Why did natural selection act on the medium ground finch on Daphne Major?
A) Birds with medium beak sizes experienced higher mortality.
B) A drought changed the environment where the finches lived.
C) Offspring of finches with small beaks did not survive the juvenile period.
D) The population reached equilibrium.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A drought changed the environment on Daphne Major, leading to a decrease in the availability of small, soft-shelled seeds that the smaller-beaked finches traditionally fed upon. This caused the medium and large-beaked finches to have a selective advantage, as they were better able to crack the tougher seeds that were now more abundant. As a result, natural selection acted on the medium ground finch (and other finch species on the island) to favor those with larger beaks.

Why Did Natural Selection Act on the Medium Ground Finch