Rock Pocket Mouse Evolution Quiz

Where do rock pocket mice live geographically?

• Northwestern U.S

• Southwestern U.S

• Southeastern U.S

  Northeastern U.S

How is the landscape in New Mexico`s Valley of Fire different from the desert landscape in Southwestern U.S?

• It`s not different.

• Black rock remnants of 1,000 y.o volcanic activity now covers miles of land.

• Unlike in the Northwestern U.S, deserts have different sand color in the Southwestern U.S.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which of the following is true about the Rock Pocket Mice?

• Most mice have sandy, light-colored coat to match the environment where they live.

• Most mice have dark colored fur to match the environment where they live like their ancestors.

• Most mice contrast with their environment.

• Most mice are heterozygous for fur color, therefore they display both phenotypes.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Why did the rock pocket mice developed dark fur on their back but still had spots of light-colored fur on their belly?

• Because it takes long time for a mutation to fully appear.

• Because the fur color is a co-dominant trait.

• Most mice predators come from above, so there is no selection for dark bellies by visual predators.

Why did the MCr1 gene mutation become prevalent in the rock pocket mouse populations?

• The mutation produced dark colored mice, who were better able to survive and reproduce in basalt environments.

• The mutation produced light colored mice, who were better able to survive and reproduce in basalt environments.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Why did dark-colored rock pocket mice first appeared in a population of light-colored rock pocket mice?

• They have a mutation that affects their fur color

• They migrated due to climate change in their original environment.

• They migrated due to shortage of food supply in their original environment.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

What is a mutation?

• Mutation is a change in the sequence of nitrogenous bases of the DNA

• Mutation is a change in the sequence of nucleotides

• Mutation is a copying error of the DNA

• All of the above

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

The study of the evolution and adaptation of the rock pocket mice shows that:

• evolution happens by design

• evolution is a repeatable process

• new mutations comes from a common ancestor

• evolution of melanism is random.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-6