FINCH EVIDENCE 1-9 Evidence 1: What is their island like? Evidence 2: General information about ground finches Evidence 3: Predators on the island before and during the drought Evidence 4: The seeds on the island before and during the drought Evidence 5: Differences in finches before and after the drought Evidence 6: Variation in finch beaks and how the beaks are used Evidence 7: Observation of birds fighting Evidence 8: Seeds from four plants before and during the drought Evidence 9: Weight of finches that survived and died during the first 6 months of the drought

Evidence 1 – What is their island like? Researchers studied ground finches on a small island called Daphne Major in the Galapagos Islands. The island is very rocky and very dry, with a small number of plants and animals living on it. There are no trees--only small plants that can live in a dry environment. The only animals on the island are insects, finches, and visiting hawks and owls (which live on other islands). You can walk around the whole island in an hour. The island has wet and dry seasons. It is warm (ranging from 73°F to 85°F) all year round. There is very little rain from June to November each year. The island gets a little rain most days from December to May, but the amount of rain is small. No people live on this island. The only people who visit it are scientists. HOME NEXT Click on the next button to see where the Galapagos Islands are located.

Evidence 1 – What is their island like? Galapagos Islands BACK Below you see two maps. The first map shows where the Galapagos Islands are. The second shows where Daphne Major is within the Galapagos Islands. NEXT

Evidence 1 – What is their island like? What important information did you learn from Evidence 1? (Each of you state what you have learned and why it is important before clicking “home”). HOMEBACK

Evidence 2 – General information about ground finches Below is a profile of Ground Finches: HOME Where they live: Galapagos Islands Food source: They eat a variety of seeds. Flight: They fly around Daphne Major but do not fly to other islands. Lifespan: They typically live for 2 years. Breeding: They typically lay 3 eggs per month. Some of their genetic traits: beak size, wing span, foot length, body color, beak color NEXT

Evidence 2 – General information about ground finches What important information did you learn from Evidence 2? (Each of you state what you have learned and why it is important before clicking “home”). HOMEBACK

Evidence 3 – Predators on the island before and during the drought A scientist took detailed field notes during a month-long summer visit to the island in 1975, before the drought. There are 2 predators that eat ground finches: hawks and short-eared owls. The scientist counted how many hawks and owls she could find. She repeated this in the summer of 1978, during the drought. This is what she reported: Predator Type Total number seen in 1975 Total number seen in 1978 Hawks 2223 Short- Eared Owls 1816 HOME NEXT

What do you conclude from the study in Evidence 3? (Each of you state your conclusion and why you came to that conclusion before clicking “home”). HOMEBACK Evidence 3 – Predators on the island before and during the drought

Evidence 4 – The seeds on the island before and during the drought Plant scientists studied seeds on the island before the drought (1976) and during the drought (1977 and 1978). Before the drought the finches mostly ate small, soft seeds. The first graph shows the abundance (amount of seeds available) of small, soft seeds before the drought and during the drought. HOME What has happened to the abundance of soft shell seeds because of the drought? NEXT

The second graph shows the average hardness of the seeds on the island before the drought (1976) and during the drought (1977 and 1978). A hardness of 1 is a very soft shell and a hardness of 12 is a very hard shell. BACK What has happened to the hardness of the shells because of the drought? Evidence 4 – The seeds on the island before and during the drought NEXT

What do you conclude from the study in Evidence 4? (Each of you state your conclusion and why you came to that conclusion before clicking “home”). HOMEBACK Evidence 4 – The seeds on the island before and during the drought

Evidence 5 – Differences in finches before and after the drought YEAR# FINCHESBEAK SIZE (Average) WING SPAN (Average) WEIGHT (Average) FOOT LENGTH (Average) mm68.2 mm15.0 g18.8 mm Scientists collected data on the beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length of ground finches before the drought (1975) and after the drought (1980). In 1975 the scientists caught 75 different ground finches. They tied a small tag to the legs of each of these finches. They measured each finch’s beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length. In 1980, the scientists repeated the research. This time they caught 59 ground finches. The scientists’ data is shown in the table below: HOME Do you think their beaks were larger or smaller on average in 1980? Discuss your answer, and then click “next” to find out. NEXT

