Question

When Darwin returned to England, he learned that the small brown birds he observed on the Galápagos Islands were all finches. They resembled South American finches. What hypothesis does this observation support?

A) Continental drift
B) Natural selection
C) Adaptive radiation
D) Hybridization

Answer 1

The observation supports the hypothesis of adaptive radiation, which explains the diversification of the finches Darwin observed.

Step-by-step explanation:

Darwin's observation of the small brown birds on the Galápagos Islands resembling South American finches supports the hypothesis of adaptive radiation. This hypothesis suggests that a common ancestor of the finches arrived on the islands and then diverged into multiple species that adapted to the different conditions on each island.