Natural Selection Unit Test Unit 5 Lesson 12

Question

The domestic cat is an invasive species in many different countries. It is estimated that feral and outside cats kill over a billion small mammals and songbirds each year. The hunting habits of these cats is hypothesized to be one of the largest contributions to the rapidly decreasing number of songbirds in North America. Some songbirds, like the North American barn swallow, seem to be less affected by outside and feral cat hunting. A researcher located in Oklahoma, Dr. Charles Brown, has recorded evidence of swallows adapting to have shorter wings over the past 30 years. Barn swallows are now one of few songbirds that have a slightly increasing wild population.
(1 point)
Responses

Decreased wing length is a trait that female barn swallows find more attractive in males.
Decreased wing length is a trait that female barn swallows find more attractive in males.

Decreased wing length has allowed for barn swallows to take to flight and fly faster to evade cats.
Decreased wing length has allowed for barn swallows to take to flight and fly faster to evade cats.

Decreased wing length has allowed for barn swallows to build smaller nests on roadsides built by humans.
Decreased wing length has allowed for barn swallows to build smaller nests on roadsides built by humans.

Decreased wing length is a trait that feral and outside cats find unappetizing in barn swallows.
Decreased wing length is a trait that feral and outside cats find unappetizing in barn swallows.

Answer 1

Decreased wing length has allowed barn swallows to be more agile and maneuverable during flight, making them less vulnerable to predation by feral and outside cats.