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Chapter 4 Preview
Part 1: Vocabulary
Vocabulary Word
Adaptation
Species
Fossil
Fossil Record
Trait
Selective
Breeding
Definition and Visual Cues
A characteristic that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce in a
particular environment
A group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile
offspring
The trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved
in sedimentary rock
A historical sequence of life indicated by fossils found in layers of Earth’s crust
A form of a genetically determined characteristic
The human practice of breeding animals or plants to have certain desired traits
Natural Selection
The process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment
survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do
Generation Time
The period between the birth of one generation and the birth of the next
generation
Speciation
The formation of a new species as a result of change over time
Part 2: Using Key Terms - Complete each of the following sentences by choosing the correct term from
the word bank.
adaptation
species
selective breeding
speciation
natural selection
1. When a single population develops into two populations that can no longer interbreed,
_____speciation__________ has occurred.
2. A group of organisms that can mate with each other to produce fertile offspring is known as a(n)
_______species_______.
3. In _______selective breeding______, humans select organisms that have desirable traits that
will be passed from one generation to another.
4. A(n) _____adaptation_____ makes an organism better able to survive in its environment.
Part 3: Multiple Choice
5. __C__ Darwin observed variations between individuals within a population, but he did not know
how variations occur. Which of the following causes variation in a population?
a. Interbreeding
b. Differences in food
c. Differences in genes
d. Selective breeding
6. __B__ The fossil record is a historical sequence of life indicated by fossils found in Earth’s crust.
Which information about organisms in an environment can the fossil record provide?
a. How natural selection occurs
b. How organisms in an environment changed over time
c. How selective breeding occurs
d. How genetic resistance occurs
7. __C__ Charles Darwin puzzled over the different species of Galápagos finches. He eventually
concluded that over time, the finches adapted to various environments on the islands. On which
of the following traits did Darwin base his conclusions?
a. Eye color
b. Flight patterns
c. Beak size and shape
d. Bone structure of the wings
8. __A__ Tarantulas defend themselves by flicking hairs into the eyes of their predators. In a
population of tarantulas, a few tarantulas do not have these hairs. Why are the tarantulas that
have these hairs more likely to produce offspring than the hairless tarantulas are?
a. Tarantulas that have the hairs will be better able to defend themselves
b. Tarantulas that have the hairs will blend in with their environment
c. The egg sacs of tarantulas that have the hairs are larger and produce more offspring
d. Tarantulas that have the hairs will attract more mates
Part 4: Short Answer
9. Identify two ways that organisms can be compared to provide evidence of common ancestry.
Organisms can be compared to each other in terms of body structure, DNA, and to organisms
from the fossil record
10. Compare and contrast how natural selection enables a population to survive under different
environmental conditions.
Answers May Vary: A population of birds might have adapted to a specific main food source.
There may be some individuals in the population that were not as well-adapted to the food
source but survived by eating other foods as well as the main food. If the main food source
disappeared, the birds that ate a wider variety of foods would be better adapted and more
likely to survive under the new conditions. Natural selection helps to ensure that at least
some individuals will survive a change in the environment.
11. Geologists have evidence that the continents were once a single giant continent. The giant
landform eventually split apart, and the individual continents moved to their current positions.
What role might this drifting of continents have played in the formation of a new species?
As the continents drifted apart, populations of species would have been separated and may
have had to adapt to new environmental conditions. The separated populations would likely
have developed into separate species over time.
Part 5: Interpreting Graphics
The graph on the left shows the percentage of all births by birth weight. The graph on the right shows
the probability of dying at birth by birth weight. Use the graphs to answer the questions that follow.
12. What is the most common birth weight?
About 7 lbs
13. At which birth weight is an infant most likely to survive?
About 7 lbs
14. How do the principles of natural selection help explain why there are more deaths among
babies whose birth weights are low than among babies whose birth weights are average?
The infants best adapted to survive birth are those who weigh about 7 lbs at birth