Part 1 1. How did the Galapagos Islands come into existence?

-> The Galapagos Islands were a chain of Islands, and now today some of them are submerged under water. They were formed from a hot spot at the bottom of the ocean which occasionally bubbled up magma. 2. Were plate tectonics involved? -> Plate tectonics were involved and caused the volcanic eruption. 3. How old are the Galapagos Islands? -> The Galapagos Islands are 5 million years. 4. What kinds of animals and plants are endemic to the islands? -> The kinds of animals and plants are endemic to the islands are tortoise, marine iguanas, whitetipped sharks, Galapagos penguin, and prickly pear cactus. 5. How do species become endemic? -> A species becomes endemic when it has evolved in such a manner that it can only survive in a specific region or place. 6. Where did the original colonists come from and how did they get to the Galapagos? -> The original colonists came from Europeans and got there by sailing. 7. What kind of special adaptations do the animals and plants have? How do adaptations evolve? -> The finches were adapted to eat different seeds. These adaptations evolved from the natural selection. 8. How did these islands figure into Darwins ideas on evolution? -> They provided him with data suggesting that the animals there, mainly finches and tortoises, adapted to their environments on the several islands each from a single common pair of ancestors.

Part 2 1. What is DNA fingerprinting and how is it done? -> DNA fingerprinting is a method to find specific individual. DNA fingerprinting is done by taking a sample of a persons cells; this can be done through blood, skin and even hair. 2. How can we measure evolution? -> We can measure evolution by measuring how the seeds of plants vary in their hardness. 3. What is the difference between natural selection and evolution? -> Natural selection: The process involves some individuals in a population surviving, and others not. Evolution: simply means change occurring over time, especially a gradual change. 4. What is genetic drift and how could it be involved in evolution? -> Genetic drift is the change in the frequency of a gene. This can be involved in evolution because if the frequency is high, then that organism has a higher chance to evolve with that gene. 5. What is resource partitioning and character displacement? -> Resource portioning is when two species share a resource they both need. Character displacement is when organisms evolve to minimize competition while increasing its chances of survival. 6. What is sexual selection? -> Natural selection arising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex. 7. How might one test if beak size is due to genetic or environmental factors? -> Beak size, as an obvious physiological feature, is therefore a genetic factor, passed on by the bird's genes to its offspring.

8. If hybridization occurs during good times, what does this suggest about the degree of genetic differences between species? -> The hybridization would indicate that there is not a large genetic difference between the species. 9. What are reproductive isolating mechanisms and how do they evolve? -> Reproductive isolating mechanisms are the reproductive characteristics which prevent species from fusing. These characteristics change according to how much food and such is available to a species. 10. Must populations of finches be separated in order to evolve into different species? -> No, finches don't need to be separated because they can create a hybrid species. 11. What causes an El Nio? -> El Nio is caused by, simply, the wind. El Nio happens when the wind blows with strength from the east to the west along the Pacific Ocean.

Part 3 1. Should Kate have chosen to work on a different species other than the Tortoises that are being threatened? Her thesis work might be destroyed by the politics of the islands. -> Kate should have stayed with the tortoises that are being threatened. 2. Should Kate get involved in the politics the islands, the way Dian Fossey did in trying to save the Mountain gorilla? -> Kate should get involved in the politics the islands. 3. Should fishing, tourism, or inhabitants be allowed in the islands? -> Fishing, tourism, or inhabitants should not be allowed in the islands.

4. How should the Ecuadorian government deal with the conflicts over the islands? -> Limit amount of fish caught and fishing season. 5. Extinction is a natural phenomenon. Why should we worry about whether a few species on some remote islands in the pacific survive or not? -> We should worry about whether a few species on some remote islands in the pacific survive or not because they demonstrate important scientific ideas, they unique to these islands. If they were all go to extinct on those remote islands, then the islands are just like other islands in the world.