All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is the term for a trait that increases an organism’s survival or reproductive success?
Answer: Adaptation. Adaptations help organisms better survive in their environment.
Flashcard 2: What is the term for an organism’s ability to survive and produce fertile offspring?
Answer: Fitness. Fitness measures reproductive success, not just survival.
Flashcard 3: What is the difference between survival advantage and reproductive advantage?
Answer: Survival: live longer; reproductive: produce more offspring. Survival helps organisms live; reproduction creates offspring.
Flashcard 4: Which type of evidence best supports that a trait improves survival: higher predator kills or lower predation rate?
Answer: Lower predation rate. Lower predation means fewer individuals are killed by predators.
Flashcard 5: Identify the best evidence that a trait increases reproduction in a population.
Answer: Individuals with the trait produce more offspring on average. More offspring directly shows reproductive success.
Flashcard 6: Which option is the strongest evidence for camouflage: more predators nearby or fewer individuals eaten?
Answer: Fewer individuals eaten. Direct survival data shows camouflage effectiveness.
Flashcard 7: Identify the type of adaptation: a bird migrates to find food during winter.
Answer: Behavioral adaptation. Migration is an action that improves survival chances.
Flashcard 8: Which statement is the best claim: 'All traits are helpful' or 'Some traits increase fitness in certain environments'?
Answer: Some traits increase fitness in certain environments. Traits are beneficial only in specific environmental contexts.
Flashcard 9: What is the term for a behavior that helps an organism survive or reproduce?
Answer: Behavioral adaptation. Behaviors like hunting or mating displays improve fitness.
Flashcard 10: What is the term for a body feature that helps an organism survive or reproduce?
Answer: Structural adaptation. Physical features like wings or shells aid survival.
Flashcard 11: What is the term for an internal process that helps an organism survive or reproduce?
Answer: Physiological adaptation. Internal processes like metabolism support life functions.
Flashcard 12: Which evidence best supports a reproductive advantage: longer lifespan or more successful matings?
Answer: More successful matings. Mating success directly measures reproductive advantage.
Flashcard 13: Identify the type of adaptation: thick fur that reduces heat loss in cold climates.
Answer: Structural adaptation. Fur is a physical feature that provides insulation.
Flashcard 14: Identify the type of adaptation: venom that helps capture prey and reduces injury risk.
Answer: Physiological adaptation. Venom production is an internal chemical process.
Flashcard 15: Which option is the best evidence that a trait is heritable: it appears after training or it is passed to offspring?
Answer: It is passed to offspring. Heritable traits are genetic and passed through reproduction.
Flashcard 16: What is the term for a trait that helps one organism attract mates, even if it reduces survival?
Answer: Sexual selection trait. These traits improve mating success despite survival costs.
Flashcard 17: Which conclusion is best supported if the trait’s frequency increases over generations in the same environment?
Answer: The trait likely increases fitness in that environment. Increasing frequency indicates the trait provides advantages.
Flashcard 18: Which evidence best supports that a warning coloration trait reduces predation?
Answer: Predators avoid the colored individuals after negative experiences. Learned avoidance shows the trait effectively warns predators.
Flashcard 19: Identify the best claim supported by: moths with darker color survive better on soot-dark trees.
Answer: Darker coloration is adaptive in soot-dark habitats. Dark moths blend with soot-covered surfaces.
Flashcard 20: What is the term for an inherited characteristic that can affect survival or reproduction?
Answer: Trait. Inherited characteristics can vary and affect organism success.
Flashcard 21: What is fitness in natural selection, based on survival and reproduction?
Answer: Ability to survive and produce more offspring than others. Fitness measures reproductive success, not just survival.
Flashcard 22: What is an adaptation in the context of evolution by natural selection?
Answer: An inherited trait that increases survival or reproduction. Adaptations are heritable traits that enhance fitness.
Flashcard 23: What is natural selection, stated as a cause-and-effect process?
Answer: Individuals with helpful traits leave more offspring, so traits spread. Differential reproduction drives trait frequency changes.
Flashcard 24: What is camouflage, and what survival benefit does it provide?
Answer: Blending in to avoid predators or to ambush prey. Matching surroundings helps avoid detection.
Flashcard 25: What is mimicry, and what is its typical survival benefit?
Answer: Resembling another species to reduce predation. Looking like dangerous species deters predators.
Flashcard 26: What is a physiological trait, and what does it control in an organism?
Answer: An internal body function trait, such as venom or water retention. These traits involve internal processes, not external structures.
Flashcard 27: What is sexual selection, and what outcome does it produce in populations?
Answer: Traits that increase mating success become more common. Traits that attract mates spread through populations.
Flashcard 28: Which option best supports the claim that thick fur is adaptive: fewer deaths in cold or in heat?
Answer: Fewer deaths in cold. Thick fur provides insulation against cold temperatures.
Flashcard 29: Identify the best evidence that webbed feet increase survival in aquatic habitats.
Answer: Individuals with webbed feet swim faster and escape predators more often. Swimming speed directly links to predator escape ability.
Flashcard 30: Which observation is strongest evidence that a trait increases reproduction rather than survival?
Answer: Individuals with the trait produce more offspring. Offspring production directly measures reproductive success.