Galapagos Finches Evolution: 40+ Years of Grant's Research Quiz and Flashcards

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Questions and Answers

What was the primary factor that led to the change in the average beak size of the medium ground finches in 1977?

Competition for scarce resources due to a severe drought

What was the impact of the 1983 El Nino event on the selection pressure for beak size in the finch population?

The selection pressure swung in the opposite direction, favoring smaller beaks

What role did song and appearance play in the speciation of the Galapagos finches, according to the Grants' research?

They play a crucial role in keeping different species from mating

What is the primary mechanism that led to the adaptation of the finch population to their new surroundings on the Galapagos Islands?

Evolutionary change in response to changing environmental conditions Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the Galapagos finches in understanding the diversity of life on Earth?

They provide insight into the evolution of new species and demonstrate how the diversity of the environment leads to the production of new species Signup and view all the answers

What is the key factor that led to the formation of distinct species in the Galapagos finches, according to the text?

Changes in traits involving mating Signup and view all the answers

What is distinct about the species found in the Galapagos Islands, and how many species of finches are found on the islands?

The species found in the Galapagos Islands are astonishingly different; there are 13 species of finches. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of Peter and Rosemary Grant's research on the Galapagos finches?

The primary focus of their research is to understand how species arise. Signup and view all the answers

What adaptations have the Galapagos finches developed to survive, and what is the significance of their beak shapes and sizes?

The finches have evolved different beak shapes and sizes to adapt to specific food sources, such as insects, beetle larvae, termite larvae, and cactus flowers. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the Grants' research on the island of Daphne Major, and how did they track the finches?

The research on Daphne Major focused on one species, and the Grants tracked over 1,000 finches by measuring the size and shape of each bird's beak, weight, and tagging them for identification. Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between the Galapagos finches and the species on the mainland, according to the Grants' research?

The finches are more related to each other than any one is to a species on the mainland, indicating that all 13 species came from a single common ancestor. Signup and view all the answers

What is the geological history of the Galapagos Islands, and how has this affected the development of species on the islands?

The Galapagos Islands are geologically young, beginning to rise from the ocean floor less than 5 million years ago, and initially devoid of life. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

• The Galapagos Islands have a unique variety of species, with over 300,000 beetles, 17,000 butterflies, and thousands of mammals, fish, and birds, all astonishingly different.

• Biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant have been studying the Galapagos finches for 40 years to understand how species arise, focusing on the island of Daphne Major.

• The Galapagos Islands are geologically young, beginning to rise from the ocean floor less than 5 million years ago, and initially devoid of life, but now support a modest number of species.

• There are 13 species of finches found in various combinations on the different islands, with diverse habitats, including larger trees at higher elevations and low islands with mostly cactus, grasses, and shrubs.

• The finches have evolved many ways to survive, with different beak shapes and sizes adapted to specific food sources, such as insects, beetle larvae, termite larvae, and cactus flowers.

• The Grants' research revealed that the finches are more related to each other than any one is to a species on the mainland, indicating that all 13 species came from a single common ancestor.

• The Grants' study focused on one species on the island of Daphne Major, where they measured the size and shape of each bird's beak, weight, and tagged them for identification, tracking over 1,000 finches.

• In 1977, a severe drought led to a scarcity of food, and the medium ground finches had to compete for scarce resources, with birds having smaller beaks having the most trouble surviving.

• The Grants discovered that the larger the beak, the better the bird's chances of survival, with natural selection changing the average beak size in just one generation.

• Five years later, in 1983, an unusually strong El Nino brought heavy rainfall, changing the vegetation on the island, and the selection pressure swung in the opposite direction, with smaller beaks becoming more advantageous.

• The Grants demonstrated that evolution of beak size can occur in an amazingly short period of time, not once, but twice, in response to changing environmental conditions.

• The Grants also investigated how finches with different beaks become distinct species, and found that song and appearance play a crucial role in keeping different species from mating.

• The males only responded to songs of their own species and only courted females with a similar size and beak shape, demonstrating that geography and ecology are keys to the evolution of the Galapagos finches.

Two million years ago, a single finch population arrived from the mainland to the Galapagos Islands.
The descendants of this population adapted to their new surroundings, resulting in changes to their traits.
If the trait changes involved mating, the isolated populations became distinct species when they came into contact again.
The unique history of the Galapagos finches provides insight into the diversity of species in the world.
The diversity of the environment provides opportunities for evolutionary change, leading to the production of new species.
The Galapagos finches were first recognized as significant by Darwin over 150 years ago.
The finches continue to illustrate how the diversity of life arose and continues to evolve.

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Description

This quiz explores the unique species of finches found on the Galapagos Islands, focusing on their evolution, adaptation, and speciation. Learn about the groundbreaking research of Peter and Rosemary Grant, who studied the finches for 40 years to understand how species arise. Discover how the finches' beak shapes and sizes adapted to specific food sources and how natural selection influenced their survival.

Galapagos Finches and Evolution

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