6.4 Adaptations

Question 1

What happens to mutations in gametes?

Answer 1

they are passed on to every cell in the new organism

Question 2

What can increase the rate/likelihood of mutations?

Answer 2

mutagenic agents like:
radiation
-UV light
-X-rays 
-gamma rays
chemicals
-excess caffeine 
-mustard gas

Question 3

What is an adaptation?

Answer 3

an inherited characteristic which helps an organism to survive and adapt to changes in environment over generations

Question 4

What two types of adaptation are there?

Answer 4

behavioural
-hierarchy
physical
-developing warmer coats or different beaks like Darwin’s finches

Question 5

Describe natural selection…

Answer 5

1) more offspring than environment can support
2) variation within species
3) poorly suited numbers decrease
4) healthiest and best suited reproduce -survival of the fittest

Question 6

Describe the process of speciation…

Answer 6

1) barrier splits a population of animals
2) mutant appears in one of new populations with adaptation better suited to environment
3) more mutants appear
4) survival of the fittest mutants make up all of new population
5) populations now so different that if barrier was removed they would not be able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Question 7

What is polyploidy?

Answer 7

more chromosomes
makes them superior-bigger
better resistance to disease
in strawberries and tomatoes

Question 8

What are mutations?

Answer 8

spontaneous, random changes to genetic material which lead to new alleles and so contribute to variation