YEAR# FINCHESBEAK SIZE (Average) WING SPAN (Average) WEIGHT (Average) FOOT LENGTH (Average) mm68.2 mm15.0 g18.8 mm mm Scientists collected data on the beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length of ground finches before the drought (1975) and after the drought (1980). In 1975 the scientists caught 75 different ground finches. They tied a small tag to the legs of each of these finches. They measured each finch’s beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length. In 1980, the scientists repeated the research. This time they caught 59 ground finches. The scientists' data is shown in the table below: Now, do you think their wing spans were larger or smaller on average in 1980? Discuss your answer, and then click “next” to find out. NEXT BACK Evidence 5 – Differences in finches before and after the drought

YEAR# FINCHESBEAK SIZE (Average) WING SPAN (Average) WEIGHT (Average) FOOT LENGTH (Average) mm68.2 mm15.0 g18.8 mm mm68.5 mm Scientists collected data on the beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length of ground finches before the drought (1975) and after the drought (1980). In 1975 the scientists caught 75 different ground finches. They tied a small tag to the legs of each of these finches. They measured each finch’s beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length. In 1980, the scientists repeated the research. This time they caught 59 ground finches. The scientists' data is shown in the table below: Now do you think their weight was higher or lower on average in 1980? Discuss your answer, and then click “next” to find out. NEXTBACK Evidence 5 – Differences in finches before and after the drought

YEAR# FINCHESBEAK SIZE (Average) WING SPAN (Average) WEIGHT (Average) FOOT LENGTH (Average) mm68.2 mm15.0 g18.8 mm mm68.5 mm12.5 g Scientists collected data on the beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length of ground finches before the drought (1975) and after the drought (1980). In 1975 the scientists caught 75 different ground finches. They tied a small tag to the legs of each of these finches. They measured each finch’s beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length. In 1980, the scientists repeated the research. This time they caught 59 ground finches. The scientists' data is shown in the table below: Now do you think their feet were longer or shorter on average in 1980? Discuss your answer, and then click “next” to find out. NEXTBACK Evidence 5 – Differences in finches before and after the drought

YEAR# FINCHESBEAK SIZE (Average) WING SPAN (Average) WEIGHT (Average) FOOT LENGTH (Average) mm68.2 mm15.0 g18.8 mm mm68.5 mm12.5 g18.7 mm Scientists collected data on the beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length of ground finches before the drought (1975) and after the drought (1980). In 1975 the scientists caught 75 different ground finches. They tied a small tag to the legs of each of these finches. They measured each finch’s beak size, wing span, weight, and foot length. In 1980, the scientists repeated the research. This time they caught 59 ground finches. The scientists' complete data chart is shown in the table below: BACK Evidence 5 – Differences in finches before and after the drought NEXT

What do you conclude from the study in Evidence 5? (Each of you state your conclusion and why you came to that conclusion before clicking “home”). HOMEBACK Evidence 5 – Differences in finches before and after the drought

Evidence 6 – Variation in finch beaks and how the beaks are used A university professor observed the ground finches on the island for 1 month in each of 4 years: 1976, 1978, 1980, She also took many photos of the finches she saw in each year. This drawing shows the range in beak sizes of the ground finches. She also observed that finches with small and blunt beaks could crack open only smaller, softer seeds. But finches with bigger, more pointy beaks could crack open both smaller, softer seeds and larger harder seeds. Home NEXT

What do you conclude from the observations in Evidence 6? (Each of you state your conclusion and why you came to that conclusion before clicking “home”). HOMEBACK Evidence 6 – Variation in finch beaks and how the beaks are used

Evidence 7 – Observation of birds fighting July 14 th, 1978 Dear Diary, Jacob and I are having an amazing experience visiting the Galapagos Islands. There are so many unique animals, unlike anything I have ever seen before. They don’t seem to be very afraid of people. Today, we were bird watching on Daphne Major, and we saw a small bird looking for food. I think it was a ground finch; at least it looked like the picture in my bird book. The bird found a seed and hopped over to it, but just after that, a bigger ground finch saw the seed and hopped to it too. The 2 birds fought over the seed. The fight only lasted a few seconds, and the bigger bird drove the smaller bird away. I felt sorry for the poor smaller bird, especially because there is a bad drought right now, and it seems to be hard to find food. Home NEXT

What do you conclude from the observation in Evidence 7? (Each of you state your conclusion and why you came to that conclusion before clicking “home”). HOMEBACK Evidence 7 – Observation of birds fighting

Evidence 8 – Seeds from four plants before and during the drought A research team surveyed the seeds found on the island before and during the drought. They collected all the seeds they could find from 4 plants that ground finches eat. They sampled 10 areas of the island to look for the seeds. Here are their results: Predict how many Cactus seeds there will be in Then, click “next” to find out. NEXT Type of Plant Type of Seed (size/hardness) Number of Seeds (before drought in 1975) Number of Seeds (during drought in 1978) Cactus Medium / Medium 300 ChamaeSmall / Soft135 PortulacaSmall / Soft500 TribulusLarge / Hard720 HOME

