A: Changes in Organisms Over Time

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1. Charles Darwin’s theory of “Survival of the Fittest” is also known as:

• adaptation
• artificial selection
• natural selection

2. Some plants have developed a thick, waxy coating that prevents loss of water. In order for plants to develop this thick, waxy coating over many generations, what must be true?

• The plants must have variation in the amount of waxy coating.
• The plants must live in an area with heavy rainfall.
• The plants must produce wax that animals are able to eat.

3. Galapagos finches living on different islands feed on a variety of food sources depending on what is available from one island to the next. This has resulted in differences in:

• their wings
• their beaks
• their size

4. A population of a certain kind of fish is introduced into a new habitat. These fish have variations in color from light to dark. Because of the lighting conditions and predators in this new habitat, light colored fish survive better near the surface and dark colored fish survive better near the bottom. What would likely result after many generations of these fish living in this environment? LOOK AT THE IMAGE FOR QUESTION #4 ON YOUR PAPER TEST!!!

• None of the fish would be able to survive because the new habitat is not suited to any of them.
• There would be two populations of fish, light colored near the surface and dark colored near the bottom.
• The fish would become smaller over time so that they could more easily defend themselves from predators.

5. A change that increases an organism’s chance of survival is:

• an adaptation
• a mutation
• evolution

6. This illustration provides information on four variations in the size and shape of antlers in a population of moose. In order to grow antlers, a male moose must expend a great amount of energy it gets from food. In an environment where food resources are limited, it would be predicted that there would be an increase in which kind of antlers? LOOK AT THE CHART FOR #6 ON YOUR PAPER TEST!!!

• A
• B
• C
• D

7. How does natural selection contribute to the theory of evolution?

• Over time, natural selection results in changes in the inherited characteristics of a population.
• Natural selection selects the organisms every time.
• Natural selection does not contribute to the theory of evolution.

8. In moths, dark colored wings are dominant (D) to light colored wings (d). Due to the Industrial Revolution, dark colored moths became more predominant (there were many more of them) than light colored moths. Which genotypes could the offspring of future generations inherit?

• DD only
• DD or Dd
• dd