AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Grants study the evolution of Darwin’s finches on the Galapagos Islands. The birds have been named for Darwin, in part, because he later theorized that the 13 distinct species were all descendants of a common ancestor.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Grants found that the offspring of the birds that survived the 1977 drought tended to be larger, with bigger beaks. So the adaptation to a changed environment led to a larger-beaked finch population in the following generation.

Detailed explanation-3: -Eventually Darwin theorized that different species of finch had evolved on different islands, their distinctive beaks being an adaptation to distinct natural habitats or environmental niches.

Detailed explanation-4: -Visible Evidence of Ongoing Evolution: Darwin’s Finches From 1831 to 1836, Darwin traveled around the world, observing animals on different continents and islands. On the Galapagos Islands, Darwin observed several species of finches with unique beak shapes.

Detailed explanation-5: -Peter and Rosemary Grant are distinguished for their remarkable long-term studies demonstrating evolution in action in Galápagos finches. They have demonstrated how very rapid changes in body and beak size in response to changes in the food supply are driven by natural selection.