Adaptive radiation

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/adaptive-radiation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the related topics?Speciation, natural selection, ecological opportunity, island biogeography, evolutionary history
2. Why do animals become many different kinds in places like islands?New places give animals new food and jobs, and if there are no other animals to compete, the original animal can create many new kinds that fit those jobs.
3. How did Darwin's finches become so many species?The single finch that came to the Galápagos changed its beak shape to eat different foods, and over time each group of birds lived on different islands and became its own species.

Ecological Niche: The functional role and position of a species within its ecosystem, encompassing its resource use and interactions.
Allopatric Speciation: The formation of new species through geographic isolation of populations, preventing gene flow.
Disruptive Selection: A mode of natural selection in which extreme values for a trait are favored over intermediate values.