AP BIOLOGY

EVOLUTION

HISTORICAL CONTEXT FOR EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Which of these would be a Darwinian explanation for why giraffes changed over time?
A
Giraffes needed longer necks to reach food, so they stretched their necks and passed longer necks to next generation.
B
Giraffes needed longer necks to reach food. Those with shorter necks starved and died out, while those with longer necks survived and reproduced more long neck giraffes.
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -A Darwinian theory of evolution posits that it was through random variation that some giraffes had longer necks than others. Thanks to their long necks, they were able to reach leaves high up in the trees in their environment.

Detailed explanation-2: -Charles Darwin held up giraffes as a prime example of natural selection, his theory that’s often summarized as “survival of the fittest.” Giraffes with comparably longer necks could reach food high up in trees, which gave them an advantage over other animals and members of their own species with shorter necks.

Detailed explanation-3: -The mechanism that Darwin proposed for evolution is natural selection. Because resources are limited in nature, organisms with heritable traits that favor survival and reproduction will tend to leave more offspring than their peers, causing the traits to increase in frequency over generations.

Detailed explanation-4: -Which statement about the giraffes explains their evolution based on Charles Darwin’s main points? Long necks were a random genetic change and resulted in the gradual increase of organisms with long necks.

Detailed explanation-5: -Complete answer: According to Darwin: Due to natural variation, the ancestors of modern giraffes have necks of different length. Giraffes with longer necks are better able to reach more food, survive and produce more high-quality offspring.

There is 1 question to complete.