1. Science TAKS: Bell Ringers Prepared for the Scurry-Rosser High School Science Department Objective 3, B.07B Illustrate the results of natural selection in speciation, diversity, phylogeny, adaptation, behavior, and extinction.

2. Important Definitions Adaption – any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its parts that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment. –a form or structure modified to fit a changed environment. –the ability of a species to survive in a particular ecological niche, esp. because of alterations of form or behavior brought about through natural selection. Behavior - the actions displayed by an organism in response to its environment. Certain animal behaviors (such as nest building) result from instinct, while others (such as hunting) must be learned. Diversity - Variety or multiformity: "Charles Darwin saw in the diversity of species the principles of evolution that operated to generate the species: variation, competition and selection" (Scientific American). Extinction - the act or process of becoming extinct; a coming to an end or dying out: the extinction of a species. "The most effective agent in the extinction of species is the pressure of other species" (Alfred R. Wallace) Phylogeny - The evolutionary development and history of a species or higher taxonomic grouping of organisms. Also called phylogenesis. –The evolutionary development of an organ or other part of an organism: the phylogeny of the amphibian intestinal tract. Speciation - the formation of new species as a result of geographic, physiological, anatomical, or behavioral factors that prevent previously interbreeding populations from breeding with each other.

3. About 10,000 years ago two populations of tassel- eared squirrels were separated from each other. Today these squirrels are so different that they are unable to interbreed when brought together. #1) Which of the following explains this phenomenon? A. Competition B. Extinction C. Predation D. Speciation State Average: 70% correct

4. Milkweed plants have green leaves. Milkweed plants produce milky sap containing compounds that taste bad to some animals. The milkweed bug is bright orange and red and feeds on the milkweed plant. The compounds in the milkweed sap accumulate in the milkweed bug but do not harm it. #2) Which of the following best explains how the milkweed bug’s coloration helps it avoid being eaten by birds? F. Birds become confused by the bug’s coloration, so the bug has time to escape. G. Birds associate the bug’s coloration with its bad taste and avoid eating it. H. Birds are unable to locate the bug’s head, so the bug can escape. J. Birds cannot locate the bug because it appears to be part of the plant. State Average: Tested Oct-2005

5. #3) Two competing species can thrive in the same community if they have -- A. the same habitat B. different niches C. similar diets D. different life spans State Average: Tested Dec-2005

6. #4) The model shows a demonstration a student prepared using black and white marbles to show how populations of organisms can change. Which of the following concepts is best illustrated by this demonstration? F. Evolution of a predatory species G. Genetic drift accompanying natural selection H. Environmentally induced genetic mutations J. Immunity from virulent microorganisms State Average: Tested Feb-06

7. #5) The diagram shows relationships of selected species over time. According to this information, which of these species is expected to have the greatest phenotypic difference from the ancestral species? A. Species Q B. Species R C. Species T D. Species U State Avg: Tested Dec-05

8. TAKS Question Set Answers #1 D #2 G #3 B #4 G #5 D