/*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} Problem 26 Describe how an adaptation, such... [FREE SOLUTION] | 91影视

91影视

Log out

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 18: Problem 26

Describe how an adaptation, such as better running speed, relates to natural selection. a. Natural selection produces beneficial adaptations, such as better running speed, in individuals that run more frequently b. Natural selection randomly mutates individuals鈥� genetic code until it produces beneficial adaptations, such as better running speed c. Natural selection produces adaptations, such as better running speed, to help individuals survive and reproduce d. Natural selection reproduces individuals with favorable genetic traits-such as the adaptation of better running speed-over time.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Option d: Natural selection reproduces individuals with favorable genetic traits over time.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Concept of Natural Selection

Natural selection is the process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. This concept was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin and is now considered one of the cornerstones of modern biology.
02

Identify Key Terms in the Question

Focus on the term 'adaptation' and how it relates to 'natural selection' in the context of the question. An adaptation means a trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.
03

Analyze Each Answer Choice

Read all four answer choices carefully and break down what each one is suggesting about the relationship between adaptation and natural selection.
04

Evaluate the Incorrect Options

Option a suggests that natural selection works by individuals running more frequently to develop adaptations, which isn't accurate since traits are inherited genetically, not through practice. Option b suggests mutations are random, but it oversimplifies the process by not including the selective aspect of natural selection. Option c incorrectly implies that adaptations arise just to help individuals survive without the heritable aspect.
05

Select the Correct Answer

Option d is correct because it explains that natural selection reproduces individuals with favorable genetic traits over time, adequately describing how beneficial adaptations are passed down through generations.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with 91影视!

Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Evolutionary Biology
Evolutionary biology is the study of how life has developed and diversified over time. A central concept in this field is evolution, which explains how species change over generations through genetic variations and natural selection.
Natural selection is the mechanism by which individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. Over time, these traits become more common in the population.
Let's break it down:
- Variation: Individuals in a population have different traits, mostly due to genetic differences.
- Inheritance: These traits can be passed from one generation to the next through genes.
- Differential Survival and Reproduction: Some individuals are better suited for their environment and are more likely to survive and reproduce.
- Accumulation of Favorable Traits: Over many generations, beneficial traits accumulate in the population.
Through these steps, evolutionary biology explains the diversity of life we observe today and sheds light on how species continue to evolve.
Heritable Traits
Heritable traits are characteristics that can be passed from parents to offspring through genetic material. Genes, which are segments of DNA, dictate these traits.
For example, in the context of natural selection and adaptation, running speed in animals is a heritable trait. If faster individuals are more likely to escape predators and find food, they are also more likely to survive and reproduce.
The steps involved are:
- **Inheritance**: Genes coding for faster running speed are passed on to the next generation.
- **Variation**: Not all offspring will inherit the same degree of speed; there will be variation.
- **Selection**: Those with the fastest genes survive to reproduce, passing on their superior speed.

Over many generations, the population of animals becomes generally faster. Hence, heritable traits play a critical role in natural selection as they determine which traits are passed down and potentially amplified in future generations.
Survival and Reproduction
Survival and reproduction are the twin pillars of natural selection and drive the evolution of species. To understand this better, consider how adaptations, like improved running speed, enhance an individual's chances of survival and reproduction.
Steps to consider include:
- **Survival**: Better running speed helps an organism escape predators and catch prey, increasing its likelihood of living longer.
- **Reproduction**: Surviving individuals have more opportunities to reproduce. Those with beneficial traits tend to produce more offspring.
- **Trait Propagation**: The offspring inherit the advantageous traits of their parents. Over time, this leads to the proliferation of these traits within the population.

By ensuring survival and enabling reproduction, natural selection promotes the frequency of beneficial traits in subsequent generations, making the species better adapted to their environment. It's a continuous cycle: better traits lead to better survival, which leads to more offspring carrying those traits, further refining the population's adaptation to its environment.

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

A friend says: 鈥淣atural selection is about the survival of the very fittest in a population. The fittest are those that are strongest, largest, fastest.鈥� Would you agree with that statement? Explain. What evidence from scientific disciplines can you offer to support your agreement or your disagreement? a. The statement is true. If an organism is not strong and fast, it will not survive long enough to reproduce and pass on its genes, and if it is not large and fitter than the other individuals around it then it will not be able to compete for a mate. Many seal species, for example, have only a single male who gets to mate. He must be the very fittest seal to win all the females. b. The very fittest organisms are not necessarily the ones that survive. Sometimes it is the least fit organisms that survive and reproduce. For example, in one generation the mice who are bad at foraging for seeds may reproduce prolifically and dominate the mice who are good at foraging. In this case, natural selection will select for the less-fit phenotype and spread it in the population. c. The definition of fitness is not correct. The strongest and fastest organisms are more fit than the weaker and slower ones, but large individuals are often at a disadvantage to smaller ones because they are easily spotted by predators. For example, a large rabbit will stick out on a field more than a small one and will get eaten by a hawk. d. What is meant by 鈥渇ittest鈥� is not necessarily strong, large, and fast. Fitness, as defined in evolutionary terms, has to do with survival and the reproduction of genetic material. For example, a small but showy male bird may be selected by female birds to reproduce, while a large but less colorful one is not.

Which situation is most likely an example of convergent evolution? a. Some fish that live in total darkness have eyes. b. Hawks and other birds have feathers. c. Worms and snakes both move without legs. d. Flowers that look very different have the same reproductive organs.

While examining the human genome, you find a gene that is not homologous to any other organisms known to man. You conclude that this gene must be unique to the human species and could not have evolved from another organism. Would this discovery suggest that humans do not share a common ancestor with all other organisms on Earth? Explain your answer.

Given your understanding of evolutionary theory and the relationship between evolution and the genetic makeup of populations, which statement is false? a. Homologous characteristics that have evolved more recently are shared only within smaller groups of organisms. b. The genetic code is a homologous characteristic shared by all species because they share a common ancestor in the deep past. c. DNA sequence data would likely support any evolutionary tree drawn from anatomical data sets. d. The degree of relatedness between groups of organisms is only sometimes reflected in the similarity of their DNA sequences.

Give an example of convergent evolution and explain how it supports the theory of evolution by natural selection. a. An example of convergent evolution is the development of the same function, swimming, in organisms that live in different parts of the globe, such as Arctic beluga whales and Antarctic right whales. The fact that organisms that do not come in contact with each other have developed the same traits suggests that natural selection can produce similar adaptations in organisms who share a similar environment b. An example of convergent evolution is the set of adaptations, such as better running speed or more efficient hunting, developed by a species in response to competition with a new species that moves into the same region. The fact that a species adapts after it comes into contact with a competitor suggests that natural selection works more quickly with higher selective pressures. c. An example of convergent evolution is the development of an ancestral structure, a limb, into two different modern structures, such as a hand and a flipper. The fact that natural selection can cause a structure to develop down two different pathways due to different environmental conditions supports the theory of evolution d. An example of convergent evolution is the development of the same function, flying, in organisms that do not share a recent common ancestry, such as insects and birds. The fact that wings that allow flight have developed from very different original structures suggests that the process of natural selection can produce similar adaptations in two very different types of organisms who share a similar environment
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Biology Textbooks

Ecosystems

Read Explanation

Bioenergetics

Read Explanation

Control of Gene Expression

Read Explanation

Substance Exchange

Read Explanation

Cellular Energetics

Read Explanation

Genetic Information

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.