Question

Given that our model finch population is capable of rapid evolution in response to a changing environment, explain why you think it, nonetheless, sometimes goes extinct. (if you need a hint, you might look back to exercise 1, which discusses the genetics behind finch beak size.)

Answer 1

Darwin's finches are a traditional illustration of an adaptive radiation. Their ancestor came on the Galapagos Island about two million years ago. With time Darwin's finches have developed into fifteen different species separated on the basis of beak shape, body size, and feeding and song behavior.  

The population of finches possesses the tendency of evolving rapidly in response to a changing environment. However, they can also get extinct in condition if the weather fluctuates too briskly between the dry and wet seasons. This would most likely take place due to the immigration of genes and mutations within the genes that are conducted on to the next generations.