A 14th Species That Descended from the Original Ancestral Finch

question 37

Multiple Choice

A 14th species that descended from the original ancestral finch, the Cocos Island finch, is endemic to its namesake island, located 550 km off Costa Rica. The Cocos Island finch is genetically much more similar to the tree finches than is the vegetarian finch, yet it is classified in its own genus Pinarolaxias. Moreover, the Cocos Island finch and the vegetarian finch are the two finch species that are most genetically different from the ancestral Galápagos finch. Thus, if classification is to reflect evolutionary relationships, the vegetarian finch should

• A) remain in the genus Camarhynchus.
• B) be switched from Camarhynchus to Certhidea.
• C) be switched from Camarhynchus to Pinarolaxias.
• D) be switched from Camarhynchus to Geospiza.
• E) be placed in its own genus.

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Definitions:

Normal Model

A probability distribution that is symmetric about its mean, showing that data near the mean are more frequent in occurrence than data far from the mean.

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Normal Model

A statistical model that describes how data points are dispersed or distributed in a pattern that resembles a bell curve, implying a symmetrical dataset.

Unusually High

A term indicating that a value or quantity is significantly greater than what is typically expected or observed.