Natural Selection and Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotics are frequently given to humans that have strep throat. Why might this practice be considered a problem?

• Antibiotics will have more side effects

• The human body can metabolize the antibiotic to quickly, not allowing the antibiotic to reach the bacteria.

• A mutation can occur in the bacteria making it resistant to the antibiotic.

• Nothing will happen. It takes thousands of years for bacteria to evolve and become antibiotic resistant.

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A population of cockroaches was sprayed with an insecticide. Some cockroaches survived and produced a population of cockroaches that was resistant to this spray. What can BEST be inferred from this example?

• species will adapt no matter what the environment

• environment has no effect on the survival of an organism

• Individuals with favorable variations survive and reproduce

• Insecticides cause mutations that are passed on to the next generation

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The table below shows what happens to an insect population before and after a pesticide is added.

Which of the following best explains why more of the pesticide-resistant insects were present in the second generation?

• Because of the pesticides in plants, insects in the second generation developed a tolerance for pesticides

• Because of heredity, insects with genes for pesticide resistance passed it on to the following generation

• Because of the environment, parent insects taught their offspring to be pesticide resistant in order to survive

• Because of heredity, insects learned to avoid pesticides on plants

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The pesticide DDT was used extensively in the past to reduce the numbers of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. At first, application of DDT killed almost all the mosquitoes in treated populations. Over years, however, DDT-resistant populations (ones where most mosquitoes were not killed by normal doses of DDT) began to emerge. Which of the following best explains how DDT resistance emerged in the mosquitoes?

• The individual mosquitos in the starting populations sensed the environmental threat and mutated genes that made them insensitive to DDT

• Populations with DDT resistance are better-adapted for any environment than populations without DDT resistance, so they would have evolved sooner or later (regardless of whether DDT was applied)

• When DDT was applied, rare individuals with DDT resistance mutations were more likely to survive and leave offspring, eventually leading to populations composed largely of resistant mosquitoes

• The mosquitoes must all have been DDT-resistant to begin with, because there is no genetic variation in natural populations of mosquitoes

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Antibiotic resistance in bacteria can be attributed to which among the following

• Competition

• Natural Selection

• Mutation

• Coevolution

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how are bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics?

• bacteria does not become resistant to antibiotics.

• by a genetic mutation/by acquiring resistance from another bacterium.

• by wishing they were resistant.

• antibiotic resistance does not exist.

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Antibiotic resistant bacteria are a problem because:

• It is more difficult to treat people infected with them

• bacteria smell pretty bad

• viruses them grow out of control

• they are not a problem, I love being sick

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Which of the following best describes natural selection in the context of antibiotic resistance?

• A) The strongest bacteria always survive and reproduce.

• B) Bacteria with mutations that confer resistance are more likely to survive and reproduce.

• C) Antibiotics cause bacteria to mutate and become resistant.

• D) All bacteria eventually become resistant to antibiotics.

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What is the primary reason for the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria?

• A) Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals.

• B) Bacteria naturally become resistant over time without any external factors.

• C) Antibiotics are becoming less effective due to changes in their chemical structure.

• D) Bacteria are evolving to become more intelligent.

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In an experiment, a population of bacteria is exposed to an antibiotic. After several generations, most of the bacteria are resistant. What is the most likely explanation?

• A) The antibiotic caused the bacteria to mutate.

• B) The resistant bacteria survived and reproduced, passing on their resistance.

• C) All bacteria in the population were initially resistant.

• D) The bacteria learned to avoid the antibiotic.

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