Natural Selection

Katie observes three birds sitting on a tree branch in her yard. All three birds are red with brown on their chests. Which best explains why the three birds have similar appearances?

• The birds have similar diets.

• The birds live in the same habitat.

• The birds are sitting in the same tree.

• The birds are members of the same population.

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What is natural selection?

• The process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully.

• The random process by which individuals gain new traits.

• The process by which all organisms automatically adapt to their environment.

• The method by which individuals choose their mates based on specific traits.

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What is an adaptation?

• A temporary change in behavior in response to an environmental challenge.

• A physical or behavioral trait that has evolved over time to allow an organism to better survive in its environment.

• A sudden change in the DNA of an organism.

• The process by which an individual moves to a different environment.

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What role do mutations play in evolution?

• They decrease genetic variation.

• They have no role in evolution.

• They are the only source of new genetic material for natural selection to act upon.

• They always result in negative effects on the organism.

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How does adaptation affect a species' survival?

• It has no effect on survival.

• It decreases a species' chance of survival.

• It increases a species' chance of survival by making it better suited to its environment.

• It ensures that a species will not change over time.

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Why are adaptive 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 trait is an acquired phenotype.

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Do organisms "decide" to evolve and change?

• Yes, they know they need to change to survive 

• No, they change because of natural selection

The trees these moths used to live on were white, but have been covered in soot from coal factories. Which moth will be more successful in this environment?

• Dark moth

• Light moth

• Both will be equally successful

• Neither will be successful

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Guppies are small fish that live in South American rivers. They can have different-sized spots on their bodies. The river bottoms are covered in rocks. Guppies with spots that are the same size as the rocks on the bottom are harder for bigger fish to see and catch. The diagrams show three possible guppy populations. If their environment changes to have only large rocks, which of the following guppy populations will most likely survive?

• Only Population 2 will survive because it is the only population with variation.

• All the populations will survive because the guppies will change the size of their spots if they need to.

• Populations 1 and 2 will most likely survive.

• Populations 2 and 3 will most likely survive.

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Blue jays are birds that live in the forest. They can have beaks of different thicknesses. Blue jays use their beaks to get to the seeds they eat. Blue jays with thinner beaks can easily reach and eat the seeds inside pinecones. Blue jays with thicker beaks can easily open and eat seeds with hard shells. The diagrams below show three possible blue jay populations. If their environment changes to have only seeds in pinecones, which of the following blue jay populations will most likely survive?

• Populations 1 and 2 will most likely survive.

• Populations 2 and 3 will most likely survive.

• Only Population 2 will survive because it is the only population with variation.

• All the populations will survive because the blue jays will change the thickness of their beaks if they need to.

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