Evidence for Evolution
Natural Selection
MCAS Practice
Test Questions
Review Questions
100
This piece of evidence shows that ancient species share similarities with species now on earth and provides evidence that living things gradually change over time. (Ex. The common ancestor for modern day whales is a 4 legged hooved mammal...how do we know this?)
What is the FOSSIL RECORD
100
What is evolution by natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin?
What is a process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment SURVIVE and REPRODUCE most successfully
100
Which of the following statements provides the best scientific evidence that chimpanzees and rhesus monkeys come from a common ancestor? A. They live in similar habitats. B. They exhibit similar behaviors. C. They have similar nutritional needs. D. They have similar genetic sequences.
What is D. They have similar genetic sequences Molecular evidence is used to determine genetic relatedness
100
Starlings produce an average of five eggs in each clutch. If there are more than five, the parents cannot adequately feed the young. If there are fewer than five, predators may destroy the entire clutch. This is an example of what type of selection (disruptive, stabilizing, directional)
What is STABILIZING SELECTION the intermediate phenotype is favored and the extremes are selected against
200
The same groups of embryonic cells develop in the same order and in similar patterns to produce the tissues and organs of all vertebrates. These common cells and tissues, grow in similar ways in the pre-birth stages of development. (All vertebrates share the tail, pharyngeal slits, eye pocket)
What is EMBRYOLOGY
200
What is an adaptation
What is an inherited characteristic that increases and organism's chance of survival
200
The larvae of the common sulphur butterfly can be light green or bright yellow. Birds prey on the larvae, which are found on the green leaves of alfalfa plants. Based on the theory of natural selection, which of the following would scientists expect to observe in populations of common sulphur butterfly larvae? A. All the green larvae develop yellow stripes before metamorphosis. B. All the yellow larvae and none of the green larvae are eaten by birds. C. The percentage of green larvae in the population is much greater than the percentage of yellow larvae. D. The percentages of green larvae and yellow larvae in the population remain equal for many generations.
What is C. The percentage of green larvae in the population is much greater than the percentage of yellow larvae. The green larvae can better camouflage on the green leaves vs. the yellow larvae and have a greater chance to survive and reproduce and pass the green coloration gene onto their offspring
200
A population is separated into two groups by a geographic barrier. Over time, enough differences develop between the two groups that they do not interbreed when reunited.Which of the following terms best describes the process that has occurred?
What is SPECIATION
200
Scientists recovered the body of a woolly mammoth from the frozen soil of Siberia. The DNA sequence of the woolly mammoth was very similar to the DNA sequence of the African elephant.Which of the following conclusions is best supported by this information? a. African elephants evolved directly from woolly mammoths. b. The woolly mammoth and the African elephant have a common ancestor. c. Woolly mammoths had the same number of chromosomes as African elephants. d. The woolly mammoth and the African elephant should be classified as the same species.
What is B. The woolly mammoth and the African elephant have a common ancestor.
300
Similar structure in bones/organs but different function ex. humans grasp objects using hands as a tool whales swim, bone structure is similar in the hand and arm bones
What is HOMOLOGOUS STRUCTURES
300
Natural selection affects which individuals having different phenotypes (how organisms look) survive and reproduce and which do not. In this way, natural selection determines which alleles (genes in DNA) are passed from one generation to the next. TRUE or FALSE
What is TRUE. Natural selection affects which individuals having different physical characteristics/traits better survive and reproduce in a changing environment. Natural selection determines which alleles/genes can be passed from one generation to the next.
300
Millions of years ago, seawater flooded part of the Mississippi River Valley. Scientists have concluded that chorus frogs were affected by the flooding. The flooded areas formed geographic barriers between chorus frog populations for millions of years. Which of the following most likely occurred as a result of the seawater flooding?. A. The frogs lost the tadpole stage of their life cycle. B. Isolated populations of frogs became separate species. C. The frogs’ eggs were fertilized by sperm of marine species. D. Frog populations were protected from all the predators in their areas.
What is B. Isolated populations of frogs became separate species due to the geographic isolation due to seawater flooding. These species of frogs can no longer successfully interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
300
The scientific name for the cougar is Puma concolor. Which of the following organisms is most closely related to the cougar? a. Corythaixoides concolor b. Lynx rufus c. Panthera tigris d. Puma yagouaroundi
What is D. Puma yagouaroundi, they share the same genus, but are different species
300
What does reproductive isolation mean?
What is When organisms of common descent can no longer breed with one another, or produce fertile offspring, at least one new species has evolved through reproductive isolation.
400
This piece of evidence for evolution shows that closely related species share many similarities in their genetic sequence (DNA, RNA, amino acid, protein sequences) than species that are more distantly related.
What is MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EVIDENCE
400
What does fitness mean in evolutionary terms?
What is A genotype's fitness includes its ability to survive, find a mate, produce offspring — and ultimately leave its genes in the next generation. The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce as a result of adaptations
400
Scientists compared the DNA sequence of a gene in four mammals. A portion of the gene’s DNA sequence in each mammal is shown below. Based on the sequence data, which of the mammals are most closely related to each other? A. mammals 1 and 2 B. mammals 1 and 3 C. mammals 2 and 4 D. mammals 3 and 4 Mammal DNA Sequence 1 TCTCAACTACAA 2 TCTCAGCTGCAA 3 ACTCAGCTACAA 4 TCTCAGCTGCAG
What is C. 2 & 4
400
The bones that make up the forelimbs of monkeys, cats, whales, and birds are similar. Which of the following statements best supports the evolutionary relationship of these animals? a. The animals have different ancestries but have adapted to similar environments. b. The animals share a common ancestry but have adapted to different environments. c. The animals at one time lived in different environments but now share an environment. d. The animals use their forelimbs for identical activities but live in different environments.
What is B. The animals share a common ancestry but have adapted to different envrionments
400
What is geographic isolation?
What is Natural geographic changes in the landscape separate a species and allow them to separately evolve slowly over time as their gene pools accumulate mutations. This separation can lead to speciation when separated groups of the same species evolve away from each other and eventually will be unable to interbreed making a completely new species.
500
Homologous organs that are of no use the species because it has evolved. (ex. wisdom teeth in humans, pelvis in modern day Cetaceans-whales,dolphins, porpoises)
What is VESTIGIAL STRUCTURES
500
Describe an example of natural selection your group has learned from this unit
What is ANSWERS WILL VARY CHECK WITH MS. B :-)
500
The three-spined stickleback is a species of fish. It lives in the ocean and in streams that flow into the ocean. Some scientists think that the ocean populations and stream populations may be evolving into separate species.Which of the following statements describes how speciation of these fish would most likely occur? A. Fish from stream populations would start to reach maturity at the same time as fish from ocean populations. B. Fish from stream populations would sometimes swim into the ocean but fish from ocean populations would stop swimming into streams. C. Ocean populations and stream populations would each mate fewer times per year and would have decreased birth rates over time. D. Ocean populations and stream populations would each adapt differently to their environments and would accumulate enough differences over time to prevent interbreeding.
What is D. Ocean populations and stream populations would each adapt differently to their environments and would accumulate enough differences over time to prevent interbreeding.
500
Which of the following statements best explains why the chestnut-sided warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica, and the cerulean warbler, Dendroica cerulea, are classified as closely related species? a. They eat the same types of insects. b. They have similar DNA sequences. c. They show similarities in their nesting behaviors. d. They live in the same types of woodland habitats.
What is B. They have similar DNA sequences
500
What are the 8 different levels of taxonomy in their correct order (King Phillip....)
What is Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
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