A research team surveyed the seeds found on the island before and during the drought. They collected all the seeds they could find from 4 plants that ground finches eat. They sampled 10 areas of the island to look for the seeds. Here are their results: Now, predict how many Chamae seeds there will be in Click “next” to find out. NEXT Type of Plant Type of Seed (size/hardness) Number of Seeds (before drought in 1975) Number of Seeds (during drought in 1978) Cactus Medium / Medium ChamaeSmall / Soft135 PortulacaSmall / Soft500 TribulusLarge / Hard720 BACK Evidence 8 – Seeds from four plants before and during the drought

A research team surveyed the seeds found on the island before and during the drought. They collected all the seeds they could find from 4 plants that ground finches eat. They sampled 10 areas of the island to look for the seeds. Here are their results: Now, predict how many Portulaca seeds there will be in Click “next” to find out. NEXT Type of Plant Type of Seed (size/hardness) Number of Seeds (before drought in 1975) Number of Seeds (during drought in 1978) Cactus Medium / Medium ChamaeSmall / Soft1350 PortulacaSmall / Soft500 TribulusLarge / Hard720 BACK Evidence 8 – Seeds from four plants before and during the drought

A research team surveyed the seeds found on the island before and during the drought. They collected all the seeds they could find from 4 plants that ground finches eat. They sampled 10 areas of the island to look for the seeds. Here are their results: Now, predict how many Tribulus seeds there will be in Click “next” to find out. NEXT Type of Plant Type of Seed (size/hardness) Number of Seeds (before drought in 1975) Number of Seeds (during drought in 1978) Cactus Medium / Medium ChamaeSmall / Soft1350 PortulacaSmall / Soft5000 TribulusLarge / Hard720 BACK Evidence 8 – Seeds from four plants before and during the drought

A research team surveyed the seeds found on the island before and during the drought. They collected all the seeds they could find from 4 plants that ground finches eat. They sampled 10 areas of the island to look for the seeds. Here are their results: Type of Plant Type of Seed (size/hardness) Number of Seeds (before drought in 1975) Number of Seeds (during drought in 1978) Cactus Medium / Medium ChamaeSmall / Soft1350 PortulacaSmall / Soft5000 TribulusLarge / Hard BACK Evidence 8 – Seeds from four plants before and during the drought NEXT

What do you conclude from the study in Evidence 8? (Each of you state your conclusion and why you came to that conclusion before clicking “home”). HOMEBACK Evidence 8 – Seeds from four plants before and during the drought

Evidence 9 – Weight of finches that survived and died during the first 6 months of the drought During the drought the research team on the Galapagos Islands collected birds that survived the drought and birds that did not survive (each finch was given a Finch ID number), and they weighed them. The first 6 months were the worst months of the drought. Below are 2 graphs that show the weights of each bird that survived the first 6 months of the drought and the weights of each bird that died during the first 6 months of the drought. Home Click on each graph to see the average weight, then click next for the conclusion question. Birds that survived the drought Birds that died during the drought NEXT

Evidence 9 – Weight of finches that survived and died during the first 6 months of the drought During the drought the research team on the Galapagos Islands collected birds that survived the drought and birds that did not survive (each finch was given a Finch ID number), and they weighed them. The first 6 months were the worst months of the drought. Below are 2 graphs that show the weights of each bird that survived the first 6 months of the drought and the weights of each bird that died during the first 6 months of the drought. Home Click on each graph to see the average weight, then click next for the conclusion question. Birds that survived the drought Birds that died during the drought NEXT 14.2 g

Evidence 9 – Weight of finches that survived and died during the first 6 months of the drought During the drought the research team on the Galapagos Islands collected birds that survived the drought and birds that did not survive (each finch was given a Finch ID number), and they weighed them. The first 6 months were the worst months of the drought. Below are 2 graphs that show the weights of each bird that survived the first 6 months of the drought and the weights of each bird that died during the first 6 months of the drought. Home Click on each graph to see the average weight, then click next for the conclusion question. Birds that survived the drought Birds that died during the drought NEXT 14.2 g13.5 g

What do you conclude from the study in Evidence 9? (Each of you state your conclusion and why you came to that conclusion before clicking “home”). HOMEBACK Evidence 9 – Weight of finches that survived and died during the first 6 months of the drought