Question

Darwin studied actual birds on the Galapagos Islands instead of using a simulation, as you did in this lab. Studying natural selection in the field can be challenging. List at least three possible challenges Darwin might have faced.

Answer 1

Answer:

Traits other than beak type might affect natural selection.

It could take many generations to observe adaptations to a population.

The environment may be complex and hard to study.

Changes in the environment may occur faster or slower than changes to the birds

The birds may be interdependent with other organisms that may change, too.

Answer 2

1. The process of natural selection/evolution takes millions of years for it to be perceptible to the human hence cannot be proven in real life in the field.

2. It is dangerous to study natural selection in the field than it is in a simulation. This is because, during the study of natural selection in the filed, one is subjected to bug bites, extreme terrain and climate, and etcetera that exposes one to disease and injury.

3. Studying natural selection in the filed is expensive over the use of simulation. Darwin had to travel great distances on the exclusive Beagle voyage to reach the Galapagos islands.