Download Name: Period: ______ Date: Natural Selection – Lab Replacement

Name: ____________________________________________ Period: _________ Date: ___________________________
Natural Selection – Lab Replacement
Multiple Choice:
________ 1. Who argued that human populations grow faster than the resources they depend on?
(a) Thomas Malthus
(c) Jean Baptiste Lamarck
(b) Charles Lyell
(d) Alfred Russel Wallace
________ 2. One of the first scientists to propose that species change over time was
(a) Charles Darwin.
(c) Jean Baptiste Lamarck.
(b) Charles Lyell.
(d) Alfred Russel Wallace
________ 3. Natural selection states that
(a) a change in a species occurs over time.
(c) fitness is an organism’s ability to survive
(b) nature selects the variations within a
and produce fertile offspring.
species that are most useful for survival.
(d) all of the above
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Match the vocabulary word with the proper definition.
Definitions
_____ 4. change in species over time
_____ 5. one of the first scientists to propose that species change over time
_____ 6. ship on which Darwin served as naturalist
_____ 7. his theory of evolution unifies all of biology
_____ 8. the process by which evolution occurs
_____ 9. argued that human populations grow faster than the resources they depend on
_____ 10. small volcanic islands where Darwin made many important observations
_____ 11. selecting for plants and animals with useful traits
_____ 12. argued that gradual geological processes have gradually shaped Earth’s surface
_____ 13. Term for simply passing traits from parent to offspring
_____ 14. developed a theory of evolution at the same time as Darwin
_____ 15. an organism’s relative ability to survive and produce fertile offspring
Terms
a. artificial selection
e. Galápagos Islands
i. Lyell
b. Darwin
f. HMS Beagle
j. Malthus
c. evolution
g. descent with modification
k. natural selection
d. fitness
h. Lamarck
l. Wallace
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Understanding Concepts:
16. Give an example to explain how a species can evolve through natural selection, and why. Use appropriate academic
vocabulary and clear and complete sentences.
Name: ____________________________________________ Period: _________ Date: ___________________________
Critical Thinking:
A certain population of skittlefish found on the colorful Candy Reef come in several different colors (red, orange, yellow,
green and purple). They do not like to be in open water, so they take cover in different color corals & seagrass beds to
hide from predators. One day, a storm event washed a small part of the population of skittlefish to a nearby, newly
established reef filled with only orange coral.
Develop a hypothesis of how you think this may affect the population of skittlefish: (remember: if…then…because…)
17. Hypothesis: _____________________________________________________________________________________
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18. Based on what you know about natural selection: Would it be the individuals that evolve, or would it be the
population that evolves? Why?
19. Name three other changes (other than color) that could possibly occur within skittlefish that would be advantageous
for their survival. Use your imagination and have fun with this!
READ  Natural selection typically works against the organism, eliminating the individuals that are not suited for the
environment. For example, a population of pest insects frequently encounters pesticides in its environment. Most insects
in the initial generation die, but if a few individuals have a genetic mutation for pesticide resistance, these few will survive
and reproduce. Their offspring are more likely to be pesticide resistant. Within a few generations, the pesticide is less
effective because most individuals are resistant.
Another example: The peppered moth, Biston betularia, has two forms, a light and dark colored form. In the early 1800s,
prior to the industrial revolution, the trunks of the trees in the forest around Manchester, England were white and light
grayish-green due to the presence of lichens. The lighter moths typically blended better into their surroundings, whereas
the darker moths stood out on the light-colored trees and were more quickly eaten. The light colored moths were
therefore very common and the dark color were rare. After rapid industrialization, however, when coal-burning factory
pollution and soot began darkening the trees, the dark moths blended better into their surroundings and they were now
more likely to survive. The light colored moths were easily seen against the dark sooty trees. By 1895, 95 percent of the
peppered moth were dark colored, and it was the light colored moths that were rare.
Critical Thinking:
20. Using your knowledge of natural selection, explain the shift in color variation in the peppered moth. Does Natural
selection work against the genotype or phenotype. Explain your answer thoroughly.