Genetics Quiz 5

A hover fly looks like a honey bee. Which statement best explains how this adaptation helps the hover fly survive?

• Looking like a honey bee keeps other animals away from the hover fly's food.

• Looking like a honey bee keeps some predators from trying to eat the hover fly.

• Looking like a honey bee allows the hover fly to blend with its environment.

• Looking like a honey bee allows the hover fly to collect more pollen. 

Answer explanation

Looking like a honey bee helps the hover fly avoid predation, as many predators associate the appearance of bees with a painful sting, thus deterring them from attacking the hover fly.

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What adaptation of the American bullfrog helps it to hide in grass?

• long and sticky tongue

• brown and green color

• large eyes on type of the head

• over six inches in size

Answer explanation

The brown and green color of the American bullfrog helps it blend into grassy environments, providing camouflage from predators. This adaptation is crucial for its survival in the wild.

Some types of trees are able to survive the heat of a forest fire. Which of the following adaptations would best help a tree survive a fire?

• thick bark

• thin trunks

• shallow roots

• large leaves

Answer explanation

Thick bark acts as insulation, protecting the tree's vital tissues from extreme heat during a fire. In contrast, thin trunks, shallow roots, and large leaves do not provide adequate protection against fire damage.

Bears are known to hibernate during the winter. Which statement predicts why hibernation is a useful adaptation for survival?

• Food becomes scarce during the winter.

• Larger animals hunt bears in the winter.

• Migration causes a struggle for available space.

• Fewer leaves make it easier for prey to see the bears.

Answer explanation

Hibernation is useful because food is scarce in winter. By entering a state of dormancy, bears conserve energy and survive until food becomes available again in spring.

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A population is a group of individuals of the same species. With natural selection, what is likely to happen to a population when a change occurs in its environment?

• Because all individuals of the same species have the same traits, one individual would never have an advantage over another in its population. They would either all survive or all die.

• All of the individuals would try to develop new traits so they could survive and reproduce in the changed environment.

• Some of the individuals would try to develop new traits so that they could survive and reproduce, and the other individuals would die.

• The individuals with traits better suited to the changed environment would be more likely to survive and reproduce.

Answer explanation

In natural selection, individuals with traits better suited to a changed environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, leading to a shift in the population's traits over time.

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What is likely to happen to a population of birds after the seeds they normally eat are no longer available and all that is left are seeds that are harder to crack open?

• All of the individual birds would develop new beaks as they continued to attempt to eat the seeds that are harder to crack open. All of the birds would survive and reproduce.

• The individual birds that already have the kind of beak that allows them to eat the seeds that are harder to crack open would be more likely to survive and reproduce.

• Some of the individual birds would try to develop new beaks so that they could eat the seeds that are harder to crack open. Those birds would be more likely to survive and reproduce, and the other birds would likely die.

• Because the population of birds is all of the same species, they all have the same physical traits. No individual bird would have an advantage in cracking open the seeds, and all of the birds would die.

Answer explanation

The birds with beaks suited for cracking harder seeds will have a survival advantage, allowing them to eat and reproduce. This leads to natural selection favoring those traits, while others may struggle.

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What would happen to a species of lizards when a new predator is introduced into the environment where the lizards live?

• The lizards that already have the physical traits needed to avoid the new predator would be more likely to survive and reproduce, and the ones that do not would be less likely to survive and reproduce.

• All of the lizards would try to develop new physical traits to avoid the new predator.

• Because all lizards of the same species have the same physical traits, one lizard would not have an advantage over another lizard. They would either all survive or all die.

• Some of the lizards would try to develop new physical traits to avoid the new predator, and the other lizards would die.

Answer explanation

The correct choice explains that lizards with traits to avoid the new predator will survive and reproduce, while those without such traits will struggle. This reflects natural selection, where advantageous traits enhance survival.

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Could individuals of a species look different today than individuals of the same species did many generations ago? Why or why not?

• Yes, some individuals can change a little and pass those changes on to their offspring.

• No, species do not change even after many generations, so individuals of the same species would not look different.

• Yes, all individuals can change a little and pass those changes on to their offspring.

• Yes, some individuals with certain traits are more likely to survive and pass those traits on to their offspring.

Answer explanation

Yes, some individuals with certain traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, leading to changes in the species over generations. This process, known as natural selection, results in individuals looking different over time.

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Which of the following is necessary for the process of natural selection to occur?

• Numerous species must have recently become extinct.

• There must be a sudden environmental change.

• Traits must be inherited from one generation to the next.

• A food source must disappear.

Answer explanation

For natural selection to occur, traits must be inherited from one generation to the next. This inheritance allows advantageous traits to be passed on, leading to evolution over time. The other options are not necessary.

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Individual members of a species could have differences in inherited characteristics that affect which of the following?

• Both their ability to find food and their ability to avoid predators.

• Neither their ability to find food nor their ability to avoid predators.

• Their ability to avoid predators but not their ability to find food.

• Their ability to find food but not their ability to avoid predators.

Answer explanation

Individual members of a species can have variations in traits that enhance their ability to find food and avoid predators, making both abilities influenced by inherited characteristics.

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