En anglais

The Red Queen Hypothesis

Science · Animals of the World · ages 11-12

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Only species that harm each other can co-evolve.
Circle one: True False
Which observation describes evolutionary change rather than change within one animal's life?
- A moth changes direction more sharply after repeated flight practice.
- A rabbit gains weight as food becomes more plentiful.
- An inherited defence becomes more common over generations.
What does evolutionary success mean in this lesson?
- Surviving and reproducing
- Having the greatest body size
- Staying alive
Which pair has the predator-prey relationship described in the lesson?
- An orchid and a moth that transfers pollen between flowers
- A hunting bat and a moth that hears its calls
- A rabbit and the virus infecting it
An invented survey finds 10 hearing moths in a sample of 40. Many generations later, another sample of 40 contains 30 hearing moths. How many more hearing moths are in the later sample?
Answer: ______________
Mosquitoes and fleas can carry myxoma virus between rabbits. What does a longer infection directly provide?
- More time for carriers to pick up the virus
- Fewer bites by mosquitoes and fleas
- A lower chance of infection after each carrier bite
Rabbit resistance and myxoma-virus traits change under pressure from each other. What kind of co-evolution is this?
- Predator-prey co-evolution
- Host-parasite co-evolution
- Flower-pollinator co-evolution
Fish with an inherited disease defence leave more offspring than fish without it. Why can the defence become more common over generations?
- Adults can copy the defence.
- Infection can give offspring the defence their parents need.
- Their offspring can inherit the defence.
How can co-evolution contribute to biodiversity?
- By making interacting species alike
- By favouring different adaptations
- By removing differences between successful populations
In a model, newts and the snakes that eat them affect selection in each other. Their interaction later ends because they live in separate areas. What follows?
- Their former interaction keeps supplying the same selection.
- Their inherited traits disappear.
- That arms race need not continue.

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The Red Queen Hypothesis W1-mt_mKNmXqz_Oo-s1

False · A flower and its pollinator can benefit from the interaction and affect selection in each other.
An inherited defence becomes more common over generations. · A change in the frequency of an inherited defence across generations describes population evolution. Practice and weight gain describe individual changes.
Surviving and reproducing · The lesson includes both survival and reproduction. Survival alone leaves out offspring, and body size is not the definition.
A hunting bat and a moth that hears its calls · The bat hunts the moth for food. The other pairs describe pollination and infection.
20 · 30 - 10 = 20 more hearing moths. These counts alone do not establish the cause of the difference.
More time for carriers to pick up the virus · A longer infection provides more time for transmission opportunities. Duration alone does not establish fewer bites or a lower chance of infection per bite.
Host-parasite co-evolution · The infected rabbit is the host. The infecting virus is the parasite, and myxomatosis is the disease it causes.
Their offspring can inherit the defence. · Carriers leave more offspring, and those offspring can inherit the defence. This can increase its frequency across generations.
By favouring different adaptations · Different interactions can favour different adaptations, adding to biological variety. Co-evolution is one contributor among other processes.
That arms race need not continue. · Ending the interaction can end that source of reciprocal selection. It does not immediately erase inherited traits.