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Mrs. Keadle JH Science
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Natural Selection Questions
Procedure
Look at the shapes of the bird beaks in the chart. Under each bird’s picture, give at least two things you
think it might eat based on the shape of it’s beak.
On each table there is a spoon, tweezers and an eyedropper. These items are your beaks. Decide which
beak is best suited to catch and eat each type of food.
Using the cards to help you, complete the data table based on your beak observations:
Food Source
Beak Tool
Bird Type
sand worms
fish
nectar
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Natural Selection
Mrs. Keadle JH Science
Questions
10. How did you know which tool (beak) was best for each type of food? _________________________
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11. Was it easy or hard when you used the wrong tool? _______________________________________
12. The island that these birds live on has plenty of food for each type of beak. There are plenty of small
ponds with fish, beaches with sand worms and flowers full of nectar. However, the climate begins
to heat up and over several hundred years, all of the small ponds dry up. Which bird will probably
go extinct if all of the small ponds dry up? _____________________________________________
13. Within a few years of the ponds drying up, most of the flowering plants die because they no longer
have fresh water. Which bird species would be affected if the flowers die and there was no more
nectar?_____________________________________________.
14. So, this island started out with three types of birds who each ate a different food and had beak
shapes to help them catch their food. Because of climate changes, two of the bird types were not
able to adapt and went extinct. Which bird type is left after natural selection takes place?
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The process by which organisms
that are better adapted to their
environment are more likely to
survive and reproduce than
other organisms of the same
species is known as A
variation
B
the rule of extinction
C
mutualism
D
natural selection
16 Natural selection acts by taking
advantage of natural variations
in the traits of organisms. What
is the ultimate source of this
variation?
F
changes in the environment
G
mutations within the genetic
code
H
response to a need of the
organism
J
response to the stress of
competition for food
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Natural Selection
Mrs. Keadle JH Science
17
18
Over thousands of years, the giraffe has developed into an animal with an
extremely long neck. One theory for this change is -
A
giraffes with longer necks were able to swim
longer distances
B
giraffes with longer necks were able to eat
leaves from taller trees and survived to reproduce
C
giraffes with longer necks were more appealing
to other giraffes
D
giraffes with longer necks blended into the trees
and could hide from predators
The Galapagos Islands are home to a variety of finches. Charles Darwin
observed the finches on the island and noticed that each species was wellsuited to the life it led. For example, finches that ate insects had sharp,
slender beaks and finches that ate seeds had strong, wide beaks. Beak shape
in these finches is an example of –
F
adaptation
G
simulation
H
competition
J
environmentalism
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Natural Selection
Mrs. Keadle JH Science
19
Which statement describes
Charles Darwin’s contribution to
science?
A
B
He formed the first periodic
table by placing elements
with similar physical
properties in groups.
His observations on the
Galapagos Islands led to his
theory of evolution through
natural selection.
C
His experiments with plants
broke down physical
characteristics into alleles
that were dominant or
recessive.
D
He explained how forces,
matter, and motion were
related with three laws.
20 Crickets communicate with other
crickets by chirping. Crickets
who cannot make a sound are
less likely to find a mate and
reproduce. For this reason, there
are few crickets that cannot
make a sound. This is an
example of F
learned behavior
G
genetic replication
H
natural selection
J
selective breeding
21
What is evolution?
A
a group of organisms that
can mate to produce fertile
offspring.
B
the process by which
inherited traits of a
population change over
many generations
C
a trait that allows organisms
in a population to survive
and reproduce in their
environment
D
the process in which
individuals better adapted to
their environment are more
likely to survive and
reproduce.
22 The wooly mammoth developed
traits over time through natural
selection.
Which genetic trait aided the
mammoth in cold climates?
F
a thick, furry coat
G
a long, flexible trunk
H
a wide, muscular body
J
a set of sharp curved tusks
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Natural Selection
Mrs. Keadle JH Science
23. Design your own bird:
Now it’s your turn to design a bird. This bird must be able to catch and eat fast moving rabbits. Think
about what adaptations this bird will need to be successful. It should have a specific beak shape for
catching and eating meat. It will probably have a certain type of feet. You must decide whether your bird
runs fast over the ground to catch the rabbit or if it swoops down from the air. Make sure you give it the
right adaptations to do this. Under you bird’s picture, write a brief description about the different
adaptations your bird has.
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Natural Selection