About 13 different species of finches inhabit the Galápagos Islands today, all descendants of a common ancestor from the South American mainland that arrived a few million years ago. Genetically, there are four distinct lineages, but the 13 species are currently classified among three genera. The first lineage to diverge from the ancestral lineage was the warbler finch (genus Certhidea). Next to diverge was the vegetarian finch (genus Camarhynchus), followed by five tree finch species (also in genus Camarhynchus) and six ground finch species (genus Geospiza).
According to a 1999 study, the vegetarian finch is genetically no more similar to the tree finches than it is to the ground finches, despite the fact that it is placed in the same genus as the tree finches. Based on this finding, it is reasonable to conclude that the vegetarian finch
A. is a hybrid species, resulting from a cross between a ground finch and a tree finch.
B. should be re-classified as a warbler finch.
C. is no more closely related to the tree finches than it is to the ground finches, despite its classification.
D. is not truly a descendent of the original ancestral finch.
C

Respuesta :

Based on this finding, it is reasonable to conclude that the vegetarian finch  is no more closely related to the tree finches than it is to the ground finches, despite its classification.

What are vegetarian finches?

The Vegetarian Finch, also known as Camarhynchus crassirostris, is typically grouped with many other tree finches, however the genus may also be found in the Platyspiza family. The Vegetarian Finch has a rather round body and is brown and black in the male. According to legend, this species, which has a beak that is short and thick like a parrot's, was among the first to diverge. The Vegetarian Finch can reach for buds, seeds, leaves, and fruits with this type of beak, but they also occasionally consume insects. This finch typically feeds on the top branches of the trees, but on occasion it may descend to the ground to gather young leaves and fruit that has fallen. . The Vegetarian Finches eventually mastered the skill of removing the bark from twigs with their beaks in order to reach the interior sweet, sugar sap, another nutrient-rich food source.

Hence option c is correct

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