The evolution of beaks in Darwin’s finches is an example of:

A) Natural selection

B) Use and disuse

C) Adaptive radiation

D) Convergent evolution

The evolution of beaks in Darwin's finches is an excellent example of divergent evolution by natural selection because it illustrates how small variations in traits can accumulate over time, leading to the development of distinct and specialized species. The ancestral finch species that colonised the Galapagos Islands had a relatively simple beak that was adapted to a generalist diet of seeds. Over time, however, different populations of finches began to specialise in different types of food as they adapted to different ecological niches on the islands.