Traits and Inheritance
What is an inherited trait?
A characteristic passed from parents to offspring.
What is an adaptation?
A trait that helps a living thing survive.
What is an environmental change?
A change in the surroundings that affects living things.
What is an inherited trait?
A trait passed down from parent to offspring through genes.
Define variation.
Differences between individuals of the same species.
True or False: All traits are passed from parents to offspring.
False
True or False: Adaptations happen quickly within an individual animal’s lifetime.
False
Name one natural event that can change an environment.
Wildfire, flood, or earthquake.
What is a learned behavior?
A behavior taught or acquired through experience.
What does mimicry mean?
When an organism copies another for protection or other benefits.
Explain how a kitten gets its fur color.
It inherits genes for fur color from its parents.
How does a thick fur coat help a polar bear survive?
It keeps the polar bear warm in cold temperatures.
How can cutting down a forest affect the animals that live there?
Animals may lose their homes and food sources.
Identify whether "riding a bike" is an inherited trait or a learned behavior.
Learned behavior.
How does natural selection work?
Traits that help survival become more common over generations.
Describe one way a human child might look similar to their parents.
Eye color, hair texture, or dimples, etc.
Give an example of an adaptation that helps a desert animal survive.
Ex. A camel’s ability to store water.
Explain how pollution in water can affect fish populations.
It can make the water unsafe, causing fish to die.
Identify whether "eye color" is an inherited trait or a learned behavior.
Inherited trait.
Explain how camouflage is an adaptation.
It helps an organism blend into its environment to avoid predators.
Compare and contrast inherited traits and traits influenced by the environment.
Inherited traits come from parents (eye color); environmental traits come from surroundings (accent, scars).
Predict two things that might happen to an animal population if their environment becomes much colder.
Animals without cold-weather adaptations might die out or migrate.
How climate change could impact plant life over time.
Plants may not survive in altered temperatures or rainfall patterns.
Explain whether language is mostly inherited or learned, using evidence to support your answer.
Learned, because language depends on environment and teaching, not genetics.
Why does having a wide variety of traits in a population help it survive environmental changes?
Some individuals may have traits that help them survive new conditions.