Land Of Plenty Analysis

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Analysis: Particular traits can be advantageous to an individual by allowing the species to survive and produce more offspring than those without the trait, though different environments, such as the drought and monsoon used in the lab, can alter how beneficial a trait is. In “Land of Plenty,” the small beaks were most successful at collecting seeds; in “Drought 1,” the large beaks were most successful; and in “Drought 2,” the small beaks thrived. The “Land of Plenty” environment provided a plethora of both small and large seeds. In total, each group collected an average of 60 small seeds, and an average of 29 large seeds. Land of Plenty was successful because there were appropriate amounts of food for both types of birds, and therefore, none of the finches …show more content…

Because the finches would need to gather more than the 80% limit of food to survive, the small finches died out in Drought 1. This is because they collected an average of only 1, and they needed at least 48 seeds to survive. Overall, the large beaks collected more seeds than the small beaks during Drought 1. During Drought 1, the large-beaked finches were at an advantage because their large beaks, simulated with snub-nosed pliers, were strong enough to easily crush the large seeds. Above that, the large seed fitted securely inside of the large beak, unlike the small beak, where the large seed was constantly slipping out when trying to crush it. Aside from the seed slipping out of the small beak’s grasp, it was also difficult for the small beaks, simulated with tweezers, to crush the large seeds simply because they were too weak. The last food condition (Drought 2) produced only small seeds. An average of 71 small seeds was collected by each group, and an average of 52 large seeds was also

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