Question

analyze and draw conclusions: what do you think caused the changes in the finch population and average beak size during the drought? be sure to explain your reasoning in complete sentences and utilize the vocabulary. vocabulary: adaptation, beak depth, directional selection, drought, evolution, natural selection, range, stabilizing selection

Explanation:

During a drought, food availability changes. Finches with deeper beaks (an adaptation) could access harder - to - reach food (like larger, tougher seeds). Natural selection favored these finches. Directional selection occurred as the environment (drought) selected for a particular trait (deeper beak depth). This led to a change in the finch population's average beak size over time, which is an example of evolution. The range of beak sizes might have shifted towards larger beak depths as those without the favorable trait (smaller beaks) had less access to food and lower survival and reproduction rates.

Answer:

The drought caused changes in the finch population and average beak size through natural selection. Deeper - beaked finches (an adaptation) had better access to food (due to the change in food availability during drought). Directional selection favored these finches. Over time, this led to an increase in the average beak depth in the population, which is a form of evolution. The range of beak sizes shifted as finches with smaller beaks (less adapted to the drought - induced food changes) had reduced survival and reproduction, while those with larger beaks thrived.