DOL: B.9B Fossil Record and Rates of Change

Hannah is studying a population of butterflies that, over millions of years, slowly changes in color and pattern without any sudden shifts. Which term describes this slow, continuous evolutionary change over long periods?

• Stasis

• Gradualism

• Abrupt appearance

• Extinction

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-4

Mia is studying fossils in a museum. She notices that some new species seem to appear suddenly in the fossil record, with little or no evidence of transitional forms between them and older species. What does this abrupt appearance in the fossil record suggest?

• Species evolve at a steady rate over time

• New species appear suddenly with little or no transitional fossils

• A species remains unchanged for millions of years

• All fossils are found in the same rock layer

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Benjamin is studying layers of rock and notices that the fossils of a certain species look almost the same in many layers, with only a sudden change in one layer. How does this stasis impact the fossil record?

• It shows that species remain relatively unchanged for long periods

• It proves that evolution happens at the same speed for all species

• It suggests that fossils appear in random order

• It means all species evolve gradually over time

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Rohan is studying fossils of frogs and notices that there are many transitional fossils showing small changes in the frogs' features over a long period of time. Which pattern of evolution is supported by his findings?

• Stasis

• Abrupt appearance

• Gradualism

• Punctuated equilibrium

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Maya visits a natural history museum and observes a display showing different fossils found in various rock layers. She wonders why scientists study the fossil record to understand evolution. Why is studying the fossil record important for understanding evolution?

• It helps scientists identify patterns of change in species over time

• It proves that all species evolve at the same rate

• It shows that fossils only form under perfect conditions

• It has no impact on understanding evolution

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2