[Campbell Biology P.526] Based on Figure 22.13 and the accompanying text about soapberry bug... | Practice Question

Based on Figure 22.13 and the accompanying text about soapberry bugs in Florida, which statement accurately describes the beak length changes observed?

  • A: Soapberry bugs feeding on golden rain trees developed shorter beaks, while those on balloon vines retained longer beaks, consistent with museum specimens.
  • B: Both populations developed shorter beaks due to the introduction of a new food source.
  • C: Beak lengths became longer in populations feeding on introduced golden rain trees, contradicting natural selection predictions.
  • D: Museum specimens showed much shorter beaks than contemporary populations, indicating rapid evolutionary change across all populations.

Explanation

Figure 22.13 and the text state that soapberry bugs feeding on the introduced golden rain tree developed shorter beaks to access the shallower seeds, while those on the native balloon vine retained longer beaks to access deeper seeds. The red arrows in the figure indicate that average beak lengths in museum specimens from before the golden rain tree was introduced were similar to those in contemporary populations feeding on native species balloon vine .