Name _____________________________________

Ms. Campbell
Natural Selection

Student # ________
Regents Bio.

Base your answers to questions 1 through 3 on

the information and graph below and on your knowledge of biology.
A population composed of tan snails and black snails inhabits the same sandy beach. A nearby
volcano erupted, and black lava particles washed down to the beach. The once tan beach was now
black. The graph below shows the population of tan snails and black snails before and after the volcanic
eruption.

1. Variation in snail color is an example of

(A) environmental stability
(B) a natural limitation

(C) equilibrium
(D) diversity

2. The increase in the number of black snails can best be explained by

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

natural selection after an environmental change

climatic change followed by ecological succession
increased stability due to a decrease in variation
an increase in mutation rate

3. Which statement concerning the snails is correct?

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

The lava particles turned the tan snails black.

The tan snails will become extinct.
The black snails had an adaptive advantage.
The tan snails preyed on the black snails.

4. Which statement describes an effect of natural selection

on a species?
(A) It favors the survival of certain members of the
species and results in a change in the proportion of
individuals with highly adaptive traits.
(B) It provides feedback mechanisms for members of a
species and results in a change in the proportion of
individuals with homeostatic controls.
(C) It leads to reproduction with other species,
increasing the number of different adaptations.
(D) It increases competition between populations that
occupy different niches, increasing the chance of
extinction of the less-adapted species.
5. In a certain species of insect, some individuals have
flattened white disk on their bodies that protrude and
interlock, resembling an orchid flower. This adaptation
provides the insect with a better opportunity to capture
its prey. If environmental conditions remain unchanged,
it is most likely that, in future generations, the proportion
of the population with this adaptation will
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

increase, only
decrease, only
increase, then decrease
decrease, then increase

6. The diagram below shows the effect of spraying a

pesticide on a population of insects over three
generations.

Which concept is represented in the diagram?

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

survival of the fittest

dynamic equilibrium
succession
extinction

7. According to the theory of natural selection, why are

some individuals more likely than others to survive and
reproduce?
(A) Some individuals pass on to their offspring new
characteristics they have acquired during their
lifetimes.
(B) Some individuals are better adapted to exist in their
environment than others are.
(C) Some individuals do not pass on to their offspring
new characteristics they have acquired during their
lifetimes.
(D) Some individuals tend to produce fewer offspring
than others in the same environment.
8. A population of white moths lives in a forest near a
factory. This factory bums coal and pollutes the air with
black dust. Over time, this dust has settled on the trees in
the area, making them darker in color. This could result
in
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

an increase in the white moth population

a decrease in the white moth population
an increase in the number of trees in the area
a decrease in the air pollution affecting the area

9. The kit fox and red fox species are closely related. The kit fox lives in the desert, while the red fox inhabits
forests. Ear size and fur color are two differences that can be observed between the species. An illustration
of these two species is shown below.

Which statement best explains how the differences between these two species came about?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

Different adaptations developed because the kit fox preferred hotter environments than the red fox.
As the foxes adapted to different environments, differences in appearance evolved
The foxes evolved differently to prevent overpopulation of the forest habitat.
The foxes evolved differently because their ancestors were trying to avoid competition.

10. In Yellowstone National Park, some species of algae

and bacteria can survive and reproduce in hot springs at
temperatures near the boiling point of water. The ability
to survive and reproduce at these temperatures is an
example of
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

aggregate formation
adaptation
artificial selection
reproductive isolation

Base your answers to questions 11 and 12 on the information below.

Over the last 30 years, a part of the Hudson River known as Foundry Cove has been the site for
many factories that have dumped toxic chemicals into the river. Some of these pollutants have
accumulated in the mud at the bottom of the river. The polluted cove water contains many single-celled
organisms and simple multicellular animals. Curiously, when the same species from nearby regions
with nonpolluted sediments are moved to the polluted cove water, they die.
Scientists hypothesized that the organisms living in the cove have evolved so that they are able to
survive in polluted water. To test this hypothesis, biologists tried to duplicate the history of the cove in
the laboratory. They took a large number of one species of simple animal from a cove with unpolluted
mud and placed them in a flask that contained polluted mud from Foundry Cove (diagram 1). Most of
the animals died, but a few survived (diagram 2). The scientists then bred the survivors with each other
for several generations producing offspring that were descendants of the survivors. When placed in
Foundry Cove, most of these descendants survived. The diagrams below represent the steps in this
investigation.

11. Explain how the simple animals of Foundry Cove adapted to the polluted water. Your answer must include
an explanation of the role of three of the following in this process.
environment
genetic variation
selection
reproduction
survival of the fittest
12. On the diagram of the flask above, sketch the animals that would be present in flask 3 after several
generations of breeding in the laboratory.