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Biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant have spent over 25 years studying the finches of the Galapagos Islands. They have been able to observe natural selection in a population of finches, something Darwin thought would not be possible in a person's lifetime.
To learn about their research, read "Natural Selection in Real Time."
Review Grants' Finch Study Data (pdf) to think about how this data supports the following postulates of natural selection:
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| • | Individuals within a population vary in their traits. |
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| • | Some of these variable traits are heritable -- passed on to offspring. |
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| • | More offspring are produced than can survive because of limited resources such as food and nesting sites. |
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| • | Individuals with advantageous traits will survive and reproduce. |
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Using this data, summarize the evidence that natural selection occurred among the finches on Daphne Major.
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