Question

Starting at what year did Peter and Rosemary Grant begin their study of the finches of the Galapogos? How does their work support the Theory of Evolution? (50 words minimum)

Answer 1

Peter and Rosemary Grant are distinguished for their remarkable long-term studies demonstrating evolution in action in Galápagos finches. They are known for their work with Darwin's finches on Daphne Major, one of the Galápagos Islands. They have demonstrated how very rapid changes in body and beak size in response to changes in the food supply are driven by natural selection.

Since 1973, the Grants have spent six months of every year capturing, tagging, and taking blood samples from finches on the island. They have worked to show that natural selection can be seen within a single lifetime, or even within a couple of years. Charles Darwin originally thought that natural selection was a long, drawn out process. The Grants have shown that these changes in populations can happen very quickly.

Regarding evolution, the Grants' 40-year study can be broken down into three major lessons. The first is that natural selection is a variable, constantly changing process. The fact that they studied the island in both times of excessive rain and drought provides a better picture of what happens to populations over time. The next lesson learned is that evolution can actually be a fairly rapid process. It does not take millions of years; these processes can be seen in as little as two years. Lastlymost importantly, selection can change over time. During some years, selection will favour those birds with larger beaks. Other years with substantial amounts of smaller seeds, selection will favour the birds with the smaller beaks.