d) Individuals of a bird species feed on two different types of seeds. One type is a smaller seed that is easier to collect with a small beak, whereas the other type is larger and difficult to crack open and eat without a larger beak. Beak size is a heritable trait that varies among individuals. Over many generations, the environment includes only small and large seeds, but each is available in a limited supply. How will selection affect the evolution of beak size in these birds?
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Sri K.
In seed-eating finches in the Galapagos Islands, birds with large beaks are adapted to eat seeds with hard shells, while birds with small beaks are adapted to eat seeds with soft shells. If all the seeds in the Galapagos Islands were to develop softer shells as a result of long-term changes in the Earth's climate, which of the following would be the MOST likely effect on the seed-eating finches? A. Birds with large beaks would develop even larger beaks, while birds with small beaks would develop even smaller beaks over many generations. B. Average beak size in the finches will decrease over many generations. C. Birds with large beaks would develop smaller beaks, while birds with small beaks would develop larger beaks over many generations. D. No selection would operate because the finch populations on the Galapagos Islands meet all the criteria for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
Jennifer H.
The beak size in a species of bird is influenced by a gene for which only two alleles exist. The allele that results in a large beak is dominant to the allele that results in a smaller beak. If introduction of a new food source causes the birds with smaller beaks to be better fit to survive, which of the following will most likely happen? The allele for small beaks will become dominant to the allele for large beaks. The bird population will decrease as the recessive allele becomes more common. The birds with large beaks will die out as a result of lack of food. The frequency of the allele that results in small beaks will increase.
Anand J.
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