#071
Natural Selection - The Finches of Daphne Island,
Galapagoes Islands
~ Bird Beaks ~
Page 150-151
Natural Selection - The Finches of Daphne Island,
Galapagoes Islands
~ Bird Beaks ~
Page 150-151
The Story of Daphne Island:
The Galapagos Islands are a cluster of active volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean. The island chain lies hundreds of miles from South America. Charles Darwin visited these islands on his travels and what he saw there influenced his thinking on natural selection. Each island in the cluster has its own population of finches. Two scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, thought it might be interesting to study the finches on these islands.
They and their students set up a research camp to study Darwin's finches. Daphne Major has a resident population know as medium ground finches. Their beaks are different from all the other finches. They have blunt beaks that are made for crushing small seeds. Some of the birds had bigger beaks and could eat the large, tough seeds found on the island. In 1977, a severe drought kept many of the plants from producing seeds, so the finches were dependent on the seeds left over from the previous year.
The Galapagos Islands are a cluster of active volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean. The island chain lies hundreds of miles from South America. Charles Darwin visited these islands on his travels and what he saw there influenced his thinking on natural selection. Each island in the cluster has its own population of finches. Two scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, thought it might be interesting to study the finches on these islands.
They and their students set up a research camp to study Darwin's finches. Daphne Major has a resident population know as medium ground finches. Their beaks are different from all the other finches. They have blunt beaks that are made for crushing small seeds. Some of the birds had bigger beaks and could eat the large, tough seeds found on the island. In 1977, a severe drought kept many of the plants from producing seeds, so the finches were dependent on the seeds left over from the previous year.
Instructions:
Follow the instructions in the slide show.
Follow the instructions in the slide show.