Natural + Artificial Selection

In order for natural selection to have produced the long necks of giraffes, what must have been true about the evolutionary history of giraffes?

Answer explanation

The length of giraffe’s necks must have showed variation within the species in every generation.

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Animals in a moist and humid environment are specifically adapted to that habitat. What contributed to the selection of these adaptations?

Answer explanation

Some adaptations over time must have offered survival advantages in the moist and humid environment, so the organisms possessing these traits were selected and passed their adaptation to the next generation.

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Over time, a species of mammals living in cold environments may evolve long fur. Describe how natural selection creates this adaptation.

Answer explanation

Mammals with slightly longer fur have a survival advantage. Over time, mammals with this trait will be better adapted to survive in colder climates.

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How are mutations different from adaptations?

Answer explanation

Mutations happen at random and do not necessarily provide a survival advantage; adaptations occur over a long period of time in response to environmental changes.

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Do all mutations lead to adaptations? Explain.

Answer explanation

No, mutations that are harmful or neutral to the organism do not provide a survival advantage and therefore do not become an adaptation.

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Is natural selection a short or long process? Explain.

Answer explanation

Natural selection is a long process. It takes many generations for a mutation to become an adaptation in a population.

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Why have organisms developed physical and behavioral adaptations over time? Give an example.

Answer explanation

The traits most suited to an environment are the traits passed down most often, causing them to become adaptations of different organisms. Examples include the long necks of giraffes for reaching high branches, the streamlined bodies of fish for swimming, the migration patterns of birds for finding food and suitable breeding grounds.

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In a forest, which would be more likely to survive and reproduce: a population of white rabbits or a population of brown rabbits? Explain your reasoning.

Answer explanation

Brown rabbits would be more likely to survive and reproduce because they will most likely blend into their surroundings, which allows them to better hide from predators and reproduce more often than white rabbits.

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In a given population of plants there is variation in the time of day when flowers open. Those individual plants with flowers that open at night would be more likely to pass on this trait in an environment dominated by what?

• Nocturnal pollinators

• Grazing animals

• Solar radiation

• Moist soil

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A population of a certain kind of fish is introduced into a  new habitat. These fish have variations in color from light to dark. Because of the lighting conditions and predators in this new habitat, light colored fish survive better near the surface and dark-colored fish survive better near the bottom. What change would likely result after many generations of these fish living in this environment?

• None of the fish would be able to survive, because the new habitat is not suited to any of them.

• The fish would become smaller over time so that they could more easily defend themselves from predators.

• All the fish would become more similar, something exactly between light-colored and dark-colored.

• There would be two populations of fish, light-colored near the surface and dark-colored near the bottom.

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