Part I

1. How did the Galapagos Islands come into existence? The Galapagos were a chain of islands. Some of them are submerged under water. They formed from a hot spot at the bottom of the ocean. 2. Were plate tectonics involved? Yes 3. How old are the Galapagos Islands? Less than five million years ago. 4. What kinds of animals and plants are endemic to the islands? The marine iguana, sea lions, stingrays, white-tipped sharks, sea turtles, finches, and the Galapagos penguin are animals that are endemic to the islands. Pricklypear cactus is a type of plant that is endemic to the island. 5. How do species become endemic? Species become endemic when it has evolved in a manner that it can only survive in a specific location. 6. Where did the original colonists come from and how did they get to the Galapagos? The original colonist came from Europe. They got to the Galapagos by sailing there on a boat. 7. What kind of special adaptations do the animals and plants have? How do adaptations evolve? The finches had to evolve to be able to eat different types of food. The adaptations evolve by natural selection. 8. How did these islands figure into Darwins ideas on evolution? The islands figure into Darwins ideas on evolution by his thought of each island having different environmental conditions, which leads to different adaptations on each island.

Part II
1. What is DNA fingerprinting and how is it done? DNA fingerprinting is the analysis of DNA from samples of body tissues or fluids, which identify individuals. 2. How can we measure evolution? By measuring how the seeds of the different plant species vary in their hardness, evolution can be measured. 3. What is the difference between natural selection and evolution? The difference between natural selection and evolution is that in evolution, organisms change in an adaptation over time, while in natural selection, the organisms have to go through a process and see which is the best adapted to live. 4. What is genetic drift and how could it be involved in evolution? The genetic drift is the change in frequency of a gene. It could be involved in evolution because if the frequency is high, then that organism has a higher chance to evolve with that gene. 5. What is resource partitioning and character displacement? Resource partitioning is when two species share a resource that is required by both. Character displacement is when organisms evolve to minimize competition while increasing its chances of survival. 6. What is sexual selection? Sexual selection is the process when one species reproduces more than another species because they are more successful at copulating with a mate. 7. How might one test if beak size is due to genetic or environmental factors? To test if the beak size is due to genetic or environmental factors, one could change the size of the seeds, then measure the difference between the beak that was before and after the change in seeds. 8. If hybridization occurs during good times, what does this suggest about the degree of genetic differences between species? This suggest that there is no genetic differences between the species.

9. What are reproductive isolating mechanisms and how do they evolve? The reproductive isolating mechanisms are characteristics that prevent an organism from reproducing. They evolve by the conditions of the environment. 10. Must populations of finches be separated in order to evolve into different species? The finches do not need to be separated because they can create a hybrid species. 11. What causes an El Nino? El Nino is caused by the wind blowing water, which eventually piled up. As the wind become weaker, not that much cold water are being piled up, that lead to the warming of water.

Part III
1. Should Kate have chosen to work on a different species than the tortoises that are being threatened? Kate should have stayed with the tortoises that are being threatened. 2. Should Kate get involved in the politics of saving the islands, the way Dian Fossey did in trying to save the Mountain Gorilla? I think that she should get involved in the politics of saving the islands if she really wanted to do so, otherwise she should just keep doing what she is doing and not get involve with politics. 3. Should fishing, tourism, or inhabitants be allowed in the islands? Fishing, tourism, and/or inhabitants should not be allowed in the islands. 4. How should the Ecuadorian government deal with the conflicts over the islands? The Ecuadorian government should create a law that states that people can only fish when it is fishing season and limit the amount of fish each person can fish. 5. Extinction is a natural phenomenon. What should we worry about whether a few species on some remote islands in the Pacific survive or not? We should worry about the few species on some remote islands in the Pacific because they are one of a kind. If they were to all go extinct on those remote islands then that would be the end of them because they do not live anywhere else besides those remote islands.