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IB Biology D4.1: Nat. Select. — Practice Questions & Answers
IB Biology D4.1 Natural selection study notes: variation, overproduction, differential survival and reproduction, and evidence such as antibiotic resistance.
Here are 10 practice questions with full answers and explanations.
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Practice questions with answers
1
Multiple choice
What is the primary mechanism driving evolutionary change?
Natural selection
Genetic drift
Gene flow
Mutation
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Why Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals, driving evolutionary change.
2
Multiple choice
What term describes a significant change in scientific understanding?
Paradigm shift
Scientific revolution
Hypothesis change
Theory evolution
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Why A paradigm shift is a fundamental change in the accepted framework of scientific understanding.
3
Multiple choice
What process generates new alleles in a population?
Mutation
Sexual reproduction
Genetic drift
Gene flow
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Why Mutation is the original source of new alleles, introducing genetic variation into a population.
4
Multiple choice
What process generates new combinations of alleles in a population?
Sexual reproduction
Mutation
Genetic drift
Gene flow
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Why Sexual reproduction shuffles existing alleles into new combinations through meiosis and fertilization.
5
Multiple choice
What factors promote natural selection due to limited resources?
Competition for resources
Overproduction of offspring
Random mating
Genetic equilibrium
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Why Limited resources cause competition, favouring individuals with advantageous heritable traits.
6
Multiple choice
Which type of environmental factor acts as a selection pressure independent of population density?
Abiotic factors
Biotic factors
Intraspecific competition
Interspecific competition
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Why Abiotic factors like temperature act as selection pressures regardless of population density.
7
Multiple choice
What is a measure of an organism's ability to survive and reproduce?
Fitness
Adaptation
Variation
Mutation rate
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Why Fitness measures an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.
8
Multiple choice
What type of traits must be present for evolutionary change to occur?
Heritable traits
Acquired traits
Learned behaviors
Environmental adaptations
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Why Only heritable traits can be passed to offspring, so they are required for evolutionary change.
9
Multiple choice
What is the selection pressure related to mate choice called?
Sexual selection
Natural selection
Artificial selection
Group selection
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Why Sexual selection is the selection pressure arising from competition for mates.
10
Multiple choice
What is a common example of sexual selection in birds?
Plumage of birds of paradise
Beak shape in finches
Camouflage in owls
Migration patterns in geese
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Why The elaborate plumage of birds of paradise is a classic product of sexual selection.
Key terms in Nat. Select.
Natural selection: The process by which heritable traits that improve survival and reproduction become more common in a population over generations.
Variation: Differences in characteristics among individuals of a population; the raw material on which selection acts.
Mutation: A random change in the base sequence of DNA; the ultimate source of new alleles and therefore of variation.
Heritable: Able to be passed from parents to offspring through genes; only heritable variation can drive evolution.
Adaptation: A heritable feature that improves an organism’s chance of survival and reproduction in its environment.
Fitness: An individual’s reproductive success — the number of offspring it contributes to the next generation.
Sexual selection: Selection driven by success in obtaining mates, which can favour traits that do not aid survival, such as the peacock’s tail.
Allele frequency: The proportion of a particular allele among all the alleles of that gene in a population; its change measures evolution.
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