Factors Affecting Biological Diversity Answers

A scientist wrote a paper titled “Directional Selection in Action” after observing a population of mice for 15 years. The mice typically preferred to eat berries, although a few would also eat insects. After a drought in year 3, the scientist observed that more mice were eating insects. By year 10, most of the mice in the population ate insects in addition to berries. Which best describes her article?

Which graph represents selection that may lead to reduced variation in a population?

Which process drives Darwin’s theory of evolution?

Which organisms are most likely to survive in a population in which disruptive selection is occurring?

Your teacher describes a population of fish that live in a coral reef. Some fish are dark orange (the same color as the coral). Some fish are nearly white. Most of the fish exhibit a color between dark orange and nearly white. Human activity has led to the bleaching of the coral reefs, making them very pale in color. Over time, the population of fish will be affected. Which graph represents the type of selection that you expect to occur?

Which of the following can result in a population looking more similar over time and can be described as selection against both extremes of a trait?

Which of the following is the definition for speciation?

A population of pigs lives on an island together with burrowing termites. Pigs that have the longest snouts tend to survive more frequently than those with shorter snouts. Over time, most of the pig population is made up of individuals that have very long snouts. This is an example of which type of selection?

Which type of selection occurs when a population experiences a shift in diversity toward the larger organisms?

Which is the best definition of directional selection?