could look like after many generations? What caused it to change?

Prediction 1 is best. Two yellow or red snakes had a baby with a mutation in its genes for the green-skin trait. Because green snakes are more likely to survive, that baby survived long enough to pass on its mutation, so the green trait became more common over generations.

Prediction 1 is best. Green snakes are more likely to survive, so yellow and red snakes began to have offspring with mutations in their genes for the green- skin trait so that their offspring would have a better chance of surviving.

Prediction 2 is best. A snake could have been born with a mutation in its genes for the green-skin trait and lived for a little while. Because green snakes are more likely to die, it would have been more likely to die before it had offspring, so the final population will only have yellow and red snakes.

Prediction 2 is best. A snake could have been born with a mutation in its genes for the green-skin trait, but having a mutation in its genes would have caused it to die when it was born, so the final population will only have yellow and red snakes.

the quality or characteristic of an organism

An example of selective breeding is

a person pollinates 2 white rose plants to only create white roses

a dog breeder mating 2 dogs to make more dogs

a farmer grows bees to pollinate the plants on his farm

How does the presence of certain traits increase an organism's chances of survival and reproduction?

By allowing them to better adapt to environmental changes.

By making them more visible to predators.

By reducing their reproductive rate.

A population of animals is permanently split by a natural barrier into two separate populations in different environments . What will likely result after a long period of time?

The two populations will evolve into separate species.

The evolution of the two populations will be identical.

The production of variations will stop in the two populations.

The animals will begin to go through photosynthesis instead of having to find food.

What is the primary benefit of creating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture?

To enhance the nutritional value and resistance to pests

To increase the aesthetic appeal of crops

To decrease the growth rate of crops

To reduce the crop yield for sustainability

Which scenario best illustrates the concept of artificial selection?

A kennel where dogs with the least shedding are bred to produce hypoallergenic breeds

A forest where the tallest trees survive more frequently due to natural fires

A laboratory where bacteria are engineered to produce insulin

An ocean where only the fastest fish escape predators

How does the environment influence natural selection in a population?

It alters the availability of resources, affecting survival and reproduction

It has no significant impact as genetic traits are fixed

It only affects the physical appearance, not genetic traits

It changes the social behavior of individuals but not their genetics

Natural and Artificial Selection

Authored by Grayson Perry

Biology

8th Grade

NGSS covered

Used 5+ times

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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is selective breeding?

A process where natural selection is used to develop new species

A method where humans use genetic engineering to modify organisms

A technique where humans breed plants and animals for particular genetic traits

A natural process that occurs without human intervention

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DOK Level 1: Recall

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Which of the following is an example of genetic modification?

Cross-breeding dogs to enhance intelligence

Inserting a gene from one species into another to confer resistance to pests

Selecting the tallest plants in a generation to breed the next generation

Allowing animals to mate naturally without human intervention

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DOK Level 1: Recall

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

How does gene therapy aim to enhance or correct genetic traits?

By selectively breeding individuals with desired traits

By introducing or altering genes in an individual’s genome

By allowing natural selection to increase the frequency of desired genes

By using chemicals to induce changes in the DNA sequence

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DOK Level 2: Skill/Concept

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What does a typical graph showing natural selection over time depict?

A steady increase in population size

Fluctuations in genetic traits based on environmental conditions

A constant genetic trait distribution

A decrease in genetic diversity

Tags

DOK Level 2: Skill/Concept

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Compare selective breeding and genetic modification. Which statement is true?

Both techniques involve direct manipulation of an organism's DNA in a lab

Selective breeding involves choosing parents with desired traits, while genetic modification involves directly altering DNA

Genetic modification is a natural process, whereas selective breeding is not

Selective breeding can introduce genes from other species, unlike genetic modification

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DOK Level 2: Skill/Concept

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is a primary goal of using gene therapy in humans?

To create genetically modified crops

To enhance physical features like height and eye color

To correct or replace faulty genes responsible for diseases

To increase genetic diversity within a population

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DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Why might a farmer choose to use selective breeding on crops?

To decrease the crop yield

To increase resistance to diseases

To reduce the nutritional value of the crops

To make the crops more susceptible to pests

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DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking

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