Question

Today there are now at least thirteen species of finches on the Galapagos Islands and all of them evolved from one ancestral species, which colonized the islands a few million years ago. What steps lead to speciation and a diverse range of finch types?

Answer 1

Answers:

a.) The ancestral finch was a ground-dwelling, seed-eating finch.

b.) The ecological niches throughout the islands exert selection pressures that push specific birds in various directions.

c.) In the original population of finches, variations existed.

f.) Different physical traits helped certain finches survive in certain niches, eating specific food.

Answer 2

• The finches on different areas of Galapagos island had different eating patterns. Some finches fed on seed while others on insects.
• Through natural selection, organisms which had better traits to survive in each area were able to live and reproduce.
• Through evolution, only those species were able to dominate each land which had better characteristics.
• Hence, natural selection and evolution led to the establishment of the genetic and phenotypic diversity among the finches.