1. Identify the following adaptations as structural, physiological or behavioral.

Adaptation Type

Beak shape in finches Structural

Sunken stomates in plants Structural

Use of metabolic water in desert organisms Physiological

Burrowing by echidna to avoid temperature Behavioural

extremes

Large muscular hind legs of kangaroo for Physiological

jumping

2. In 1831, the HMS Beagle departed from England to first circumnavigate South America,
and then travel the world. Aboard the voyage was Charles Darwin, the ship’s naturalist.
Throughout this pioneering journey, Darwin would make observations that would become
the foundation of his theory of evolution. As well as this, Darwin kept extensive notes,
collecting thousands of specimens and returning them to England for identification.
Perhaps most famously, Darwin observed a variety of finches while visiting the
Galapagos Islands. Upon bringing them back to England, they were classified as 14 new
species, 12 of which were previously unknown. John Gould, an ornithologist observed
that they were similar to those found in South America, and wondered if all the variety of
finches found in the Galapagos were descendants of those finches from South America.
As a result of these birds moving to islands which each had varying environmental
conditions, they adapted accordingly, with different structural adaptations such as beak
size, shape, leg length and colour. Resulting from the environmental pressures placed
on these birds, it was recognised, those that did not adapt to the conditions died out, and
only those that survived (those with adaptations), were able to reproduce. After visiting
the Cape of Good Hope and Mauritius, the Beagle visited Australia. Darwin noted the
uniformity of Australia’s native flora and fauna.

3. From what it seems, when Darwin started his journey on the Beagle, Darwin was
beginning to develop his theory of evolution, however online sources have had varying
answers to this. If Darwin was indeed developing his theory of evolution when he set off
aboard the HMS Beagle, he would’ve thought that because resources are limited,
organisms with heritable traits that assist them in survival and reproduction will pass on
these traits to more offspring, while those who don’t possess such traits will eventually
die out.

4. When visiting the Galapagos islands, the finches that Darwin observed helped to solidify
his theory of evolution by providing a clear example of natural evolution in the wild that
he could study, elaborating his thoughts on natural selection. By clearly having access to
specimens where natural selection could be observed, additionally, Darwin had evidence
to prove his theory to his creationist peers.
5. While in Australia, Darwin observed plants and wildlife that made him think differently
about life on earth. For example, he observed eucalypts, mentioning how prolific they are
in covering the land, as well as how they’re evergreen. This furthered his understanding
of the theory of evolution when he linked the harsh environment of Sydney and the
adaptations that can be seen in vegetation such as the eucalypts. He also noted the
evergreen status of many of our trees. As well as this, Darwin observed antlions, noting
that they seem to be of the same genus but different species to those he saw in
England.

6. Even though now, Darwin is viewed as the sole scientist who came up with evolution,
however Alfred Wallace’s ideas helped to influence Darwin’s ideas. This inspired Darwin
to publish his own ideas. Additionally, another inspiration of Darwin’s was Jean Baptiste
Lamarck, who proposed that humans evolved over time, laying the foundation for
Darwin.