i Question 221 pts In 1831, Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands. While observing the giant land tortoises that lived on these islands , Darwin noted that the shape of the tortoise shell varied depending on which island the tortoise lived Tortoises on one island had round shells, for example, whereas tortoises on a neighboring island had more flattened, saddle -shaped shells. Which statement BEST summarizes Darwin's explanation for these differences? The shape of the tortoise shell varied because the predators on the islands were all similar. Tortoises who used their shells in special ways caused the shells to become larger, rounder, or flatter. The particular shape of the shell was best suited for the island on which the tortoise was living. Random food changes caused the shape of the shells to fluctuate periodically.

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i Question 221 pts In 1831, Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands. While observing the giant land tortoises that lived on these islands , Darwin noted that the shape of the tortoise shell varied depending on which island the tortoise lived Tortoises on one island had round shells, for example, whereas tortoises on a neighboring island had more flattened, saddle -shaped shells. Which statement BEST summarizes Darwin's explanation for these differences? The shape of the tortoise shell varied because the predators on the islands were all similar. Tortoises who used their shells in special ways caused the shells to become larger, rounder, or flatter. The particular shape of the shell was best suited for the island on which the tortoise was living. Random food changes caused the shape of the shells to fluctuate periodically.

Answer 1

The particular shape of the shell was best suited for the island on which the tortoise was living.

Answer 2

The question references Charles Darwin's observations that were crucial to his development of the theory of natural selection. It basically asks how Darwin explained the differences in the shape of tortoise shells on different islands.- The first statement, which suggests that the shell diversities resulted from similar predators on all the islands, isn't very logical since it is improbable that all the islands would have had such identical predator varieties.- The second statement implies a Lamarckian suggestion—that some attribute used in a certain way could alter an organ's inherent shape or size, which doesn't align with Darwin's theory. - The third statement is closest to the Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. According to the theory, the organisms with the traits that are most beneficial for their survival will be passed down to the next generation. This means that the particular shape of the tortoise shell was likely best suited for the island on which the tortoise was living—by helping the tortoise survive and reproduce more efficiently.- The fourth statement, which states that the variation in shell shape is due to fluctuations in available food types, is not as likely since it does not align with the known mechanisms of evolution or natural selection understood by Darwin.The reasonable answer according to this analysis, and also aligning with Darwin's theory of natural selection, is statement 3.

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