Vocab & Basics
A group of the same type of organism living in one area is...
A POPULATION.
What two things describe a population?
What is THE TRAITS PRESENT & HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS HAVE EACH TRAIT?
What determines whether a trait is adaptive or not?
THE ENVIRONMENT.
What carries the instructions for traits?
GENES.
Blue jays have thick or thin beaks. Pinecones are available, and they are harder to break. Which beak type would become more common?
THICK BEAKS.
What is a trait?
A SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTIC OF AN ORGANISM.
Over time, what happens to adaptive traits in a population?
THEY BECOME MORE COMMON.
A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce is called what?
AN ADAPTIVE TRAIT.
PROTEIN MOLECULES.
Foxes with brown and white fur live in an area that becomes brown. What happens over generations with the traits and why?
MORE BROWN FOXES SURVIVE AND PASS ON THEIR GENES.
Give the definition of variation.
ANY DIFFERENCE IN TRAITS BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMS.
What happens to organisms with non-adaptive traits over many generations?
THEY BECOME LESS COMMON.
THEY DON'T SURVIVE.
If a trait makes survival harder, what is it called?
A NON-ADAPTIVE TRAIT.
What specifically do protein molecules determine?
TRAITS IN AN ORGANISM.
Hummingbirds live where flowers become longer and it's harder to reach the pollen. What happens over time?
BIRDS WITH LONGER BEAKS SURVIVE & THAT TRAIT BECOMES MORE COMMON.
A generation is...
A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS BORN & LIVING AT THE SAME TIME.
Why can’t a new trait become common if it doesn’t already exist in a population?
ONLY EXISTING TRAITS CAN BE PASSED DOWN.
If an environment changes, what will likely happen to the distribution of traits?
IT WILL CHANGE OVER TIME.
How are traits passed from parents to offspring?
THROUGH GENES.
Seals move from cold water to warm water. Would thin or thick blubber become more common over time? Why?
THINNER BLUBBER WOULD BECOME MORE COMMON SINCE THE WATER IS GETTING WARMER.
THICKER BLUBBER WOULD MAKE THEM TOO WARM IF THE WATER IS ALSO WARM.
What is distribution?
THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WITH EACH TRAIT IN A POPULATION.
Scientists study environmental conditions to explain changes in traits (effects). These environmental conditions are called what?
CAUSES.
In a forest that becomes darker, would a lighter or darker fur color become more common and why?
DARK FUR; IT'S THE ADAPTIVE TRAIT/HELPS ORGANISMS SURVIVE BETTER.
Why do traits persist across generations?
GENES ARE INHERITED FROM PARENTS.
Overtime, a cactus population faces more animals that eat them. Would the cactus trait of longer spines or shorter spines increase over time?
LONGER SPINES; THEY PROTECT AGAINST BEING EATEN.