Evolution and Natural Selection

Horses that have been bred by humans in captivity have more variation of coat colors than wild horses. What process most likely led to the greater coat color variation in domestic horses?

Artificial selection

Which of the following best explains the beak variation among these four species of finch?

Competition for food resulted in selection for different beak types.

Which of the following situations is an example of artificial selection?

A farmer breeds cows, developing larger, more muscled calves.

Over years of selective breeding, French bulldogs have developed extremely short snouts and flat faces. These traits, although attractive to the dog owners, can make it difficult for the dogs to breathe. Which of the following processes led to the presence of these traits?

Artificial selection

Which of the following best explains how an individual's evolutionary fitness is measured?

By its ability to reproduce

Which of the following is true regarding Darwin's theory of evolution?

Individuals pass on adaptations to their offspring, due to natural selection.

Evolutionary success is often described as "survival of the fittest," which can be misleading. Which statement better explains the concept of evolutionary success?

Individuals that inherit advantageous variations will outcompete others for resources and pass these variations to the next generation.

Which of the following is true about natural selection?

It can only act on traits that are heritable and show variation.

Which biological concept is illustrated above? (lizards)

Natural selection

Which of the following best describes a difference between artificial and natural selection?

Natural selection leads to greater fitness over time, while artificial selection has no (or sometimes a damaging) effect on fitness.

A genetic mutation causes a snake to have brown skin. After many generations, most of the snake population has the brown skin mutation. Which of the following most likely caused this change?

Snakes with the brown skin mutation are able to survive and reproduce more successfully than snakes without it.

Koalas have come close to extinction due to hunting and disease. The current koala populations have very little genetic diversity. Which of the following is a likely result of the low genetic variation in the current koala populations?

The current koala populations are less likely to be able to adapt to environmental changes.