Evidence of Evolution

AP Biology· difficulty 1/5

Different finch species inhabit different Galapagos islands; each has a beak adapted to a different food source.

Isabela Santa Cruz San Cristobal Galapagos finches

Why do related finch species on different Galapagos islands show different beak shapes?

  • A

    Adaptive radiation following geographic isolation and divergent selection

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  • B

    Genetic drift unaffected by environment

  • C

    Lamarckian inheritance of feeding behavior

  • D

    Convergent evolution from unrelated mainland ancestors

Explanation

Galapagos finches descended from a common ancestor and diversified across islands. Different food resources on each island created divergent selection, producing distinct beak morphologies (adaptive radiation).

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