Natural Selection
Explain natural selection and artificial selection
natural selection is where animals that are most adapted to their environment live long enough to pass on their genes, artificial selection is when people choose which organisms reproduce so there are more desired traits.
Fill in the blank: survival of the _____
Fittest
What causes evolution?
Natural selection over generations
True or false: evolution happens quickly and can change in one generation
False
What does common ancestry suggest?
All species, living and extinct, are related
What is an adaptation?
Any inherited characteristic that increases an organisms chance of survival
Who is the scientist credited with the discovery of natural selection?
Charles Darwin
During early stages of development, dolphin embryos begin to develop hind limbs. By the time the dolphin fetuses are fully developed, the hind limbs have disappeared.
Which statement best explains the early development and then disappearance of hind limbs in dolphins?
the early ancestors of dolphins had hind limbs.
what is evolution?
When a population changes over time to better suit their environment
What are homologous structures? Name an example.
similar structures in different organisms.
ex- human arm, whale flipper, cat paw, bird wing
Which happens more quickly, natural or artificial selection?
artificial selection can change a population in one lifetime, natural selection would take many lifetimes
Sharks are colored white on the underside and blue or gray on top. How is this trait an advantage for them?
Camo hides them from predators and prey
How does gene sequencing provide evidence for evolution?
By comparing the DNA sequences of different species, scientists can see how closely related they are. The more similar the DNA, the more recently they likely shared a common ancestor.
True or false: Survival of the fittest is which determines which species is the strongest physically
False
In an arctic habitat; are white foxes or grey foxes more likely to survive and why?
White foxes are more likely to survive becase their white coats help them blend into the snow
A new predator of rabbits has been introduced within an ecosystem. This new predator runs faster than the native predators of rabbits. How might the rabbit population adapt due to the introduction of the predator?
Faster rabbits will survive and reproduce increasing the average speed of the rabbit population.
What is the evidence for common ancestry? name two
fossil record, homologous structures, developmental homology, molecular homology.
Fill in the blank: Organisms with traits that _____ their chances of surviving and reproducing in their environment tend to leave more offspring
Increase
If two different species have very similar gene sequences, what does this imply about their evolutionary relationship?
It implies they are closely related and likely share a recent common ancestor.
If scientists compare the gene sequences of a whale and a fish and find many differences, but when they compare the gene sequences of a whale and a hippopotamus they find many similarities, what might they conclude about the whale's evolutionary relatives?
They might conclude that whales are more closely related to hippos than they are to fish.
In an environment with food that grows on trees; are animals with long legs more likely to survive than animals with short legs and why?
Yes, animals with long legs, necks or any phenotype that makes them taller will be more likely to survive because they have easier access to food.
True or false : populations evolve, not individuals.
True
What are vestigial traits?
Vestigial traits are structures or features in an organism that have lost most or all of their original function over the course of evolution.
What is a population?
A species that lives and breeds within a specific area
Male guppies found in areas without predators are more colorful than the ones found in locations with large predator populations. A population of adult guppies originating from an area with a large number of predators is transferred to a nearby area with few predators.
Which of these is most likely to happen over a few generations? There will be in increase in colorful or non-colorful guppies?
There will be an increase in the number of colorful guppies.