Beak Shape and Foraging Success: Insights from Two Islands

A Tale of Two Islands Question How does the size and shape of a bird's beak, simulated by different utensils, influence its foraging success on an island with varied food sources, and what implications does this have for the organism's biological fitness in the given environment? Hypothesis If the beak size and shape, represented by different utensils, are well-suited to the available food sources on the island (independent variable), then the foraging success of the simulated bird beaks (dependent variable) will vary. Independent Variable: Dependent Variable: Materials & Methods: ● Knife, Spoon, Fork ● Plate and Bowl ● Beans, Lentils, Noodles Procedures: 1. Students will work in groups of two and gather the lab’s materials: ● Knife, Spoon, Fork ● Plate and Bowl ● Beans, Lentils, Noodles 2. Students will collect one food in 30 second intervals with each utensil in bowl and plate 3. Collect and record for bowl and then for plate 4. Record data in chart 5. Graph data average for each utensil on plate and bowl 6. The sample represents an average forage for a day of the three available food sources on the island Results: Table 1.1 – Island 1 (Bowl) Fork Spoon Knife Lentil 15 20 10 Bean 18 15 12 Noodle 12 25 8 Table 1.2 – Island 2 (Plate) Beak size and shape Foraging success, measured by the quantity of food

Fork Spoon Knife Lentil 10 22 15 Bean 20 18 10 Noodle 15 20 12 Graph: Graph 1.1 Graph 1.2

Discussion/Conclusion (Required) “If the beak size and shape, represented by different utensils, are well-suited to the available food sources on the island, then the foraging success of the simulated bird beaks will vary.” My was hypothesis is correct. The data shows variations in foraging success based on utensil (beak) type for each food item on both Island 1 (Bowl) and Island 2 (Plate). Certain utensils consistently outperformed others, supporting the idea that beak morphology influences foraging success. Going Further (Required) – 1. Which island is best suited to support the most variation in bird beaks? Support your answer with data. Based on the average quantity of food collected, Island 1 (Bowl) is best suited to support the most variation in bird beaks, as it generally exhibits higher foraging success across different utensils and food types.

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2. Which bird beak(s) has nature selected to be the most successful on Island 1 (Bowl)? Support your answer with data. The Spoon beak has been selected as the most successful on Island 1 (Bowl), as it consistently yielded the highest average quantity of food (lentils, beans, and noodles) compared to Fork and Knife beaks. 3. If we were to travel to the islands a few years after the storm what types of birds would we expect to see on Island 1 and Island 2? Why? Support your answer with data. We would expect to see birds with beak structures similar to the utensils that were more successful in foraging on each respective island. The data suggests that birds with beaks resembling the utensils that collected the most food (lentils, beans, noodles) would have a higher chance of survival and reproduction, leading to an increase in their population over time. 4. If all the “bugs” (Lentil, Bean, Noodle) reproduced at the same rate, which type would we expect to see more of after the arrival of the Finches to the islands? Support your answer with data. If all the bugs (Lentil, Bean, Noodle) reproduced at the same rate, we would expect to see more of the bug type that had the highest average quantity collected by the Finches' beaks. Check the data for each bug type and identify which one had the highest average collected quantity across all utensils and islands. 5. Now that the birds are on the island will we see more or less beak variation in the two island populations? Defend your answer. It is likely that we will observe less beak variation in the island populations because the birds with beaks better suited to the available food sources are expected to have higher foraging success, leading to a selective advantage and potential dominance of specific beak traits in the population over time.

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