B4 - Natural Selection and Evolution

Question 1

What is natural selection?

Answer 1

The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Question 2

True or False: Natural selection is a random process.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Fill in the blank: Natural selection acts on _____, not on individuals.

Answer 3

populations

Question 4

What is the main mechanism of evolution according to Darwin?

Answer 4

Natural selection

Question 5

Which of the following is a key component of natural selection: A) Variation, B) Inheritance, C) Differential survival, D) All of the above?

Answer 5

D) All of the above

Question 6

What does ‘survival of the fittest’ refer to?

Answer 6

The idea that individuals that are better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.

Question 7

True or False: Natural selection can lead to the evolution of new species.

Answer 7

True

Question 8

What role does genetic variation play in natural selection?

Answer 8

It provides the raw material for adaptation and evolution.

Question 9

What is adaptation?

Answer 9

A trait that increases an organism’s fitness in a particular environment.

Question 10

Fill in the blank: Natural selection results in _____ over time.

Answer 10

evolution

Question 11

What is fitness in the context of natural selection?

Answer 11

The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Question 12

True or False: All variations in a population are beneficial.

Answer 12

False

Question 13

What is the difference between natural selection and artificial selection?

Answer 13

Natural selection occurs naturally, while artificial selection is human-directed breeding.

Question 14

Fill in the blank: The process by which traits become more or less common in a population is called _____ selection.

Answer 14

natural

Question 15

What is a selective pressure?

Answer 15

An environmental factor that influences which individuals survive and reproduce.

Question 16

Which type of selection favors extreme phenotypes?

Answer 16

Disruptive selection

Question 17

What is stabilizing selection?

Answer 17

A type of natural selection that favors average phenotypes.

Question 18

What is directional selection?

Answer 18

A type of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over others.

Question 19

True or False: Natural selection can act on both physical traits and behaviors.

Answer 19

True

Question 20

What is speciation?

Answer 20

The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.

Question 21

Fill in the blank: The process of natural selection can lead to _____ diversity.

Answer 21

biological

Question 22

What is the role of mutation in evolution?

Answer 22

Mutations introduce new genetic variations that can be acted upon by natural selection.

Question 23

What is the Hardy-Weinberg principle?

Answer 23

A principle that describes a population that is not evolving.

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT a condition for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium: A) Large population, B) No mutations, C) Natural selection, D) Random mating?

Answer 24

C) Natural selection

Question 25

True or False: Natural selection can lead to complex adaptations.

Answer 25

True

Question 26

What is coevolution?

Answer 26

The process where two or more species influence each other's evolution.

Question 27

Fill in the blank: The study of fossils provides evidence for _____ selection.

Answer 27

natural

Question 28

What is the significance of the Galápagos Islands in the study of evolution?

Answer 28

They provided key insights into adaptive radiation and natural selection.

Question 29

What is adaptive radiation?

Answer 29

The rapid evolution of diversely adapted species from a common ancestor.

Question 30

True or False: Natural selection can only occur in sexually reproducing organisms.

Answer 30

False

Question 31

What is genetic drift?

Answer 31

A mechanism of evolution that involves random changes in allele frequencies in a population.

Question 32

Fill in the blank: Natural selection operates on _____ traits.

Answer 32

heritable

Question 33

What is the founder effect?

Answer 33

A type of genetic drift that occurs when a small group colonizes a new area.

Question 34

What is the bottleneck effect?

Answer 34

A reduction in genetic diversity due to a significant decrease in population size.

Question 35

True or False: Natural selection guarantees the survival of a species.

Answer 35

False

Question 36

What is the importance of reproductive isolation in speciation?

Answer 36

It prevents different species from interbreeding, allowing them to evolve independently.

Question 37

Fill in the blank: The two main types of reproductive isolation are _____ and _____ isolation.

Answer 37

prezygotic; postzygotic

Question 38

What is an example of a prezygotic barrier?

Answer 38

Temporal isolation, where species breed at different times.

Question 39

What is an example of a postzygotic barrier?

Answer 39

Hybrid inviability, where hybrid offspring do not survive.

Question 40

True or False: Evolution is a linear process.

Answer 40

False

Question 41

What is convergent evolution?

Answer 41

The process by which unrelated organisms evolve similar traits due to similar environments.

Question 42

What is divergent evolution?

Answer 42

The process where two or more related species become more dissimilar over time.

Question 43

Fill in the blank: The theory of evolution is supported by evidence from _____, _____, and _____ studies.

Answer 43

fossil; genetic; comparative anatomy

Question 44

What is the significance of homologous structures?

Answer 44

They indicate common ancestry among different species.

Question 45

What are analogous structures?

Answer 45

Structures that serve similar functions but do not share a common ancestry.

Question 46

True or False: Evolution is solely driven by natural selection.

Answer 46

False

Question 47

What is the role of sexual selection in evolution?

Answer 47

It influences the evolution of traits based on mate choice.

Question 48

Fill in the blank: Natural selection can lead to _____, which is the gradual change in a species over time.

Answer 48

microevolution

Question 49

What is macroevolution?

Answer 49

The broad pattern of evolution above the species level.

Question 50

True or False: All traits are subject to natural selection.

Answer 50

False

Question 51

What is the role of environmental change in natural selection?

Answer 51

It can alter the selective pressures acting on a population.

Question 52

Fill in the blank: The fossil record provides evidence for _____ and _____ of species.

Answer 52

origin; extinction

Question 53

What is the significance of vestigial structures?

Answer 53

They are remnants of features that served a function in the organism's ancestors.

Question 54

What is the definition of a niche?

Answer 54

The role or function of an organism or species within an ecosystem.