Benkman's Experiment with Five Species of Birds of the Crossbill

question 69

Multiple Choice

Benkman's experiment with five species of birds of the crossbill species complex showed that each species' bill morphology had a positive correlation with its preferred pine cone, which also provided the highest survival rate of each bird type. What major conclusion did Benkman make in response to this evidence?

• A) The crossbills' differences are due to past geographical isolation.
• B) The crossbills are currently undergoing evolutionary divergence.
• C) The crossbills that prefer the most common type of cone will eventually outcompete the others.
• D) The crossbills are very flexible in the type of cone they can eat, leading to their success as a species.

---

Definitions:

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act

A set of laws enacted to establish the legal validity of electronic signatures and records in commercial transactions.

Mailbox Rule

A legal doctrine stating that an offer is considered accepted at the moment the acceptance is dispatched, not when it is received by the offeror.

Common Law

A legal system based on precedent and court decisions, rather than written laws and statutes.

Reasonable Amount

A quantity or level of something considered to be within sensible limits.