Darwin's Finches
Darwin's Finches
Darwin's Finches
Anth 1020
ePortfolio Assignment
02/06/2015
Title
Beak
Types
Tongs
Chip Clips
Lg. Hair
Clips
Binder
Clips
Tweezers
Clothes
Pins
Chopsticks
Sm. Hair
Clips
Beginni Roun
Round Roun
Round Round
ng
d1
2
d3
4
5
3
5
7
6
7
6
5
5
5
6
5
6
5
3
5
2
6
2
6
1
6
1
6
1
6
4
5
4
5
2
3
1
4
1
4
1
4
seeds that lost their own type of utensil. This simulated the passing on of favorable
genes from one successful generation to another. Also at the end of each round,
frequency of beak types was documented, to maintain accuracy of recorded data.
At the end of round two, a new beak type was introduced into the population. It was
small hair clips. This was given to one of the three students with the least amount
of seeds to simulate random mutation.
Results
The data shows the different utensils that were used. It shows how many
there were of each to start with and how many there were at the end of each round.
This way you can see which ones were the most successful utensils or beaks within
the population, and which ones that could potentially become the most prevalent
kind within the society. The small hair clips started out at zero because at the end
of round two they were introduced as a random mutation to demonstrate that not
all traits come directly from reproducing within a population.
4
3
2
1
0
Round
Conclusion
I found that my hypothesis was incorrect. The chip clips were not the most
successful utensil for feeding the finches. They began at five and ended at six. The
tweezers also started with five and ended with six. While both of these results were
fairly successful, the tongs were found to be the most successful at increasing
frequency. They began with only three utensils and reached seven during one of
the rounds. All other beak types either stayed the same or decreased in number.
There are some errors that could be associated with this experiment. The
utensils for each beak type could have been counted and distributed incorrectly, or
counting the seeds within the cups incorrectly. There are also more variables like
the students skill with particular utensils such as chop sticks. Students were also
given the ability to gain practice with their utensils as the experiment and the
rounds progressed. Some students could possibly experience fatigue in their hands
as a result of pressing too hard to open chip clips for example. Or students lack of
enthusiasm for the experiment due to illness or another factor, which would
possibly lead to laziness while collecting seeds.
become less prevalent in a population over time. Geographical isolation can also
contribute to this, because the separated populations begin to adapt to different
environments, with the possibility of eventually becoming a distinct species
(Jurmain/Kilgore/Trevathan, 20).
This activity supported the theory of evolution through natural selection
because the utensils that were least fit to feed a bird were not allowed to pass their
beaks on to their offspring, because these students lost their utensils. The students
with the utensils that gathered the most seeds bore offspring, because they gave
utensils just like theirs to the students who lost their beaks. The utensils that were
better suited for supporting a well-nourished individual were allowed to live, mate,
and increase their kind in the population. Utensils which were less fit for gathering
seeds decreased in population and led to the population evolving and adapting to
the more desirable trait.
References
1. Baptista, Luis F. Trail, Pepper W. On the Origin of Darwins Finches. The Auk.
Vol. 105, no. 4 (Oct., 1988). pp. 663-671
2. Abzhanov, Arhat. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences. Vol. 365, No.
1543. Darwins Galapagos Finches in Modern Evolutionary Biology. 12 April
2010. Pp. 1001-1007.
3. Jurmain. Kilgore. Trevathan. Human Origins: Evolution and Diversity. Cengage
Learning. 2013. United States. Pp. 20-21