Chapter 3: Adaptation and Inheritance

Question 1

What are differences in characteristics called?

Answer 1

Variation

Question 2

What are 3 characteristics passed on from parents to offspring?

Answer 2

Genetic Diseases, Eye Colour and Blood Group

Question 3

What are 3 characteristics that surroundings affect?

Answer 3

Dyed Hair, Tattoos and Accents

Question 4

What are characteristics passed down from parents to offspring called?

Answer 4

Inherited Variation

Question 5

What are characteristics affected by surroundings called?

Answer 5

Environmental Variation

Question 6

What is discontinuous variation and an example of this?

Answer 6

It can only result in certain values, (e.g., blood group or eye colour)

Question 7

What is continuous variation and example of this?

Answer 7

It can take any value within a range, (e.g., height or hair length

Question 8

What should discontinuous variation be plotted on?

Answer 8

A bar chart

Question 9

What should continuous variation be plotted on?

Answer 9

A histogram

Question 10

How are characteristics from your parents inherited?

Answer 10

Through genetic material stored in the nucleus of cells

Question 11

True of false. Do we inherit all our DNA from our mother?

Answer 11

False, we inherit half of our DNA from our father and half from our mother

Question 12

What are the long strands in which DNA is arranged in called?

Answer 12

Chromosomes

Question 13

What are sections of DNA which produce characteristics called?

Answer 13

Genes

Question 14

True or False. DNA contains all the information needed to make and organism?

Answer 14

True

Question 15

What scientists worked together to produce a model of the structure of DNA?

Answer 15

Watson, Crick, Franklin and Wilkins

Question 16

How many chromosomes do sperm and egg cell contain?

Answer 16

23

Question 17

How many chromosomes are in one embryo in the nucleus?

Answer 17

46

Question 18

What causes a species to die before reproducing?

Answer 18

If they are not well-adapted to their environment

Question 19

What makes a species extinct?

Answer 19

When there are no more individuals of that species left anywhere in the world

Question 20

What are 3 factors that lead to extinction?

Answer 20

Changes to the organism’s environment, destruction of the habitat, new diseases, new predators and increased competition

Question 21

How are scientist trying to prevent endangered species from becoming extinct?

Answer 21

By using gene banks to store genetic samples from different species

Question 22

What is the 1st step of natural selection?

Answer 22

Organisms in a species show variation caused by differences in their genes

Question 23

What is the 2nd step of natural selection?

Answer 23

Organisms with the most useful characteristics survive and reproduce, this is called ‘Survival of the Fittest’

Question 24

What is the 3rd step of natural selection?

Answer 24

Successful genes are passed on to the offspring

Question 25

When natural selection is repeated over time what can happen?

Answer 25

A new species could appear

Question 26

What is the process of all living organisms evolving from a common ancestor called?

Answer 26

The process of natural selection

Question 27

What are adaptations?

Answer 27

Characteristics that help an organism to survive and reproduce

Question 28

What do animals compete for?

Answer 28

Food, water, space (for shelter and to hunt), and mates (to reproduce)

Question 29

What do plants compete for?

Answer 29

Light, water, space, and minerals (plants produce their own food through photosynthesis)

Question 30

How can habitats change?

Answer 30

Fire, climate change, or disease causing reduced food supplies