Biology: Evolution Unit Review

This is an example of Darwin's concept of survival of the fittest because salamanders with longer tongues have an advantage in catching more food, which increases their chances of survival and reproductive success. Over time, individuals with longer tongues are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation, leading to the evolution of longer tongues in the population.

The polar bear's thick fur and layer of fat are examples of adaptations that enable it to survive in an extremely cold environment. Adaptations are physical or behavioral traits that help an organism survive and thrive in its specific environment. In this case, the polar bear's thick fur provides insulation and helps retain body heat, while its layer of fat acts as an energy reserve and provides buoyancy in water. These adaptations allow the polar bear to withstand the freezing temperatures of its habitat and hunt for food effectively.

The flounder's phenotype, which is its physical appearance, is an example of an adaptation. This means that the flounder's flat sandy-colored body is a trait that has evolved over time to help it survive in its environment. By blending in with the ocean floor, the flounder is able to hide from both predators and prey, increasing its chances of survival. This adaptation is beneficial to the flounder and has been favored by natural selection.

Having thick fur would help protect the wolves from the very cold weather.

The difference in the color of cats is known as variation. Variation refers to the differences that exist among individuals within a population, such as differences in physical traits like color. In this case, the cats in the picture have different colors, which is an example of variation within the cat population.

If you get a table of DNA sequences, compare and count the number of similar sequences. Those with the greatest number of similar sequences are most closely related.

Ms. Puckett's observation that fewer ants are dying and more are living over several months suggests that the ant population is evolving through natural selection. Natural selection is the process by which organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on those traits to future generations. In this case, it is possible that some ants in the population have developed resistance to the ant spray, allowing them to survive and pass on their resistant traits to their offspring. As a result, the overall ant population becomes more resistant to the spray over time.

During times of drought, when food is scarce, the birds that are able to eat larger seeds have a better chance of survival. Since the ability to crush and eat larger seeds is related to beak thickness, we would expect to see an increase in the number of finches with thicker beaks. This is because the finches with thicker beaks have a selective advantage and are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on their thicker beak trait to future generations.

For evolution to occur, mutations must create variations in traits. This is because mutations are random changes in an organism's DNA, which can lead to new traits or variations in existing traits. These variations can then be passed on to offspring, leading to genetic diversity within a population. Over time, natural selection acts on this diversity, favoring individuals with advantageous traits and allowing them to survive and reproduce. This process of differential reproductive success leads to the gradual change and adaptation of species over generations, which is the essence of evolution.

The change in the color of the peppered moth in England during the Industrial Revolution was the result of natural selection. This process refers to the mechanism by which certain traits become more or less common in a population over time, based on their ability to enhance survival and reproduction. In the case of the peppered moth, the darker coloration provided better camouflage against the pollution-darkened trees, making them less visible to predators and increasing their chances of survival. As a result, the darker moths had a higher likelihood of passing on their genes, leading to an increase in the frequency of the darker coloration in the population.

This statement is not true because evolution does not occur within individual organisms. Evolution is a process that happens over generations and involves changes in the genetic makeup of a population. It is driven by natural selection and other mechanisms, but it does not occur within a single organism during its lifetime.

Organisms don't decide which traits they want to have. However, when two different species have similar traits this is an indication that they probably descended from the same common ancestor.