Question
Inheritance of Traits
Humans have been shaping the traits of organisms for thousands of years. The methods for changing desirable traits have evolved as new technologies have become available.
In the aquaculture industry (fish farming), fish are selectively bred to have desirable traits in order to be more profitable. Desirable traits such as quick growth, resistance to disease, efficient feed-to-growth ratio, ability to tolerate a range of environmental conditions, and high meat yield are all characteristics that are selected and bred for. Sometimes, fish are genetically modified through gene editing to have specific traits. Selective breeding and genetic modification have evolved the genes of many fish species over time and caused a decrease in the genetic diversity of many fish species.
One of the ways fish are farmed is by creating enclosures in the open ocean where fish are grown and collected. These fish are often non-native to the areas in which they are farmed. Various drugs, herbicides, and foods containing non-native fish meal, fish oil, and fish eggs, are often added to the water in the fish enclosures. The diagram shows many of the environmental risks associated with this type of aquaculture.

When farmed fish escape from aquaculture settings, they can impact the surrounding native species and ecosystems. This can cause increased competition of resources for the native species, causing organisms with the most beneficial traits to survive and reproduce. This process is known as natural selection.
Multiple Choice Question
Farmed fish are given antibiotics to protect them from bacteria that can cause infections. A strain of bacteria has a mutation, causing the bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. Which graph most likely represents the change over time in the number of bacteria that contain the mutation?
A.

B.

C.

D.

Humans have been shaping the traits of organisms for thousands of years. The methods for changing desirable traits have evolved as new technologies have become available.
In the aquaculture industry (fish farming), fish are selectively bred to have desirable traits in order to be more profitable. Desirable traits such as quick growth, resistance to disease, efficient feed-to-growth ratio, ability to tolerate a range of environmental conditions, and high meat yield are all characteristics that are selected and bred for. Sometimes, fish are genetically modified through gene editing to have specific traits. Selective breeding and genetic modification have evolved the genes of many fish species over time and caused a decrease in the genetic diversity of many fish species.
One of the ways fish are farmed is by creating enclosures in the open ocean where fish are grown and collected. These fish are often non-native to the areas in which they are farmed. Various drugs, herbicides, and foods containing non-native fish meal, fish oil, and fish eggs, are often added to the water in the fish enclosures. The diagram shows many of the environmental risks associated with this type of aquaculture.

When farmed fish escape from aquaculture settings, they can impact the surrounding native species and ecosystems. This can cause increased competition of resources for the native species, causing organisms with the most beneficial traits to survive and reproduce. This process is known as natural selection.
Multiple Choice Question
Farmed fish are given antibiotics to protect them from bacteria that can cause infections. A strain of bacteria has a mutation, causing the bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. Which graph most likely represents the change over time in the number of bacteria that contain the mutation?
A.

B.

C.

D.

Answers
GPT-4o mini
To answer the question about the change over time in the number of bacteria that contain a mutation causing antibiotic resistance, we can analyze the situation based on the principles of natural selection and bacterial adaptation.
1. **Initial Exposure**: When antibiotics are first introduced, most bacteria are susceptible, and the population of resistant bacteria is low.
2. **Survival of the Fittest**: The bacteria that happen to have the mutation for antibiotic resistance survive the antibiotic treatment, while the susceptible bacteria die off.
3. **Population Change**: Over time, as the antibiotic continues to be present in the environment, the resistant bacteria will survive and reproduce more effectively than the non-resistant ones.
With these points in mind, we would look for a graph that starts with a low number of resistant bacteria, shows a sharp increase as the antibiotics are applied (due to the death of non-resistant bacteria), and continues to show an increase or stabilization as these resistant bacteria reproduce.
If we assume the options represent various patterns of growth, we would expect to see:
- A slow start (initial low numbers of resistant bacteria),
- A steep incline as more resistant bacteria thrive due to the lack of competition, and
- Typically a plateau as the population stabilizes when the environment is dominated by the resistant strain.
Without specific images of the graphs available in this context, the correct choice would be the one that best represents this pattern of initially low numbers, a rapid increase, and eventual stabilization in the population of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Based on the description above, you would likely choose the graph that visually corresponds to that growth pattern—starting low, increasing sharply, and then leveling off.
1. **Initial Exposure**: When antibiotics are first introduced, most bacteria are susceptible, and the population of resistant bacteria is low.
2. **Survival of the Fittest**: The bacteria that happen to have the mutation for antibiotic resistance survive the antibiotic treatment, while the susceptible bacteria die off.
3. **Population Change**: Over time, as the antibiotic continues to be present in the environment, the resistant bacteria will survive and reproduce more effectively than the non-resistant ones.
With these points in mind, we would look for a graph that starts with a low number of resistant bacteria, shows a sharp increase as the antibiotics are applied (due to the death of non-resistant bacteria), and continues to show an increase or stabilization as these resistant bacteria reproduce.
If we assume the options represent various patterns of growth, we would expect to see:
- A slow start (initial low numbers of resistant bacteria),
- A steep incline as more resistant bacteria thrive due to the lack of competition, and
- Typically a plateau as the population stabilizes when the environment is dominated by the resistant strain.
Without specific images of the graphs available in this context, the correct choice would be the one that best represents this pattern of initially low numbers, a rapid increase, and eventual stabilization in the population of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Based on the description above, you would likely choose the graph that visually corresponds to that growth pattern—starting low, increasing sharply, and then leveling off.