Using the Rate of Change That the Grants Observed in the Medium

question 42

Multiple Choice

Using the rate of change that the Grants observed in the medium ground finch, and assuming a selection event only occurs once every century, how rapidly would you predict that a species of finch like the large ground finch could evolve?

• A) It would take millions of years for only beak size to evolve.
• B) The medium ground finch could evolve into the large ground finch in 20 years.
• C) Natural selection could produce a new species of ground finch in a few thousand years.
• D) Because selection generally pushes constantly in one direction, a new species of ground finch could evolve in a single century.

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Definitions:

Gamete

Mature, haploid reproductive cell; e.g., a sperm.

Ovary

In flowering plants, the enlarged base of a carpel, inside which one or more ovules form and eggs are fertilized. In animals, the egg-producing gonad.

Old Age

A phase in the life cycle of an organism that is characterized by a decline in physiological function and an increased likelihood of mortality.