Natural Selection Amplify Exam

The diagram above shows a population of guppies that lived in a river. Scientists had previously only seen guppies with medium or large spots in this river; they had never seen any guppies with any other spot sizes.

-Karina says the change in the guppy population was caused by a mutation.

-Miles says the change was caused by a change in the environment.

-Zora thinks both Karina and Miles are correct.

Who do you think is right? Explain what happened to the guppies over many generations.

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NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Scientists measured the spine size of a population of cactuses found in an area in 1970. They measured the spine size of the cactus population again in 2015. Which of the statements below best describes the difference in the cactuses at the two time points?

• The cactuses in 1970 had smaller spines than the cactuses in 2015.

• The cactuses in 1970 had larger spines than the cactuses in 2015.

• There were more cactuses in 1970 than there were in 2015.

• There was more variation in spine size in 1970 than there was in 2015.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

How would you describe the histogram above?

• Most of the ostrilopes have no fur

• Most of the ostrilopes have medium length fur

• There is only one type of fur in this population

• Most of the ostrilopes have thick fur

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

How would you describe the variation in this histogram?

• There is high variation

• There is no variation

• There is low variation

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

How would you describe the population shown in the histogram?

• The ostrilopes have thick fur

• The ostrilopes don't have a lot of fur

• the population has a lot of variation

• the population has no variation

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which of the following is an adaptive trait?

• yellow ostrilopes in a green environment with predators present

• yellow ostrilopes in a yellow environment with predators present

• multiple colors of ostrilopes in a yellow environment with predators present

• all of the ostrilopes dying off

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

If this population is adaptive, after 50 years how will this population change if there is a lot of rainfall?

• the thornpalms will shift to store more water

• the thornpalms will die out

• the thornpalms will stay about the same

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

If this population is adaptive, after 50 years how will this population change if there is little to no rainfall?

• the thornpalms will stay about the same

• the thornpalms will shift to store less water

• the thornpalms will shift to store more water

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

What would be something that would cause a population to be adaptive?

• a change in the climate/ weather

• predators

• low food supply

• high food supply

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Why did the newts become poisonous?

• they wanted to

• they were attacked by another poisonous animal

• snakes were introduced to their environment

• they needed to protect themselves from predators

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4