Photo AI
The Galapagos are a group of islands 600 to 800 miles off the coast of South America - Scottish Highers Biology - Question 5 - 2019
Question 5
The Galapagos are a group of islands 600 to 800 miles off the coast of South America. Less than three million years ago some finches of a single ancestral species re... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The Galapagos are a group of islands 600 to 800 miles off the coast of South America - Scottish Highers Biology - Question 5 - 2019
Step 1
Use this information to name the type of isolation barrier involved in the speciation of these finches and explain its role.
Answer
Name: Geographical isolation
Explanation: Geographical isolation prevents gene flow between populations or groups of finches, allowing them to evolve separately as they adapt to different environments on the islands.
Step 2
Calculate the average increase in the number of finch species per million years over this entire period.
Answer
To calculate the average increase, we use the data from the table:
- Initial finch species (2-8 million years ago): 0
- Final finch species (0-0 million years ago): 14
- Time span: 8 million years
Average increase per million years = ( \frac{14 - 0}{8} = \frac{14}{8} = 1.75 ) finch species per million years.
Step 3
Suggest what could have caused the change in the number of finch species over the last 0.5 million years.
Answer
The change in the number of finch species over the last 0.5 million years could have been caused by factors such as ecological isolation or adaptation to new habitats or resources, leading to the emergence of new species.
Step 4