Who studied changes in finches on the Galapagos Islands? Group of answer choices
Darwin
Koch
Linnaeus
Wallace
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: Darwin
Explanation (300 words):
Charles Darwin is the scientist who studied changes in finches on the Galápagos Islands, an observation that became a cornerstone in the development of his theory of natural selection. During his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, Darwin visited the Galápagos Islands, where he observed many unique species. One of the most significant discoveries was the variety of finch species that lived on different islands within the archipelago.
Although Darwin did not initially recognize the importance of these finches, he later studied their beak shapes and feeding habits. He noticed that the finches had beaks of different shapes and sizes, each adapted to specific types of food available on their respective islands—such as seeds, insects, or cactus fruit. This led him to the idea that species are not fixed and can change over time in response to their environment.
These observations became crucial evidence for Darwin’s groundbreaking work, On the Origin of Species (published in 1859), which introduced the theory of evolution by natural selection. According to this theory, individuals with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits to future generations. Over time, this process can lead to the formation of new species.
The other scientists mentioned—Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (not listed here but related to taxonomy), Carolus Linnaeus (who developed the system of binomial nomenclature), Alfred Russel Wallace (who independently conceived a theory of natural selection similar to Darwin’s), and David and Peter Grant (modern researchers who extensively studied finches post-Darwin)—made important contributions to biology, but it was Charles Darwin who first studied finches on the Galápagos in a way that led to the modern understanding of evolution.
Thus, Darwin is the correct and historically significant answer.