This picture shows different beak shapes of finches that all originated from a common finch ancestor. Beak shape determines food source. Which of the following statements best explains why many different finch species originated from the single ancestral species?

Question

beak

Individuals changed their beak size over their lifetime.

Recessive traits in populations were eliminated over time.

Different population adapted to different food sources

Random mutations occurred and caused individuals to have harmful traits

Answer 1

The statement that best explains why many different finch species originated from a single ancestral species is:

Different populations adapted to different food sources.

This is a key concept in evolutionary biology known as adaptive radiation, where species evolve different traits (in this case, beak shapes) to successfully exploit different ecological niches or food sources available in their environment.