Why Do Finches Survive

Some finches inherited longer beaks, this allowed them to open more seeds and access more food. Inheriting the longer beaks is not proven, but any animal inherited traits just like humans. So gathering this information we can conclude that they inherit their long beaks. Having a long beak was crucial in order for the finches to survive through the drought. Two finches, for example, that survived the drought, had bigger beak sizes. Gf69 had a beak length of 13.01 millimeters and weighed 13.41 grams. Another finch that survived the drought had a beak length of 10.97 and weighed about 12 grams. Yet a finch that didn’t survive had a beak length of 9.92 millimeters. All 10 finches that survived through the drought had longer beaks that averaged to 11.939 millimeters. This is a large beak size compared to a bird that did not survive with a beak length of 7.21 millimeters. A bigger beak length allows a finch to pry open harder seeds unlike the finches with smaller beaks. Some field notes were taken from the Grants, and they told us that a finch was spotted struggling to open a seed. For this reason finches with longer beaks were able to get food more easily than finches with smaller beaks. In conclusion, some finches had a longer lifespan than other for the reason that they had longer beaks. On top of that they were able to survive the

There is only one way that the finches could have died in those numbers with the current circumstances, and that is starvation. This lack food was brought on by a terrible drought (see graph 1) that destroyed the plants that fed the Galapagos Finches. When the drought hit, most finches did not mate, and so stunted the growth of the population as well as kill many of their number.

On the Galápagos Islands off the coast near Ecuador we studied the behaviors of the animals, plants and environment on Daphne Major we found that the lack of rainfall during the wet season of 1977 caused most of the plants to produce less seeds and thus most of the medium ground finches died of starvation as their main food source had become scarce. Although the lack of seeds some finches were able to survive with their longer and bigger beaks. They were able to survive because their beaks were able to break open the harder and more plentiful Tribulus seeds that survived the dry season of 1977.

Darwin has listed different names for each bird, they are all variations of Finches, apparently descended from a common ancestor. However, each bird has a different length beak and many are differently shaped to allow them to more efficiently eat the available fodder. Coincidentally, Mr. Darwin failed to catalog specifically where each bird came from and had to ask the ship’s captain to supply this information along with his collection to Mr. Gould for identification and cataloging. An interesting part of the conversation between Mr. Darwin and the ship’s captain is the captain’s argument for the fixity of species, that each one was created by God exactly the way it was, and placed on each island, and that it is heresy to say that they came to be there any other way.

Medium ground finches are one of the 13 species of finches. These finches, the medium ground finches have large beaks. You can find these finches at Daphne Major, in the center of Galapagos island. Daphne Major is also located near South America in the South Pacific ocean.

The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner explores evolution through the most famous examples in history—the finches of the Galápagos Islands. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection and the process of evolution are applied directly to what scientists refer to as Darwin’s Finches. Weiner follows scientists Peter and Rosemary Grant as they study the finches in real time on the Galápagos. Years of previous work, study and data is collected and analyzed. Different species of animals are observed and explained throughout history. The Grants have one goal, and that is to find the origin of the species, how organisms first began. They find that it really is about the “survival of the

The Galapagos Islands consists of thirteen major islands and over a hundred smaller islands located along the Ecuadorian coast. The islands are home to a variety of unique species such as sea lions, sharks, rays, and 26 different species of native birds. Thirteen of these birds are Darwin’s finches. These finches are known to be the “world’s fastest-evolving vertebrates” due to their bodies quickly adapting to the rapidly changing environment (Robertson, N.D. , para.1). Their DNA chemical makeup causes these adaptations to occur. The finch’s most noticeable feature is their evolutionary adaptations, due to the briskly changing environments.

After watching the video on Finch evolution, and completing the gizmo, I have found many correlations between the finch population, and the climate of the Galapagos Islands. The Finches beak size was dependent on the climate, and natural selection. The population of the birds increased and decreased throughout the years because the extreme climate changes and the process of natural selection.

The purpose of this experiment is to test the hypothesis that small bird’s physical characteristics can greatly impact their species population growth over time. Using the Finch as a test subject for multiple trial runs on a simulated computer system we can alter the characteristics of the finch and run diagnostics for two completely different locations and set of experiments. This simultaneous testing and comparison will either prove or disprove the hypothesis that small bird’s physical characteristics can greatly impact their population growth. The base line for this comparison will be two islands

The poop of the Galapagos Penguin fertilizes the land allowing for the healthy growth of plants which are consumed by other animals that live on the islands. If the Galapagos Penguin became extinct, it could possibly cause the extermination of local plants such as the “Ulva” leading to the extinction of the animals which rely on them. These include the “Parrot Fish”, Sally Lightfoot Crabs, “Five-Spotted Anthia” as well as many more species of land and sea

To compare the impact of evolution on different organisms a study was conducted by: carefully examining the species of birds with each other. This was accomplished through using a sample population of 200 birds. Moreover, there were other factors that were taken into account (in order to ensure objectivity and accuracy). The below table is illustrating those factors that were considered to be the most important during this study. ("Evolution Lab," 2012)

(b.) The first hypothesis is supported by the observation that during the dry season, when food is scarce, giraffes with longer necks can feed high in trees.

In the reading the author claims that birds’ populations have been decreasing in the United States by providing three reasons, individually. However, finding all the ideas questionable and implausible, the lecturer totally repudiates the claim and presents some evidence to the contrary.

F. Divina, "Game Birds and Fowl." In Foods of the Americas, 224. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2004.

9. Precipitation plays an important role in the evolution of these finches. Low levels of precipitation results in plants that produce hard seeds. High levels of precipitation favor plants that produce smaller softer seeds. Medium levels of rain produce medium seeds. Click the New Expt button and then click the Change Inputs button. Click the Precipitation button. Notice the percentage distribution of hard seeds, medium seeds, and soft seeds as precipitation is changed. Finches with small beaks are better at utilizing soft seeds as a food source. Medium and hard seeds require larger beaks. Increase the annual precipitation on Darwin Island to 100.0 cm/year and Wallace Island to 10.0 cm/year. Now click on the Beak Size button and set the initial beak size on both islands to 20 mm. Click the Done button and Run Experiment button. Click the Beak Size tab and then the Population tab. Which of the following statements best describe what