Question

During the rainy season, and just as the dry season starts, food is abundant for all finches. However, as the dry season wears on, the seeds they eat become harder to find and competition becomes an important factor in survival. When a serious drought lasting 2.5 years hit Daphne, the only finches that survived were the ones that could find enough food; seeds that they could not split open did not contribute to survival. Heavy mortality in a population means there is strong selection for heritable traits that help individuals survive and reproduce. For example, G. magnirostris eat large seeds, and G. magnirostris can outcompete all other finches. The Big Birds and G. fortis fight over smaller seeds and water holes, but the Big Birds are dominant to G. fortis because they are almost twice the size of G. fortis. Given what you know about G. fortis, G. magnirostris, and the Big Bird lineage, what do you predict will happen as the drought continues?

Answer 1

Answer:

The population of G. fortis will face a significant reduction or will be eliminated in the long run, while, in presence of large and small seeds, natural selection will favor G. magnirostris and Big Birds. Therefore, they will be more likely to survive.

Explanation:

One of the most important aspects of Natural Selection, proposed by Charles Darwin, states that particular variations in an individual will provide an advantage for their survival.

In this case, as a result of a prolonged drought, some species of birds will face challenges in regard to finding food and, therefore, survival.

Individuals of the species G. magnirostris possess two great advantages:

1. They eat large seeds; which means there is no competition as the other species have a preference for small seeds.
2. They can outcompete all other finches.

On the other hand, there is a competition and a struggle for survival between two groups: the individuals belonging to the species G. fortis and the Big Birds. However, Big Birds possess one strong advantage: they are bigger, stronger birds that can easily outcompete G. fortis individuals.

Therefore, G. fortis birds would be eliminated from the population due to their smaller size and food preference, not to mention the high competition they face; while G. magnirostris and Big Birds will be 'selected' and favored by natural selection resulting in their survival in Daphne.