Natural Selection & Adaptation

Question 1

Members of a population that are more successful at finding food and mates, while also escaping predation or other forms of death will have more descendants than less successful individuals.

Answer 1

Natural Selection

Question 2

Posited the theory of Natural Selection in 1858 (2)

Answer 2

Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace

Question 3

Steps of the natural selection process (5)

Answer 3

1. Every member of an animal or plant group has unique characteristics (or traits)
2. Every population of a species yields more offspring than it needs to sustain itself over time.
3. Not every member of a population will live the same number of years due to the hardships of life
4. When limited resources (food, water, breeding habitat, etc.) exist for a population, individuals will compete to acquire and use those resources. The more successful competitors are more likely to survive and reproduce.
5. Genetic traits that enhance an individual’s survivability will be passed onto future generations at a higher frequency than the individual’s less favorable traits.

Question 4

What caused the difference in the finch species?

Answer 4

The feeding habits required them to have specialized beaks.

Question 5

Examples of the types of beaks (4)

Answer 5

Cone-shaped beak to crack nut shells

Small Cone-shaped beak for small seeds and nuts

Claw-like beak to eat berries and buds

Narrow beak for grubs and holes

Question 6

What were on the trees that allowed the peppered moth its white wings and black spots?

Answer 6

Lichen

Question 7

What happened in the Industrial revolution (late 1800s and early 1900s) for the peppered moths to be affected?

Answer 7

Manufacturers operated coal fired factories to mass produce consumable goods.

Soot killed the lichen and darkened the tree trunks.

Question 8

The mechanism by which an animal or plant alters itself to accomodate its changing environment.

Organisms better suited for the environment survive and their genetic traits most likely to confer success will be inherited among their offspring.

Answer 8

Evolutionary adaptation

Question 9

Types of evolutionary adaptation (3)

Answer 9

Behavioral - how it interacts with the environment

Physiological - how its body functions internally

Structural - Organism changes at least one of its physical features.

Question 10

How did emperor penguins do behavioral adaptation?

Answer 10

Mate in the winter so chicks can mature into juveniles

Males huddle in circles for body heat

Only female emperors go to the ocean to eat during winter

Question 11

How did the emperor penguins do physiological adaptation?

Answer 11

They can live for 100 consecutive days without eating any food.

They can reduce their heart rate underwater.

Question 12

How did the emperor penguin do structural adaptation?

Answer 12

Short and stiff tails used to balance on their heels.

Bicolor pattern of penguins serve as camouflage

Question 13

Any genetic characteristic that helps a plant or animal increase its chances of reproducing and generating offspring that can survive as long as possible.

Typically observable physical traits or the phenotype rather than genotype

Answer 13

Adaptive trait

Question 14

Traits that are similar among different organisms who did not share a common ancestor.

Form through convergent evolution

Answer 14

Analogous structures

Question 15

Traits that are similar among aanimals that do share the same evolutionary ancestor.

Answer 15

Homologous structure

Question 16

Mammals have a specific homologous structure similar to them.

Answer 16

Radial bone.

Question 17

Different kinds of beaks (10)

Answer 17

Hooked
Cone
Short, curved
Straight, thin
Long, thin, needle-like
Wide, flat
Spatulate
Large, long, strong
Crossbill
Multi-functional

Question 18

Hooked

Answer 18

Tear into flesh of prey (raptors)

Question 19

Cone

Answer 19

Crack open shells (grosbeaks, cardinals)

Question 20

Short, curved

Answer 20

Open fruit and nuts (parrots)

Question 21

Straight, thin

Answer 21

Catch and eat insects (swallows, robin)
Peck holes to collect insects or sap (woodpeckers, sapsuckers)

Question 22

Long, thin, needle-like

Answer 22

Drink flower nectar (hummingbirds)

Question 23

Wide, flat

Answer 23

Filter dirt from pond and riverbeds (flamingos, ducks, swans)

Question 24

Spatulate

Answer 24

Grab mollusks and small animals from ponds and marshes (spoonbill)

Question 25

Large, long, strong

Answer 25

Catch fish (pelicans, albatross, herons)

Question 26

Crossbill

Answer 26

Seed removal from pinecones (red crossbill)

Question 27

Multi-functional

Answer 27

Remove skin from fruit, self-defense, mate attraction, cooling (toucan)

Question 28

It is believed that the polar bear originated from a brown bear cub. What are the traits of the fur of a polar bear?

Answer 28

thick to trap heat

Fur grows on paws to protect feet and add friction

Question 29

Is a change in the genetic makeup of a population over time.

Answer 29

Evolution

Question 30

3 Types of Natural Selection

Answer 30

Directional selection
Disruptive selection
Stabilizing selection

Question 31

Type of natural selection in which one of the extreme variations in a trait is selected.

Example is long neck giraffes

Answer 31

Directional selection

Question 32

Occurs when both extreme traits in a population are selected.
Creates the most variation and may lead to speciation.

Example are the peppered moths and Large male lobsters and small male lobsters

Answer 32

Disruptive selection

Question 33

Occurs when the middle variation of a trait is selected. Tends to homogenize a population.

Example is the human birth weight not being too big or too small.

Answer 33

Stabilizing selection

Question 34

Explain the heterozygote advantage, a part of the stabilizing selection.

With it present there is a balanced polymorphism ( a trait is equally represented)

Answer 34

> person inherits two recessive alleles.

> gets sickle shaped red blood cells and gets anemia

> with heterozygote, they have some characteristics of anemia but not as sick as homozygous.

> bonus cause sickle cell protects from malaria