Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands exhibit diverse beak morphologies adapted to different food sources. Which of the following BEST describes the genetic mechanism underlying this diversification, assuming the ancestral finch population had limited beak variation?
Horizontal gene transfer from other bird species introduced new beak morphologies.
Hybridization between different finch species generated novel beak shapes.
Mutations in regulatory genes controlling beak development led to variations upon which natural selection acted.
Environmental factors directly induced heritable changes in beak structure.
Related Questions
Adaptive radiation is characterized by:
Slow and gradual changes over long periods.
Convergence of different species towards similar traits.
Rapid diversification from a common ancestor.
Extinction of a large number of species.
Connect the marsupial with its primary food source:
Koala
Kangaroo
Tasmanian Devil
Bandicoot
(a) Insects and other invertebrates
(b) Eucalyptus leaves
(c) Grass
(d) Carrion and small animals
1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d
1-b, 2-c, 3-d, 4-a
1-c, 2-d, 3-a, 4-b
1-d, 2-a, 3-b, 4-c
Which of these is LEAST likely to be a key innovation driving adaptive radiation?
Novel metabolic pathways
Key developmental innovations
Environmental change creating new niches
Evolution of new symbiotic relationships
Identify the correct statement
Evolution is a directed process
Evolution is not a stochastic process
Adaptive radiation leads to evolution
Evolution occurs in the absence of natural selection
Island biogeography theory predicts that larger islands tend to have higher biodiversity. How does this relate to adaptive radiation?
Larger islands have lower extinction rates, preserving the products of adaptive radiation.
Larger islands attract more migrating species, providing a starting point for adaptive radiation.
Larger islands offer more diverse habitats and resources, increasing the likelihood of adaptive radiation.
Larger islands have higher mutation rates, promoting the genetic variation necessary for adaptive radiation.
The process by which different type of finches were evolved in Galapagos islands is
Adaptive radiation
Geographic similarity
Geographic dissimilarity
Unadaptive radiation
The concept of adaptive radiation was developed by
Charles Darwin
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Gregor Mendel
Alfred Russel Wallace
‘Darwin’s finches’ refers to
A group of closely related finch species on the Galapagos Islands that illustrate adaptive radiation.
A single species of finch found in England that Darwin used to study evolution.
A variety of bird species found throughout South America that have different beak shapes.
Fossilized bird remains that Darwin discovered and used to support his theory of evolution.
Adaptive radiation is often observed in situations where:
The environment remains stable for long periods
Strong competition exists within a well-established ecosystem
A new ecological opportunity arises, such as colonization of a new island
Species are highly specialized to a particular niche
An evolutionary process, giving rise to new species adapting to new habitat and ways of life is called
Adaptive radiation
Adaptation
Convergent evolution
Microevolution
