Suzanne O. answered • 10/16/19
International Experience and Multiple State Certifications
Hi Dani.
This is a textbook example of natural selection. Don't let it scare you. The whole idea of natural selection is animals adapting to changes in their environment by first changing what they do (behavior) , then (possibly) how they appear over time to better match the new thing they are doing (genetics). A subset of a species can change so much, that it become a new species (something we call speciation).
Look again at the problem:
Over the past several years, Abalone has come into style for making jewelry, and have therefore been over harvested. As the population of abalones declined, so did the sea stars that eat them. Lately, scientists have seen an increase in a variation of this same sea star species that feeds mostly on sea urchins.
That last sentence, doesn't that sound like a species changing its behavior in response to changes in the environment? Since there is not enough abalone, some starfish have begun to eat sea urchins instead. Some starfish may still be eating only abalone, but if the abalone population gets too much smaller, those starfish may not find enough to eat, and die out.
It would be like the cafeteria running out of pizza, so you sigh and get a hamburger instead. If you are not willing to change your habit, you will go hungry that day, and if you were too stubborn to ever change, you could starve to death!
Explain why this scenario is an example of natural selection in action, using at least three vocabulary terms. Provide evidence to support your answer.
I think we have covered the first part. The last part is trickier, you did not share your vocabulary words.
Possible sources of evidence: your textbook that gives the definition and examples of natural selection (find a similar example); if it is allowed, an online source.
Hope this helps.
