Lesson 4 - Adaptation

Evolution and Adaptation

By Whitney Ratliff

Multiple Choice

In the context of evolutionary biology, what does the term 'fitness' refer to?

• The physical strength of an organism

• The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

• The speed at which an organism can move

• The lifespan of an organism

Multiple Choice

All the individuals of a species that live in a particular area are called a

• variation

• fossil

• population

• group

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following statements are true about natural selection? 

• 1. Organisms develop adaptations out of need

• 1. The goal of evolution is to produce stronger, bigger organisms 

• 1. Over time, populations will contain individuals with higher fitness

Open Ended

What do you believe it means to adapt ? What benefit is there in adapting ?

What is adaptation?

Adjustments made which enables organisms to function unction better in an environment in the process ehance their chance of survival

Multiple Choice

What is the term for a feature that allows an organism to survive better in its environment?

• variation

• adaptation

• homologous structure

• vestigial structure

Adaptations can be:

• Physical

• Physiological

• Behavioral

Physiological Adaptation

• These are processes which takes place internally which protects the organisms from the changes that takes place in the environment

• Ex. A snake produces toxin to protect itself

• An opposum playing dead to detract predator

Physical Adaptations

• External features that organism develop to help them adjust to the environment

• Ex. Cacti having prickles that prevent loss of water

• Hard shells on crabs

Multiple Choice

Adaptations which allow organisms internal processes to adjust internally in a way that protects them

• Physical

• Biological

• Physiological

Open Ended

Type an example of physical adaptation

Multiple Choice

External body changes that enables organisms to adjust to environment

• Physical

• Physiological

• Behavioral

Behavioral

• These are actions that animals take in response to change in environment

• Ex. Bears hibernating in winter

• Snake hissing

• Dog growling

• Plants losing leaves in winter

Multiple Choice

What type of adaptation is shown in picture ?

• Behavioral

• Physical

• Physiological

Open Ended

Type an example of Behavioral Adaptation

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not a type of biological Adaptation?

• Behavioral

• Physiological

• Emotional

• Physical

Multiple Choice

Individuals that are well adapted to their environment will survive and produce

• fewer mutations

• more offspring

• stronger genes

• better traits

Open Ended

What term is used to describe an organism that change over Time as they adapt ?

How does evolution take place?

• Artificial Selection

• Natural Selection

Artificial selection

• Humans carefully select traits or characteristics that are passed on to offspring

Multiple Choice

What is the process in which humans breed organisms for certain traits?

• natural selection

• inheritance of acquired characteristics

• artificial selection

• descent without modification

Multiple Choice

Selection of desired traits in organisms by humans

• Natural Selection

• Artificial selection

• Survival of the fittest

• Random selection

Natural Selection

• Natural selection can be defined as the process by which nature randomly select traits in a consistent, orderly which enables an organism to adapt to its environment

• Mutation takes place during Natural Selection

Multiple Choice

Natural selection results in change overtime by acting on traits that are

• inheritable

• new

• mutated

• similar

Open Ended

Why do you believe that the Dinosaurs went extinct and other living things did not 65 millions years ago, even though they were all exposed to the same catastrophe?

Biological Evolution

Mutation

• Occur when there is a change in the way the DNA is replicated

• can result in organisms that are slightly different.  

• Most have no effect on the organism, but they can be passed down to the next generation.

• Overtime mutations could result in an entirely different organism

Survival of the fittest

• Organisms that can adapt are more likely to survive

• This is called Survival of the Fittest

Gradualism

• Changes are usually not sudden

• They show up gradually over time in each successive generation

• This is called Gradualism

Variation

• Variations are the differences that we observe in organisms of the same species

• Ex. Dog is a specie but there are differences in some features among breeds of dogs such as size or fur thickness

Multiple Choice

Which concept is part of the modern evolutionary theory, but not Darwin's original theory?

• Variations in traits are caused by mutation and recombination.

• Species tend to produce more offspring than can survive.

• Better adapted individuals survive to produce offspring.

• The environment is responsible for eliminating less fit individuals.

