WorksheetsNatural Selection
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 21mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
The graph shows the results of experiments using two different species of duckweed, L. polyrrhiza and L. gibba. Which of these best explains why growth is less when these two species are grown together?
a)
They attract more herbivores
b)
One grows faster than the other
c)
They compete for the same resources
d)
One stimulates the growth of the other
2.
The desert pupfish is a tiny fish that lives in small isolated pools in the deserts of Nevada, Arizona and California. These regions used to be lush with forests and abundant water. The pupfish that lived there were very large. As the environment changed into desert, access to water became severely limited. The pupfish became isolated in to small pools. Over time their size became much smaller, in some cases less than an inch in length. Which of the following best explains the change in pupfish size?
a)
Speciation
b)
Convergent evolution
c)
Inbreeding
d)
Natural selection
3.
Which of the following scientists is considered to be the father of evolution?
a)
Carolus Linnaeus
b)
James Watson
c)
Gregor Mendel
d)
Charles Darwin
4.
Which of these best illustrates natural selection?
a)
An organism with favorable genetic variations will tend to survive and breed successfully.
b)
A population monopolizes all of the resources in its habitat, forcing other species to migrate.
c)
A community whose members work together utilizes all existing resources and migratory routes.
d)
The largest organisms in a species receive the only breeding opportunities.
5.
All of the following are elements of Natural Selection except --
a)
All species have inherited genetic variations
b)
Organisms produce less offspring then can survive
c)
Competition exists for environmental resources
d)
Descent with modifications
6.
When mountain lions prey on a herd of white-tailed deer, some deer are killed and some escape. Which part of the theory of natural selection best describes this situation?
a)
commensalism
b)
survival of the fittest
c)
geographic isolation
d)
competition
7.
The random loss of alleles in a population is called --
a)
mutation
b)
artificial selection
c)
genetic drift
d)
gene flow
8.
A large island in the Pacific Ocean supports isolated populations of two groups of frogs. The following observations of these frogs were recorded by scientists.
(A) Are different in color
(B) Excrete different products
(C) Live in different, isolated habitats
(D) Can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
Which observation best supports the inference that these frogs belong to the same species?
(A) Are different in color
(B) Excrete different products
(C) Live in different, isolated habitats
(D) Can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
Which observation best supports the inference that these frogs belong to the same species?
a)
Observation A
b)
Observation B
c)
Observation C
d)
Observation D
9.
Which of these graphs shows the most stable population?
a)
A
b)
B
c)
C
d)
D
10.
Organisms can have structures that are similar in appearance but perform different functions.
These structures are called --
These structures are called --
a)
vestigial structures
b)
homologous structures
c)
natural structures
d)
analogous structures.
11.
Why does the white-tailed deer population drop when the carrying capacity is exceeded?
a)
Resources are too low to support the population
b)
Weather changes reduce the deer population
c)
The height of edible plants exceeds the height of the deer
d)
Competition by other animals is greatly reduced
12.
Animals that are closely related will look similar during
their early development
their early development
a)
Amino Acid Sequencing
b)
Embryology
c)
Homologous Structures
d)
Natural Selection
13.
Animals that are closely related will look similar during
their early development
their early development
a)
Amino Acid Sequencing
b)
Embryology
c)
Homologous Structures
d)
Natural Selection
14.
The same structure is present in different animals
a)
Embryology
b)
Natural Selection
c)
Homologous Structures
d)
Vestigial Structures
15.
Using DNA comparisons to evolutionarily link species
a)
Amino Acid Sequencing
b)
Embryology
c)
Natural Selection
d)
Vestigial Structures
16.
A body structure that has no function but may have been used by an ancestor
a)
Natural Selection
b)
Embryology
c)
Homologous Structures
d)
Vestigial Structures
17.
The process by which all organisms change over time to better adapt to their environment
a)
Embryology
b)
Amino Acid Sequencing
c)
Natural Selection
d)
Homologous Structures
18.
In his theory of natural selection, Darwin proposed that surviving individuals are those that have
a)
developed beneficial acquired characteristics
b)
characteristics valued for artificial selection
c)
produced the greatest number of offspring
d)
existing variations best suited to the environment
19.
As the forests of the central US slowly changed into grasslands, the horse ancestral species had to adapt to these changes. Surviving horse ancestors were larger with longer legs and a single-toe hoof. Darwin would call the ability of the horse to survive and reproduce in the changing environment --
a)
diversity
b)
competition
c)
fitness
d)
extinction
20.
Which is the oldest rock layer?
a)
Layer A
b)
Layer D
c)
Layer E
d)
Layer F
21.
Where would you find fossils of the least complex organisms?
a)
Layer C
b)
Layer D
c)
Layer E
d)
Layer F
22.
Where would you find the greatest diversity of fossils?
a)
Layer A
b)
Layer B
c)
Layer D
d)
Layer F
23.
