Populations, adaptation and variationIB MYP Sciences: Flashcards

Exam questions on Populations, adaptation and variation

1. The fennec fox lives in the Sahara Desert. It has very large ears, pale sandy fur and hairy soles on its paws. It hunts at night and shelters in a burrow during the day. Water is scarce and daytime temperatures are very high.
   Suggest how the fox's habit of hunting at night and sheltering in a burrow by day helps it to survive in the desert.2 marks
2. On a small Galápagos island, ground finches feed on seeds. Scientists measured the beak depth of many birds and found values between 7 mm and 12 mm, with most birds near 9 mm. During a severe drought the small, soft seeds ran out and only large, hard seeds were left. Birds with deeper beaks could crack these seeds. Many birds with shallow beaks starved. When the survivors bred, the chicks had a greater average beak depth than the previous generation.
   Explain why the average beak depth of the finches increased in the next generation.2 marks
3. Students want to estimate the number of daisy plants in a school field that measures 80 m by 40 m. They place ten quadrats, each 1 m by 1 m, at different positions in the field and count the daisies inside each one. The counts are 4, 7, 3, 6, 5, 8, 2, 5, 6 and 4.
   Calculate the mean number of daisies per quadrat and use it to estimate the total number of daisies in the field.3 marks