Answer:
13.) D. Is correct answer: "Only the fastest rabbits are able to escape predators," is an example of directional selection.
Option B, "A chicken population with members having different colors of feathers are equally likely to survive," is not an example of directional selection. In this case, there is no selective advantage for any particular feather color, so there is no directional pressure for any one color to become more prevalent in the population over time. This is an example of stabilizing selection, which favors the average trait and selects against extreme variations.
Therefore, option D, "Only the fastest rabbits are able to escape predators," is the correct example of directional selection.
14.) Option G, evolution by natural selection, explains the changes in characteristics of a plant species on an isolated island in response to environmental changes.
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Genetic drift (option F) is another mechanism of evolution, but it refers to random fluctuations in allele frequencies in a population that are not necessarily tied to selective pressures. Punctuated equilibrium (option H) refers to a pattern of evolution in which long periods of stasis or little change are interrupted by sudden bursts of evolutionary change. Convergent evolution (option J) occurs when different species independently evolve similar traits or adaptations in response to similar environmental challenges or selective pressures, but this is not the best explanation for changes in a single plant species on an isolated island.
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15.) B. Divergent evolution explains homologous structures, where different species evolve from a common ancestor and develop similar structures for different functions. In this case, the bird's wing and the human arm have the same underlying bone structure, but have evolved to serve different purposes.
16.) Option J, "the environments in which they evolved," would be expected to be the same for these three species with convergent adaptations.
17.) A. Fossil A was found in a sedimentary rock layer below fossil B. Relative dating techniques compare the position of fossils in different layers of sedimentary rock to determine their relative ages. The lower the layer of sedimentary rock, the older the fossils found in it are likely to be. Therefore, if fossil A is found in a lower layer of sedimentary rock than fossil B, it is likely that fossil A is older than fossil B.
18.) H. mutations
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