Title: Darwins Finches

Introduction: a) For this assignment, we were required to research Darwins finches and see
how he applied his findings to the theory of evolution. Charles Darwin found that, although all of
the birds were finches, they all had very different characteristics. For example, the highland birds
had larger, more pointed beaks and smaller feet and claws. Lowland birds, on the other hand, had
larger feet and claws, but smaller beaks. Highland birds are more likely to survive with larger
beaks and smaller feet, but the lowland birds would not survive if they were to have the same
characteristics. Similarly, the highland birds would not be able to survive the wet seasons if they
were to have smaller beaks and larger feet. The differences it traits also include the songs birds
use in order to find a mate. They want to find a mate with the same characteristics as them in
order to pass down the traits that will keep their species alive.
b) As a class, we simulated the idea of natural selection by comparing different beak
types using everyday objects such as tongs, hair clips, tweezers, etc. I hypothesized that the large
hair clips would be the least effective because of the way they are made. The teeth do not line
up and I thought that the seeds would simply fall through the clips.
Materials and Methods: a) For our experiment, we used chip clips, small hair clips, tongs, large
hair clips, binder clips, tweezers, clothes pins, and chop sticks as beaks and sunflower seeds as
food and little Dixxi cups as our stomachs.
b) Everyone in the class received a different beak. We were given one minute to see
how many seeds we could pick up with our beaks and put into our stomachs. We were not
allowed to use our hands, scoop the seeds into our cup, or pick up more than one seed at once. At
the end of every minute, we found out which three people had collected the fewest seeds and
which three people had collected the most seeds. Whoever had the fewest seeds was giving a

beak type that one of the people who had collected the most seeds had. For example, if
someone collected twenty seeds with chopsticks and someone else had collected seventy seeds
with tongs, they person with chopsticks would trade them in for tongs. At the end of this
simulation, we found out which beak type was the most predominant and which one was the
least.
Results: a)
Beak
Types

Beginning

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Chip Clips
Tongs
Lrg. Hair
Clips
Binder
Clips
Tweezers
Clothes
Pins
Chop
Sticks
Sm. Hair
Clips

16.66%
10%
16.66%

16.66%
16.66%
16.66%

16.66%
23.33%
16.66%

20%
20%
16.66%

16.66%
23.33%
16.66%

20%
20%
16.66%

10%

6.66%

6.66%

3.33%

3.33%

3.33%

16.66%
13.33%

20%
6.66%

20%
3.33%

20%
3.33%

20%
3.33%

20%
3.33%

16.66%

16.66%

10%

13.33%

13.33%

13.33%

3.33%

3.33%

3.33%

3.33%

b)

Chart Title
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Beginning

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

c) Based on the results, the tongs had the best results, while the clothes pins nearly went
extinct.
Conclusion: a) The results of the experiment disproved my hypothesis.

b) I predicted that the large hair clips would be the least successful, but they stayed the same.
The clothes pins were, in fact, the least successful.
c) Some possible outside factors that could have affected the results are coordination, how
people react under pressure when theyre being timed, or how serious people took this
experiment.
d) Others could evaluate the validity of the experiment by taking into consideration the
outside factors listed above and trying the experiment themselves.
Discussion: a) The scientific method starts with asking a question. You must then research that
question and make a hypothesis about the outcome. After you have made a hypothesis, you will
test that hypothesis and record your findings. Also document any possible errors in your
hypothesis and the experiment.
b) Other than science related fields, some other things that one would use the scientific
method for include: cooking, designing, and finance.
c) This activity utilized the scientific method because we were required to ask a question
(which beak type will be either the most successful or the least successful) and come up with a
hypothesis based on that question. We then had to test that hypothesis and document our results
in a data table.
d) The theory of evolution by natural selection is the idea that evolution occurs by adaption.
Species will adapt to their surrounding environment in order to survive. The underlying
assumptions that surround this idea include: natural biological variations, inheritance,
competition, and the belief that people and animals with favorable variations are more likely to
survive and therefore, leave more offspring.

e) This activity supported the theory of evolution by natural selection because after every
round, the people with the least successful beaks acquired the same beak type as those with the
most successful beak. This represented how the ones with more desirable characteristics leave
more offspring.
References
Sulloway, F., & Kliendorfer, S. (2013, September 1). Adaptive divergence in Darwin's small
ground finch ( Geospiza fuliginosa): Divergent selection along a cline. Retrieved February 1,
2015.
Podos, J., Dybboe, R., & Jensen, M. (2013, February 1). Ecological speciation in Darwin's
finches : Parsing the effects of magic traits. Retrieved February 1, 2015.