Common Ancestry

• All organisms that belong to a domain are said to be related

• The more they are grouped as they go down the different sub groups they more closely related they are

Multiple Choice

The leg structures of many different vertebrates are quite similar in number and location of bones. Most scientists would probably explain this on the basis of

• Natural selection

• Common ancestry

• Mutation

5 Min Brain Break

Evidence of Biologogical Evolution

• Biogeography

• Homologous features

• Vestigial structures

• Genetics

• Embryological Similarities 

• Analogous features

Homologous Features

• Common features which indicate common ancestry

• Ex. the fore limb of whales , dogs , humans and bird appears the same

Multiple Choice

Common features which indicate common ancestry

• Homologous

• Vestigial

• Analogous

• Embryo

Analogous

• Similar features develop in organisms which are not related or share similar ancestry. 

Multiple Choice

Similar features develop in organisms which are not related or share similar ancestry.

• Homologous

• Vestigial

• Analogous

• Embryo

•  Ex. arctic fox and the ptarmigan , both undergo seasonal changes of color from dark to snowy white.

• They are not related or share similar ancestry

Vestigial

structures

• Features which are homologous, but they are not functional

• Example tail bones in humans are homologous (Tail) but they are not functional 

Multiple Choice

Features which are homologous but are not functional

• Homologous

• Vestigial

• Analogous

• Embryo

Genetics

• All organisms contain DNA

• The combination of DNA determines offspring

• Combinations which are closer will appear similar

Embryo

• Most embryo of living things look alike

• Embryos have structures that are not present in the adult form

• As they develop they morphed into their specific specie

Fossils

• Related fossils found in different rock layers show how organisms changed over time

• These changes show evolutionary relationships among organisms

Multiple Choice

At site 1, which of the following is correct.

• Layer G is the oldest

• Layer D is older than layer C

• Layer E is younger than lyer F

• Layer C is younger than layer B

Multiple Choice

Grouping all the organisms together that have the same trait is called a?

• Phylogenetic Tree

• Cladogram

• Clade

• Category

Multiple Choice

Which organism has the traits: Hair, Carnivorous and retractable claws only.

• Cat

• Horse

• Wolf

• Leopard

Multiple Choice

Which organism has hair, but is not carnivorous?

• Cat

• Horse

• Wolf

• Leopard

Multiple Choice

Adaptation in which a species evolves to resemble another species for protection

• Camouflage

• Mimicry

• Niche

• Natural Selection

Multiple Choice

Why were the Galapagos Islands so perfect for developing the theory of evolution by natural selection?

• The islands were all the same

• The islands had similar species that traveled to other islands

• The islands were all beautiful

• The islands were close to each other but had different environments

​Different beak sizes because each island had a different food source

Multiple Choice

Each of the Galapagos Islands has finches with different beak sizes. What environmental factor created the selection for beak sizes on the different islands?

• Different predators

• Different food sources available

• Similar food sources available

• Disease

Match

Scientists

• Proposed the theory of natural selection.

• Developed the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics.

• Proposed the theory of populations outgrowing their environment.

• Proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium in evolution.

• Proposed the theory of changes in the Earth

Charles Darwin

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Thomas Malthus

Stephen Jay Gould

Hutton and Lyell

• Charles Darwin
• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
• Thomas Malthus

• Stephen Jay Gould
• Hutton and Lyell

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the process by which certain traits become more common in a population due to their beneficial effects on the survival and reproduction of organisms?

• Adaptation

• Artificial Selection

• Natural Selection

• Genetic Drift

Multiple Choice

The random selection of traits in organisms without human interference

• Natural selection

• Artificial Selection

• survival of the fittest

Multiple Choice

Which graph is used to explain why human birth weight is best when born around 7 pounds?

• Graph A

• Graph B

• Graph C

Multiple Choice

Trait that shows both extremes are better suited in an environment ex: bird beaks

• Stabilizing Selection

• Disruptive Selection

• Natural Selection

• Directional Selection

Multiple Choice

What mechanism of evolution is primarily responsible for the introduction of new genetic material into a population?

• Genetic Drift

• Mutation

• Natural Selection

• Gene Flow