DARWIN'S THEORY
Scientific investigations often lead to the formulation of new scientific questions. The observations Charles Darwin made during his time aboard the H.M.S. Beagle prompted him to ask which question?
Do living organisms change over time and, if so, how?
Which was Charles Darwin's contribution to the study of biology?
He proposed that natural selection is the primary mechanism of evolution.
In the African savanna, more wildebeests are born than the environment can support. Which is most likely to happen over a period of years as a result?
Individuals that are well suited to the environment reproduce, and those that have lesser adaptations die before they reproduce.
Which statement describes natural selection?
It is the primary mechanism for evolution.
Which best describes the relationship between evolution and natural selection?
Natural selection leads to evolution.
Which statement would least likely be used to describe variation?
Variations that decrease reproductive success are more likely to be passed on.
What is natural selection?
a process that selects variations that help with survival and that spreads the variations to more offspring
According to the concept of "survival of the fittest," if a population of birds eats worms that they find deep under ground by using their beaks, which members of the bird population would be more fit?
birds that have longer beaks
Consider this image of a gazelle. -- Which of the gazelle's naturally selected traits is shown in this picture to be an evolutionary advantage?
coat color for blending in with dry grass
Charles Darwin observed a unique beak size and shape in the finch population of each of the Galapagos Islands that he visited. -- Which is the most likely cause of the observed variation?
competition among individuals for available food sources
A frog lays thousands of eggs because many eggs die. This behavior is an example of
overproduction
Veronica wrote Charles Darwin's main points on the board, but she made a mistake in one point. 1. Since more offspring are produced than an environment can support, organisms within a population must compete for resources to survive. 2. Due to variations within the population, some competitors will be better equipped for survival than others. 3. The best-equipped organisms will survive and will produce well-equipped offspring. 4. Variations that help with survival will be passed on to future generations and will rapidly change the whole population. -- Which point is flawed as written above?
point 4
Natural selection is a process by which organisms that are better adapted to their environment tend to
survive.