Answer :

Final answer:

Captain Fitzroy did not propose a theory on why finch beaks varied. This concept was developed by Charles Darwin, who proposed that differences in their food sources led to adaptive changes and the development of different beak shapes, each suited to acquire a specific type of food.

Explanation:

Contrary to what might be expected, Captain Fitzroy, the captain of the Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, didn't propose a theory on why finch beaks varied. Instead, it was Charles Darwin who developed the theory. Darwin proposed that the beak of an ancestral species had adapted over time to equip the finches to acquire different food sources in different habitats. Darwin's observations centered around the idea of natural selection - finches likely dispersed from one parent species and natural selection based on different food sources led to adaptive changes. This is evident in the different beak shapes of the different species, each suited to acquire a specific type of food.

In the case of the finches of the Galapagos Islands, a series of cataclysmic events likely caused a divergence in the finches, leading to the development of various finch species that Darwin observed during his expedition. The varied beaks helped the birds acquire dissimilar types of food. For instance, seed-eating finches had stronger, thicker beaks for breaking seeds, while insect-eating finches had spear-like beaks for stabbing their prey.

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