Fundamentals of Biology 1

Formative Assessment 2
Evolution by Natural Selection

NAME/S: Julyna Pearl N. Amistad DATE: September 20, 2021

CODE: Cs15

1. Study the illustration below and answer the questions that follow.

a. Describe what is happening in figures 1-3. (1pt)

In Figure 1, we can see how the mice differ from each other. Some are white, and some are
darker, blending in with the ground. In Figure 2, we can see the bird as the predator and the mouse as
the prey. Here, because the darker mice blend in with the ground, they are the most likely to survive,
unlike the white mice known as the natural selection. In Figure 3, we can see the white ones being slowly
removed from the population resulting in less competition for the darker ones, known as genetic shift.

b. Is the population of mice different in figure 3 than in figure 1? Explain why. (2pts)
Yes, there is indeed a difference. We can see in figure 2 that the white mice are the most likely to
be eaten by the predator. Well, the darker mice would be the most likely to survive because of its ability to
blend in with the ground (not sure if that's ground or water). With that being said is the reason why there is a
difference in population between Figure 3 and Figure 1.

c. For the mice in the figure, what characteristic was an adaptation that increased fitness? (1pt)
The color of its fur that blends in with its surroundings.
The color of its fur that blends in with its surroundings.

2. The table describes four female mice that live in a beach area which is mostly tan sand with scattered plants.

Characteristics Color of Fur

of each female mouse Black Tan Tan and Black Cream
Running speed 8 cm/sec. 6 cm/sec. 7 cm/sec. 5 cm/sec.
# Pups produced by each female 0 11 5 4
Age at death 2 months 8 months 4 months 4 months

a. According to the definition given above for fitness, which mouse would biologists consider the fittest? Explain
why this mouse would be the fittest. (2pts)
According to the definition given, the mouse with tan color would be the fittest because
regardless of its running speed, she produced the most pups and would live the longest compared to
others. In addition, because of its color that blends in with the beach area.
b. If a mouse's fur color is generally similar to its mother’s color, which color fur would be the most common
among the pups? (1pt)
In my opinion, it would be tan.

3. A characteristic which is influenced by genes and passed from parents to offspring is called heritable. For the
mice on the tan sand, fur color was a heritable characteristic. As you saw, tan fur was a heritable adaptive
characteristic which became more common in the pups.

In general, individuals with heritable adaptive characteristics survive longer and have more offspring
which have similar adaptive characteristics. Therefore, a heritable adaptive characteristic will tend to become
more common in the population. This process is called evolution by natural selection.

Evolution by natural selection leads to adaptation within a population. The term evolution by natural
selection does NOT refer to individuals changing, only to changes in the frequency of adaptive characteristics
in the population. For example, for the mice that lived on tan sand, none of the mice had a change in the
color of their fur; rather, due to natural selection, tan fur was more common for the pups than for the mother
mice.

a. Explain why a heritable characteristic which helps an animal to live longer will generally tend to become more
common in subsequent generations because of evolution by natural selection. (2 pts)
A heritable characteristic that helps an animal live longer tends to become more common in the
next generations. In my opinion, this is because there is a most likely chance that this trait will help
more organisms survive and have more offspring. However, the subsequent generations will adapt their
parent’s characteristics depending on who’s the fittest.

b. Suppose an unusual heritable characteristic helped animals to live longer but made them sterile so they could
not have any offspring. Explain why this heritable characteristic would NOT become more common in
subsequent generations because of evolution by natural selection. (2pts)
Because these characteristics will only lengthen their lives and not have any offspring, it would not
become more common in subsequent generations because of evolution by natural selection.

SUMMARIZE THE CONCEPTS LEARNED IN THIS ACTIVITY

1) Natural Selection
2) Adaptation
3) Evolution

THOUGHTS/EMOTIONS WHILE DOING THIS ACTIVITY

I enjoyed this activity.

Adapted from the University of California, Los Angeles Life Sciences 1 Demonstration Manual