Natural Selection Data

Which trait is being selected for through natural selection?

• Light colored wings

• Dark colored wings

• Both light and dark colored wings

• Dark trees

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

What is on the X-axis of the graph?

• Moth Generations

• Percentage of Moths

• Number of Moths

• Number of Dark Colored Trees

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

What is happening to the light colored moth population?

• It is increasing over time.

• It is staying the same.

• It is decreasing over time.

• It increases then decreases over time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

What is the adaptation in this scenario?

• White fur color

• Brown fur color

• Long teeth

• Short teeth

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which of the following would be considered selection factors? Select ALL that apply!

• Predators

• Food supply

• Food type

• Type of environment

Answer explanation

All of these influence an organism's ability to survive!

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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 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.

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

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

What is the correct explanation for what is happening in this graph?

• There are a lot of average-sized beaks

• There are no beaks

• There are a lot of small beaks only

• There are a lot of small and large beaks, but not average-sized ones

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4