Some scientists suggest that the mass extinction of dinosaurs resulted from sudden global weather changes caused by the impact of an asteroid on Earth. This event most likely promoted the evolution of new species of animals. These ideas best support the concept of --
a)
punctuated equilibrium
b)
use and disuse
c)
gradualism
d)
geographic isolation
24.
Modern vertebrates have a similar number and location of bones as those found in fossil vertebrates. A possible explanation for this similarity would be--
a)
organism needs for survival
b)
the struggle for existence
c)
a common ancestor
d)
competition among species
25.
Which two organisms are the most closely related?
a)
Organism 1 and Organism 2
b)
Organism 2 and Organism 4
c)
Organism 3 and Organism 4
d)
Organism 1 and Organism 3
26.
Earth has undergone some catastrophic changes from time to time. Which of these most likely explains why life on Earth continued following these catastrophes?
a)
Dominant species had a slow mutation rate
b)
Many species filled the same niche
c)
A strong species had many different characteristics
d)
A wide diversity of species existed
27.
The distinction between homologous and analogous structures can be summarized as follows:
a)
Homologous structures show common ancestral origins while analogous structures do not.
b)
Analogous structures show common ancestral origins while homologous structures do not.
28.
Organisms of different species can have structures that are similar in function but have different structure. An example is bird and butterfly wings. The structures are called --
a)
vestigial structures
b)
homologous structures
c)
natural structures
d)
analogous structures
29.
In the 1940s, farmers in the US lost 7% of their crops to pests. Since the 1980s, the amount of loss has increased to 13%, despite more pesticides being used. The best explanation for this is --
a)
pest populations are becoming more resistant to the pesticides
b)
fewer pesticides are being used now than in the 1940’s
c)
the pesticides are becoming weaker through repeated use
d)
the crops are less resistant to the pesticides
30.
The concept of gene flow is demonstrated when a cow is driven off from its herd, joins another herd, and reproduces. When the cow contributes to the gene pool of the new herd, which of these most likely increases?
a)
Natural selection
b)
Genetic variation
c)
Environmental fitness
d)
Reproductive mutations
31.
Which process decreases the genetic variation in the gene pool of a population?
a)
Mutation
b)
Recombination
c)
Genetic Drift
d)
Fertilization
32.
Pink primroses are planted on one side of the highway, and white primroses are planted on the other side. Some pollen from the pink primroses is transferred across the highway, fertilizing some white primroses. The next summer, pink primroses appear on the side with the white. This is an example of –
a)
mutation
b)
gene flow
c)
genetic drift
d)
codominance
33.
In the phylogenetic tree in Figure M, the common ancestor would be located at position
a)
A
b)
B
c)
C
d)
E
34.
Refer to Figure M. Which two organisms would be most closely
related?
related?
a)
organisms E and B
b)
organisms C and D
c)
organisms A and C
d)
organisms A and D
35.
Thirty breeding pairs of rabbits were introduced onto an island with no natural predators and a good supply of water, shrubs, and grasses. Over the next few years, the rabbit population will probably
a)
remain relatively constant due to equal birth and death rates
b)
die out due to inbreeding
c)
increase until the food supply runs low
d)
decrease as the number of rabbits per litter decreases
36.
On a population curve, natural selection is best seen when the population
a)
has plenty of resources available
b)
has reached carrying capacity
c)
is in the lag phase
d)
is in the exponential growth phase
37.
Stabilizing selection selects for --
a)
the average in a population
b)
one extreme in a population
c)
both extremes in a population
d)
first one extreme and then the other
38.
Some organisms have genes that improve their ability to survive and reproduce. If the genes also help their offspring survive and reproduce, then which of the following will most likely increase?
a)
The frequency of the genes in one individual
b)
The number of genes in the species
c)
The number of genes in one chromosome
d)
The frequency of the genes in the population
39.
Zoogeographic regions are characterized by the presence of specific groups of animals. These regions are determined by the taxonomic or phylogenetic relationships of animals. The map shows the zoogeographic regions proposed by the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1876.
The similarities of organisms in which two areas numbered above provide the best evidence for common ancestry between the organisms in both locations?
The similarities of organisms in which two areas numbered above provide the best evidence for common ancestry between the organisms in both locations?
a)
1 and 2
b)
3 and 4
c)
5 and 6
d)
7 and 8
40.
After examining the fossil record, scientists have determined that scorpions today are much smaller than their extinct ancestors. For example, Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, a giant scorpion species that lived 255 million to 460 million years ago, was 2.5 meters long. Which of the following conclusions is supported by this information?
a)
Scorpions living today have increased their numbers since they first appeared.
b)
Scorpions have changed as a result of natural selection.
c)
Scorpions in the fossil record are smaller than their descendants are.
d)
Scorpions do not appear in their original state in the fossil record.
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