Common Ancestry

Why do scientists think the fossil record is incomplete?

• fossils decompose over time

• the formation of fossils is rare

• only organisms with hard parts become fossils

• there are no fossils before the Phonerozoic eon.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What do the peaks of the graph show?

• extinction events

• meteorite impacts

• changes in Earth's temperature

• the evolution of new species

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What can scientists learn about fossils using techniques of absolute-age dating?

• extimated ages of fossils in rock layers

• precise ages of fossils in rock layers

• causes of fossil disappearances in rock layers

• structural similarities to other fossils in rock layers

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which is the source of variations in a population of organisms?

• changes in environment

• changes in genes

• the interaction of genes with an evnironment

• the interaction of individuals with an environment

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Which is an example of a functional adaptation?

• a brightly colored butterfly

• birds flying south in the fall

• the spray of a skunk

• thorns on a rose

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-4

Which is NOT an example of a vestigial structure?

• eyes of a blind salamander

• pelvic bones in a whale

• thorns on a rose bush

• wings on a flightless bird

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Which do the images represent?

• analogous structures

• embryological structures

• homologous structures

• vestigial structures

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Which is an example of a sudden change that could lead to the extinction of species?

• a mountain range isolates a species

• Earth's tectonic plates move

• a volcano erupts

• sea level changes

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which is the sequence by which natural selection works?

• selection → adaptation → variation

• selection → variation → adaptation

• variation → adaptation → selection

• variation → selection → adaptation

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which explains the relationship between fossils and extinction events?

• fossils are not related to extinction events

• extinction events produce no fossils

• fossils are evidence of extinction events

• extinction events are widespread and rapid decreases in the biodiversity on Earth

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1