Test Review
Adaptation Unit
Name__________Key_____________
Vocabulary: Match the terms from the word bank below to the correct definition.
natural selection
migration
homeostasis
speciation
estivation
adaptations
1. _Natural Selection_________
parasitism
Charles Darwin
dormancy
diurnal
pollination
commensalism
the theory that says organisms with favorable traits survives and
reproduces at a higher rate than organisms without the favorable trait
2. Speciation______ _________ the process by which two populations of the same species become so
different due to isolation that they can no longer interbreed
3. Adaptations______________ are characteristics that help an organism survive in its environment
4. Diurnal ______________ __ an animal that is active during the daytime
5. Commensalism____________one organism benefits but the other organism is not affected, neither
helped nor harmed
6. Parasitism ________________ one organism benefits but the other organism is harmed
7. Charles Darwin____________ the scientist who developed the theory of Evolution by Natural
Selection
8. Pollenation _______________ is the process of moving pollen from one plant to another for the
purpose of producing seeds
9. Homeostasis ______________ is what scientists call the different ways that both (endothermic) &
cold-blooded (ectothermic) animals regulate their body temperatures
10. _ Migration _____________ is when animals move from one place to another due to lack of food or
harsh weather conditions
11. _ Estivation ___________ due to harsh conditions or lack of water this period of animal inactivity
happens in the summertime in desert climates
12. Dormancy ______________ a period of time in which a plant drops it leaves and reduces
photosynthesis due to harsh climate conditions
Theories & Concepts: Name the 4 parts of Natural Selection:
13.__Over-Production____- Numerous offspring are produced. Not all survive.
14._Inherited Variation__________- Slight variations may make one more capable of
survival than another.
15.__Struggle to Survive______- It is difficult to find food, & avoid predation.
16.__Successful Reproduction______- Those that survive, pass on their traits to
offspring.
17. What is a mutation and how does it occur?
DNA is mutated or changed each time parents produce offspring. Offspring are not clones of their
parents but rather the parent gives half of its genes to the offspring in reproductive cells. This random
selection of genes and the nature of dominant and recessive traits produces offspring that is similar but
not identical to their parents. Sometimes these traits can prove to be favorable and actually help a living
thing survive in the wild.
18. What did Darwin think caused the Galapagos finches to have different beaks?
Darwin hypothesized that the finches originally came from Ecuador but adapted over time to the
unique types of food and environment on the different islands of the Galapagos.
19. Seed Dispersal: Beneath each seed write a description of its best method of dispersal.
_Wind__
__Popping pods___
Animals by Sticking__
_Animals- carry & bury and eat
seeds &poop_
20. How does being nocturnal help desert animals survive?
They avoid the heat during the day.
21. What is the purpose of panting, shivering, and sweating?
These help to regulate body temperature and maintain
homeostasis_________________________________
22. In the computer lab activity we predicted that if the environment became lighter in
color the beetles over time would become lighter in color. Which would explain best
how that would happen?
a. the environment caused the color change
b. genes from successful parents caused the color change
c. the beetles wanted to change colors so they did
d. the beetles had to change or they would die
23. Looking at the food web, list a competitive relationship?
Mouse & elk compete for grass to graze
Lynx, fox & weasel all eat both mouse & squirrel
24. Looking at the food web, list a predator-prey relationship?
Wolf and elk
Lynx & mouse
Lynx & squirrel
Fox & mouse
Bird & insects
Owl & bird
Fox & squirrel
Using the food web, list an animal with the following structural adaptation.
25. Concealing coloration__squirrel & mouse___________________________
26. Chemical defense _____insects________________________________________
27. defensive physical structures (horns-antlers) mouse & elk________________
Classify the symbiotic relationships as mutualism, parasitism, & commensalisms.
28. Gila woodpecker
makes it’s nest in a
saguaro. The saguaro
is not hurt or helped
by this.
_Commensalism___
29. Tortoise eats prickly
pear fruit and disperses
seeds to a new place
when it poops.
_Mutualism_____
30. Tapeworm gets
food from dog’s
intestine. Dog looses
nutrients.
__Parasitism___
__________________