Natural Selection

A change in a trait or characteristic that increases an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce.

• extinction
• natural selection
• adaptation
• choice

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

The theory that organisms best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.
"Survival of the fittest."

• Natural selection
• Adaptation
• Extinction
• Fossil

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

WHY is this variation is best for survival?

• longer claws for fighting
• longer legs for running faster
• bigger ears for better hearing
• fur color that blends in to it's environment

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

How will this mice population most likely change in the future?

• The white mice will go extinct.
• The grey mice will go extinct.
• All of the mice will grow longer fur.
• All of the mice will grow longer claws.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

The pictures below show fossils of the pakicetus and aetiocetus, ancestors of the modern gray whale. What do the placement of the nostrils show? (click on the image to make it bigger)

• evidence that they evolved over time from an earlier species adapting physical characteristics to what was best suited for their environment

• evidence that the species lived in different areas of Earth at the same time which required different physical characteristics to suit their environments

• evidence that they did not change over time and the physical characteristics of the species remained the same

• evidence that the species migrated to environments that were best suited for their physical characteristics

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Ten brown mice and ten white mice are placed in a desert environment. What will happen to the white population over time?

• It will increase
• It will decrease
• It will stay the same
• There is no way to tell

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

How would a warming climate affect the species in an ecosystem?

• individuals might die off but a species cannot disappear completely

• species would increase in number to offset the numbers killed by the heat

• species that have never been seen before would suddenly appear

• individuals best able to survive the heat would become more likely to reproduce

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

In a cooling environment, which species will have the best chance for survival?

• the one with the smartest individuals

• the one with the smallest body size

• the one with the most genetic variation

• the one with the largest population

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Random errors during DNA replication or exposure to chemicals/radiation could cause . . .

• natural selection

• mutations

• extinction

• adaptations

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NGSS.MS-LS3-1

What kind of effects could mutations have on organisms?

• positive

• negative

• neutral

• all of the above

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NGSS.MS-LS3-1