Free Printable Regents Biology Unit 7: Natural Selection and Populations: June 2014 and June 2015

Worksheets

Regents Biology Unit 7: Natural Selection and Populations: June 2014 and June 2015

Total questions: 16

Worksheet time: 26mins

Name

Class

Date

Which statement describes an effect of natural selection on a species?

It favors the survival of certain members of the species and results in a change in the proportion of individuals with highly adaptive traits

It provides feedback mechanisms for members of a species and results in a change in the proportion of individuals with homeostatic controls

It leads to reproduction with other species, increasing the number of different adaptations

It increases competition between populations that occupy different niches, increasing the chance of extinction of the less-adapted species.

Maple leaf beetles and willow leaf beetles are named for the type of tree where they live and reproduce. They look identical to each other when observed, but experiments have shown that willow beetles would starve before eating maple leaves. This is an example of specialization that would directly reduce...

Variation

Competition

Adaptation

Replication

Which statement best describes the role of decomposers?

They convert carbon dioxide and water to glucose.

They break down organic compounds into products used by other organisms.

They release oxygen to the atmosphere.

They provide energy for the synthesis of proteins.

Modern dogs are direct descendants of the gray wolf. They first appeared about 130,000 years ago. Today, there are about 150 different breeds of domestic dog, a few of which are shown in the picture. The great variety of modern dogs can best be explained by...

selective breeding of dogs over many years

the cloning of domestic dogs

genetic alterations in gray wolves alive today

natural selection favoring wolves over dogs

What do the arrows in the diagram represent?

an increase in population

the evolution of organisms

the flow of energy

ecological succession

Which statement correctly describes interactions between organisms in this ecosystem?

Hawks are predators of insect-eating birds, but not of seed-eating birds.

Hawks and snakes prey on both rabbits and grasshoppers.

Rabbits and mice compete for both grasses and flower seeds.

Grasshoppers and mice compete for grasses, but not flower seeds.

Humans have altered ecosystems by activities that are sometimes deliberate and sometimes accidental. In the United States, humans have altered ecosystems by introducing invasive species that outcompete native species. Which activity resulted in the accidental introduction of an invasive species?

importing Japanese knotweed because it has an attractive flower

transporting zebra mussels to the Great Lakes by discharging water taken on in European ports to stabilize large ships

releasing Chinese mitten crabs in the Hudson River to establish them as a food source

planting purple loosestrife that was brought here from Europe as a source of medicine

Which environmental factor could have caused the change indicated at A?

increased predation by herbivores

increased availability of food

increased number of decomposers

increased competition among carnivores

Over a period of time, the location of the dashed line would move from location B to location C on this graph if...

the birthrate of the rabbit population was equal to the death rate of the rabbit population

there was a decrease in the number of rabbit predators and an increase in the availability of plants

there was a decrease in the availability of minerals, water, and shelter

the entire rabbit population migrated to a new ecosystem containing more autotrophs

10.

The extremes of dry and wet weather of the Galapagos Islands cause the food supply to constantly change. During dry years, the food is mainly large, hard seeds, and finches with large beaks are found in greater numbers.
Which statement best explains this observation?

Dry environments cause mutations in finches.

Finches grow larger when they have more water.

Small finches become smaller during dry seasons.

Large beak size is an adaptation to dry conditions.

11.

Rabbits produce large numbers of offspring during each reproductive season, yet the number of rabbits within a given population changes very little from year to year. The stability of the population size is most likely the result of...

the development of mutations in young rabbits

environmental factors that keep the population in check

rabbits continuing to reproduce when the population is large

the survival of more female rabbits than male rabbits

12.

Medical professionals are concerned with the increase in the number of bacterial species that are resistant to antibiotics. Once resistance appears in a bacterial population, it spreads rapidly. This is most likely because...

populations of resistant bacteria are small

exposure to antibiotics increases the rate of reproduction in bacteria

resistant bacteria are small when compared to non-resistant bacteria

resistant bacteria survive in greater numbers and pass the trait to their offspring

13.

If the line did not stay around the carrying capacity, but continued to rise, which concept would this graph best illustrate?

environmental stability

genetic variety

behavioral change

overproduction

14.

A remora fish has an adhesive disk or sucker on its head, which it uses to attach itself to larger fishes, such as sharks. This attachment causes the shark no harm. The remora fish eat scraps of food that the sharks drop as they feed. This is an example of...

an adaptation to a specialized niche

an adaptation of a successful parasite

competition between two fish species for food

competition for abiotic resources

15.

Each answer below represents a different population of the same species of insect. Which answer shows the population with the greatest chance of survival in a changing environment?

16.

In this diagram, the variety of beak sizes and shapes are adaptations directly related to successful...

feeding

camouflage

defense

singing

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Regents Biology Unit 7: Natural Selection and Populations: June 2014 and June 2015

Total questions: 16

Worksheet time: 26mins

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