Question

12,351 Learners found this answer helpful

southwest china. \this decrease in the number of elephants born with tusks shows the pressure that poaching for ivory is having on the animal,\ said zhang.

adaptation by natural selection acts over generations to change the characteristics of a population, particularly in response to new environmental conditions. traits that support successful survival and reproduction in the new environment become more common; those that do not, become less common. as a result, the distribution of traits in a population changes.

task one: look at the image above along with the passage to answer the following questions: (highlight your answer below)

1. over time, what happened to the original species (species a)?

(a) as the land mass (continent) moved, the original species simply moved with it.
(b) as the land mass (continent) moved, the original species evolved and adapted to the new land mass.
(c) as the land mass (continent) moved, the original species did not change or adapt at all.
(d) as the land mass (continent) moved, more species were discovered.

1. what is a great prediction of what will continue to happen to elephants born without tusks?

(a) there will be an increase of 8 to 15 percent of elephants born without tusks.
(b) there will be a decrease of elephants born with tusks.
(c) poaching will not have an effect on elephants born with or without tusks.
(d) there will continuous increase in the gene of the tuskless male elephants

Explanation:

Question 1

The passage explains natural selection and adaptation. When land masses move, species evolve to adapt to new environments (as traits for survival/reproduction become more common). Option (a) says species just moved, not evolving. Option (c) says no change, which contradicts natural selection. Option (d) is about discovering species, not evolution. Option (b) matches the idea of evolution and adaptation to new land masses.

The passage states poaching (for ivory) pressures elephants, so tuskless elephants (a trait supporting survival as they're less poached) should increase in gene frequency. Option (a) is a specific percentage not supported by the passage. Option (b) is about tusked elephants decreasing, but the question is about tuskless. Option (c) is wrong as poaching does affect. Option (d) matches the idea of tuskless gene increasing due to natural selection from poaching pressure.

Answer:

b. As the land mass (continent) moved, the original species evolved and adapted to the new land mass.

Question 2