Natural Selection Questions

Transcription

1 Name period date assigned date due date returned 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: ood Source Beak Tool Bird Type sand worms fish nectar 1

2 Questions 10. How did you know which tool (beak) was best for each type of food? 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? 15 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 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? changes in the environment G mutations within the genetic code H response to a need of the organism response to the stress of competition for food 2

3 17 Over thousands of years, the giraffe has developed into an animal with an extremely long neck. One theory for this change is - A B D giraffes with longer necks were able to swim longer distances giraffes with longer necks were able to eat leaves from taller trees and survived to reproduce giraffes with longer necks were more appealing to other giraffes giraffes with longer necks blended into the trees and could hide from predators 18 The Galapagos Islands are home to a variety of finches. harles Darwin observed the finches on the island and noticed that each species was wellsuited to the life it led. or 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 G adaptation simulation H competition environmentalism 3

4 19 Which statement describes harles Darwin s contribution to science? A He formed the first periodic table by placing elements with similar physical properties in groups. B His observations on the Galapagos Islands led to his theory of evolution through natural selection. 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. 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 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. 20 rickets communicate with other crickets by chirping. rickets who cannot make a sound are less likely to find a mate and reproduce. or this reason, there are few crickets that cannot make a sound. This is an example of - learned behavior G genetic replication H natural selection 22 The wooly mammoth developed traits over time through natural selection. Which genetic trait aided the mammoth in cold climates? a thick, furry coat G a long, flexible trunk H a wide, muscular body a set of sharp curved tusks selective breeding 4

5 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. 5