1. Natural Selection The Beak of the Finch PowerPoint 97 To download: ShiftLeftClick Please respect copyright on this material

2. Sources of Information F The Beak of the Finch Jonathan Weiner Vintage Books – Very readable F Our Global Environment Anne Nadakavukaren Waveland Press

3. Key Points F Natural selection is operating NOW F Small variations in inherited capabilities can make a big difference F Environmental change can upset everything F Homo sapiens is a NEW species with still unknown limits to its influence

4. Equatorial Pacific Sea SurfaceTemperature F El Nino F Normal F La Nina Dec 97 Dec 90 Dec 88 F NOAA/PMEL

5. Charles Darwin F The Voyage of the Beagle 1831- 1836 F The Galapagos Islands 1835 F Origin of Species 1859

6. Cactus Finches F A new adaptation

7. Daphne Major

8. Darwin’s Finches Radiative Adaptation

9. Measuring a Beak

10. Key Points F Natural selection is operating NOW F Small variations in inherited capabilities can make a big difference F Environmental change can upset everything F Homo sapiens is a NEW species with still unknown limits to its influence

11. Variation within a species

12. Tough Seeds Caltrop

13. Key Points F Natural selection is operating NOW F Small variations in inherited capabilities can make a big difference F Environmental change can upset everything F Homo sapiens is a NEW species with still unknown limits to its influence

14. Equatorial Pacific Sea SurfaceTemperature F El Nino F Normal F La Nina Dec 97 Dec 90 Dec 88 F NOAA/PMEL

15. Associations of El Nino

16. Natural Selection in Action F Accurate measurements, 1973 - – Peter & Rosemary Grant + students F Beak shape critical to survival – Deep beak for tough seeds (drought) – Shallow beak for soft seeds (wet) F La Niña (1977, drought) favors deep beak – All softer seeds eaten, 80% mortality – Big males survive, offspring bigger beaks F El Niño (1983, flood) favors shallow beak – No big seeds, small birds with small beaks survive

17. Implications of Natural Selection F External forcing selects for change – rapid selection within variability – mutations and hybrids increase possibilities F Bacteria resistant to antibiotics F Pests resistant to insecticides F Control has unintended consequences

18. Key Points F Natural selection is operating NOW F Small variations in inherited capabilities can make a big difference F Environmental change can upset everything, even what we do not see F Homo sapiens is a NEW species with still unknown limits to its influence