Using the rate of change that the Grants observed in the medium ground finch, and assuming a selection event only occurs once every century, how rapidly would you predict that a species of finch like the large ground finch could evolve?
A) It would take millions of years for only beak size to evolve.
B) The medium ground finch could evolve into the large ground finch in 20 years.
C) Natural selection could produce a new species of ground finch in a few thousand years.
D) Because selection generally pushes constantly in one direction, a new species of ground finch could evolve in a single century.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The rate of change observed in the medium ground finch suggests that natural selection can act relatively quickly and change traits within a few generations. Assuming a selection event occurs only once in a century, it is reasonable to predict that a species like the large ground finch could evolve in a few thousand years. However, it is important to note that the evolution of a new species is a complex process and depends on several other factors besides natural selection, such as genetic drift and gene flow.

Using the Rate of Change That the Grants Observed in the Medium