A study of Galapagos finches after a long period of drought found that all species of finch on one of the islands had wide beaks well adapted to breaking open seeds.The type of evolution that leads to this phenotype distribution is _______ selection.

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Directional selection occurs when a particular phenotype is favored over other phenotypes, causing a shift in the distribution of phenotypes in a population. In this case, the wide beaks of the finches were favored during the drought because they were better able to break open seeds, leading to an increase in the frequency of this trait in the population.

A Study of Galapagos Finches After a Long Period of Drought