Question

During a drought in the Galapagos, small, easily eaten seeds become less abundant leaving only large, hard-cased seeds only birds with large beaks can eat. If this drought persists for several years, then what would be expected from natural selection?

a-More birds with small beaks dying than large-beaked birds giving way to offspring produced in subsequent generations having a higher percentage of large-beaked birds
b-Birds with small beaks mutating their beak genes with the result that later-generation offspring have larger beaks
c-Birds with larger beaks eating less to save some for birds with smaller beaks.
d-Small birds growing larger beaks by exercising their mouth parts.

Answer 1

During a drought in the Galapagos, natural selection would result in more birds with small beaks dying than large-beaked birds, leading to subsequent generations having a higher percentage of large-beaked birds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The answer to this question is a. More birds with small beaks will die than large-beaked birds, giving way to offspring with a higher percentage of large-beaked birds in subsequent generations. This is because during a drought, small, easily eaten seeds become less abundant, leaving only large, hard-cased seeds that only birds with large beaks can eat. Therefore, natural selection will favor birds with larger beaks who can access the available food source, leading to an increase in the proportion of large-beaked birds in the population over time.