Question

Are Darwin's finches an example of adaptive radiation?

Answer 1

Adaptive radiation

1. Adaptive radiation can be defined as the rapid evolutionary diversification from a single ancestor.
2. It occurs when members of a single species occupy different habitats with diverse environmental conditions.
3. This is characterized by the presence of a common ancestor and multiple species based on their morphological and ecological diversity.

Darwin's finches

1. English naturalist Darwin collected various animal specimens. Among them, the best-known are the finches that he collected from the Galápagos Islands.
2. Darwin observed that each finch species has a diverse array of beak sizes and shapes which has adapted to a specific type of food source.
3. Darwin's finches are an example of adaptive radiation. On each island, the birds slowly adapted to local conditions over a long period of time, and this led to the formation of one or more finch species found on each island.