How might an evolutionary biologist explain why a species of bird has evolved a larger beak size?
A. Large beak size occurred as a result of a mutation in each member of the population.
B. The ancestors of this bird species encountered a tree with larger than average sized seeds. They needed to develop larger beaks in order to eat the larger seeds, and over time, they adapted to meet this need.
C. Some members of the ancestral population had larger beaks than others. If a larger beak size was advantageous, they would be more likely to survive and reproduce. As such, large beaked birds increased in frequency relative to small beaked birds.
D. The ancestors of this bird species encountered a tree with larger than average sized seeds. They discovered that by stretching their beaks, the beaks would get longer, and this increase was passed on to their offspring. Over time, the birds beaks became larger.
