​​​​​​Charles Darwin observed that the finches on each of the Galapagos Islands were slightly different from each other, but they also resembled finches on the mainland of South America. These finches came to be known as “Darwin’s Finches”. Observe the picture below of Galapagos Finches. What is an explanation for why each island had its own species of finch that was different from the finches on the mainland?

Question

(1 point)
Responses

Each island had a specific food source the finches had to adapt to; hence the different shaped beaks.
Each island had a specific food source the finches had to adapt to; hence the different shaped beaks.

The finches had a small gene pool, therefore they had to move to the islands to expand it.
The finches had a small gene pool, therefore they had to move to the islands to expand it.

Each island had a different weather pattern that the finches had to adapt to.
Each island had a different weather pattern that the finches had to adapt to.

The finches had many different predators to avoid on the islands, and they developed different defense mechanisms.

Answer 1

The best explanation for why each island had its own species of finch that was different from the finches on the mainland is:

Each island had a specific food source the finches had to adapt to; hence the different shaped beaks.

This option highlights the concept of adaptive radiation, where species evolve different adaptations based on the specific environmental conditions and available resources on each island, leading to variations in traits such as beak shape that correspond to different feeding strategies.