Posted on 07/13/2006 1:21:13 PM PDT by presidio9
Finches on the Galapagos Islands that inspired Charles Darwin to develop the concept of evolution are now helping confirm it — by evolving.
A medium sized species of Darwin's finch has evolved a smaller beak to take advantage of different seeds just two decades after the arrival of a larger rival for its original food source.
The altered beak size shows that species competing for food can undergo evolutionary change, said Peter Grant of Princeton University, lead author of the report appearing in Friday's issue of the journal Science.
Grant has been studying Darwin's finches for decades and previously recorded changes responding to a drought that altered what foods were available.
It's rare for scientists to be able to document changes in the appearance of an animal in response to competition. More often it is seen when something moves into a new habitat or the climate changes and it has to find new food or resources, explained Robert C. Fleischer, a geneticist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and National Zoo.
This was certainly a documented case of microevolution, added Fleischer, who was not part of Grant's research.
Grant studied the finches on the Galapagos island Daphne, where the medium ground finch, Geospiza fortis, faced no competition for food, eating both small and large seeds.
In 1982 a breeding population of large ground finches, Geospiza magnirostris, arrived on the island and began competing for the large seeds of the Tribulus plants. G. magnirostris was able to break open and eat these seeds three times faster than G. fortis, depleting the supply of these seeds.
In 2003 and 2004 little rain fell, further reducing the food supply. The result was high mortality among G. fortis with larger beaks, leaving a breeding population of small-beaked G. fortis that could eat the seeds from smaller plants and didn't have to compete with the larger G. magnirostris for large seeds.
That's a form of evolution known as character displacement, where natural selection produces an evolutionary change in the next generation, Grant explained in a recorded statement made available by Science.
I wrote lots of stuff that way, back in my Apple ][ days. Trivial stuff. It's sloppy programming, but it always worked. Maybe I was just lucky.
Actually, in the first draft of what I just posted, I had the GOTO line repeated after each RETURN, but I "tightened it up" in order to make the whole thing shorter so it wouldn't be a monster post. Not recommended.
Of course I did. How else would I be able to say it was garbage?
You see that arrow on the top of your screen that says "Back". Use that.
Well ... there you are then.
"Hail Father Zeus!"
A species is a group of interbreeding organisms that are reproductively isolated from other such groups. Stating that I do not posess "a clue" as to the meaning of species does not actually demonstrate that I lack such knowledge.<<
Like the answer, but it is not the only definition of species biologists use.
And we KNOW that you cannot isolate interbreeding organisms in the wild.
It also does not work for organisms that don't interbreed...
Please explain what you mean by this statement. Evolution has led to predictions of specific findings in both the fossil record and DNA sequencing that have since been observed as true.<<
Things are not observed to be true, they can be consistant with a theory but not observed to be true. Sloppy thinking.
Every one of the findings I mentioned overshadows ANY findings of ToEs. It is still a thought experiment.
DK
In the beginning, Old Man Coyote stood alone with water surrounding him. Two ducks swam by, and Coyote asked if they had seen anyone else. The ducks said no but thought that something might exist under the water.Coyote asked if they would travel underwater for him and report on what they saw. The ducks did as they were asked, finding nothing. He asked again, and the ducks returned with a root. On the third try, they found mud and Coyote was happy. He told the ducks that they could build with it, and he began to shape and mold the mud into an island. He blew on it, and it expanded. He blew again, and it grew into the earth. The ducks said they did not like the earth's emptiness, so Coyote created grass and trees out of the roots that came from the water.
Coyote and the ducks loved the earth, but it was flat. They wanted rivers, valleys, mountains, and lakes. So it was done. Soon Coyote and the ducks made a perfect earth, but they grew lonely, with only the three of them to sit and enjoy the land. So Coyote molded dirt to form men and then more mud to create many types of male ducks. Soon, they realized that without women, the males could not have children. So with more dirt he made women and female ducks to populate the earth.
One day Old Man Coyote traveled upon the land and was surprised to find another Coyote. When asked where he came from, the younger brother, named Shirape, said he was unsure of his origin and only knew he existed. As the two traveled along, Shirape wanted Old Man Coyote to make other animals, for only ducks, humans, and the two Coyotes had been created. The elder Coyote agreed, and as he spoke the new animals' names, they were created. He said "Elk" and an elk appeared. He said "Bear" and a bear appeared. This is how it was until all animals were created.
What a great fairy tale writer you are. It's probably good therapy to write and express a need to feel powerful. Good for you!
There you go assuming. Come to think of it that is what evo scientists do.
that's funny...some scientists and the regular media are really stretching to try and prove a false theory. It's sad that the kids are the target in public schools. Not alot of academic freedom when it comes to evolution theory.
I'm viewing a series of videos about Joseph Campbell. Its a good series on why we have common mythos. Instead of inanely and blindly posting that coyote stuff, which you are being disrepectful to by the way. He and Loki will tag team you when you're not looking...LOL
Susan Sarandon does the narration so I "Know" You'll love it.
Have fun with it!!! I did.
DK
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