Question

directions: read each scenario below and decide which mechanism of evolution is described. (use the terms in the bank below.) each term may be used one or more times. word bank coevolution gene flow genetic drift natural selection scenario: mechanism of evolution: species of finches on each of the galapagos islands have different shaped beaks depending on the type of food available on that island. wolves hunt caribou, chasing them down to capture them. the slower caribou become lunch or dinner, leaving the faster individuals to reproduce. the faster offspring will be even more difficult for the wolves to catch, and only the fastest wolves will get enough food to survive. natural selection the australian wildfires caused the death of over 50% of the koalas reducing the genetic diversity of the island. as a result, some variations within species of koala have been lost. a man - made canal connects to lakes that had had previously been separated from one another. allows two populations of fish to start reproducing and introduced new genes into the populations. after hurricane idalia a flock of caribbean flamingos were blow off course and they ended up on the west coast of florida. these flamingos have a very small population (less than 100) by random chance most of the remaining population have a recessive trait causing a darker beak. a random mutation in a population of starfish causes a new color to be introduced to the species. coevolution a species of hummingbird eats nectar from a trump - shaped flower. only hummingbirds with long beaks can reach the nectar and get enough food to survive. only trump - flowers that are fed upon become pollinated and reproduce causing flowers that are too long to have no offspring. resulting in the hummingbird beaks and trump - flowery having the same length.

Explanation:

1. Finch beaks: Beak shapes adapt to local food sources, with traits suited to survival/reproduction passed on.
2. Koala wildfires: A random disaster reduces population size and genetic diversity, a bottleneck effect (type of genetic drift).
3. Fish canal: Two separated populations interbreed, exchanging genes between groups.
4. Flamingo hurricane: A small, randomly selected group establishes a new population with skewed trait frequencies, a founder effect (type of genetic drift).
5. Starfish mutation: The scenario describes a random mutation introducing new variation, but none of the listed mechanisms match perfectly; the closest fit for evolutionary change from random events is Genetic Drift (note: the original handwritten answer is incorrect).
6. Hummingbird and flower: Two species evolve in response to each other's traits, driving reciprocal adaptation.

Answer:

1. Natural Selection
2. Natural Selection (already correctly filled)
3. Genetic Drift
4. Gene Flow
5. Genetic Drift
6. Genetic Drift (corrected from the handwritten answer)
7. Coevolution