Factors Affecting Biological Diversity Quiz Flashcards
Your teacher describes a population of fish that live in a coral reef. Some fish are dark orange (the same color as the coral). Some fish are nearly white. Most of the fish exhibit a color between dark orange and nearly white. Human activity has led to the bleaching of the coral reefs, making them very pale in color. Over time, the population of fish will be affected. Which graph represents the type of selection that you expect to occur?
Graph A
Which of the following is the definition for speciation?
The evolutionary process through which new species emerge
Which of the following can result in a population looking more similar over time and can be described as selection against both extremes of a trait?
Stabilizing selection
Which is the best definition of directional selection?
A process by which one of the extreme variations of a trait is favored
In a bird population, 50 % of the individuals had white feathers, and 50% had colored feathers. Over time, it was observed that 98% of the population had colorful feathers. The rest had white feathers. How did the type of selection in this example affect the population’s biodiversity?
Directional selection did not increase the population’s biodiversity
A population contains short plants and tall plants. The short plants are not able to compete with tall plants for sunlight. The tall plants, however, are more susceptible to wind damage. Which type of selection will this population of plants most likely experience?
Stabilizing selection
A population of chimpanzees was separated when the forest that they lived in had a section cut down and a town was built. After a long period of time, the chimpanzees came back into contact but were incapable of breeding. Which of the following best describes the process that occurred?
Speciation
Imagine a population of rabbits with fur color that ranges from black to white. If this population were put in an area that has dark rocks that camouflage the black rabbits, as well as light stones that hide the white rabbits, what would most likely happen to the gray rabbits?
Gray rabbits would be eliminated by predators
Which organisms are most likely to survive in a population in which disruptive selection is occurring?
Organisms that have extreme traits
A population of squirrels lived together in a forest. An event occurred that caused the population to diverge into two different species over a long period of time. Which of the following is most likely the event that occurred?
A natural disaster occurred that separated squirrels
Which graph represents selection that may lead to reduced variation in a population?
Graph C
A population of pigs lives on an island together with burrowing termites. Pigs that have the longest snouts tend to survive more frequently than those with shorter snouts. Over time, most of the pig population is made up of individuals that have very long snouts. This is an example of which type of selection?
Directional selection
Two insect groups vary genetically by two genes. When put together, they were able to reproduce and produce offspring that could also breed. Which best describes this insect population?
The insects are the same species
Which type of selection occurs when a population experiences a shift in diversity toward the larger organisms?
Directional selection
A scientist wrote a paper titled “Directional Selection in Action” after observing a population of mice for 15 years. The mice typically preferred to eat berries, although a few would also eat insects. After a drought in year 3, the scientist observed that more mice were eating insects. By year 10, most of the mice in the population ate insects in addition to berries. Which best describes her article?
Her title is accurate because one extreme is favored
