Populations in geographic isolation can evolve differences due to natural selection and genetic drift. For example, finches have been used to study the evolution of beak size on islands. Beak size in an important characteristic because it is tied to a bird's ability to forage on seeds. In this lab you will sample finches from five islands and compare the mean sizes of their beaks.
Click on each of the islands to randomly sample a finch from that island. Click the "Measure Beak" button to measure the depth of its beak. Click the "Add to Table" button to record the data values. A green check will appear when you have sufficient data from the island. Use these data for your lab assigment.
Beak Depths of Finches (mm) | ||||
La Palma | La Gomera | El Hierro | Tenerife | Gran Canaria |