Which of the following statements best describes the response of finches to drought on the Galapagos Islands?

A. During drought, individual finches saw that large, hard seeds were the only available food. To crack these harder seeds, individual finches grew their beaks larger, resulting in an increased average beak depth.

B. During drought, finches struggled to open harder seeds. All the scraping and pecking wore down their beaks, resulting in a reduced average beak depth.

C. During drought, only finches with larger-than-average beaks were able to crack the hard seeds that were available. These finches survived while smaller-beaked finches died, resulting in an increased average beak depth in the population.

D. During drought, finches with smaller beaks (and smaller bodies) had an advantage. With reduced food supplies, larger finches (with larger beaks) were more likely to starve. The result was a decrease in average beak depth.

Question

Biology

Makena Gates

28 September, 16:51

Which of the following statements best describes the response of finches to drought on the Galapagos Islands?

A. During drought, individual finches saw that large, hard seeds were the only available food. To crack these harder seeds, individual finches grew their beaks larger, resulting in an increased average beak depth.

B. During drought, finches struggled to open harder seeds. All the scraping and pecking wore down their beaks, resulting in a reduced average beak depth.

C. During drought, only finches with larger-than-average beaks were able to crack the hard seeds that were available. These finches survived while smaller-beaked finches died, resulting in an increased average beak depth in the population.

D. During drought, finches with smaller beaks (and smaller bodies) had an advantage. With reduced food supplies, larger finches (with larger beaks) were more likely to starve. The result was a decrease in average beak depth.

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Answers (1)

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Brooks Forbes · Answer 1

The answer is C. During drought, only finches with larger-than-average beaks were able to crack the hard seeds that were available. These finches survived while smaller-beaked finches died, resulting in an increased average beak depth in the population