Page 83 - The Errors the American National Academy of Sciences

The NAS's Errors Regarding Speciation

fact, the claims made about the finches in Science
and Creationism are actually based on the Grants'
work. These two researchers first went to the
Galápagos Islands in 1973, with the aim of ob-
serving the effects of evolution on the finches,

and carried out detailed studies and observations in the following
years. They are thus remembered as experts on Darwin's finches. 16

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P P e e et t te r a n d R os e m a ry G r ra nt t t' ' 's Er rr ro r rs
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P Peter and Rosemary Grant's Errors

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Peter Grant and his wife, both from the Department of Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University, studied individual
members of the medium ground finch species on the Galápagos for
years, and regularly monitored some 20,000 finches across several gen-
erations. In addition, the Grants and their team constantly measured
the amount of rainfall on the islands and studied the effects of different
climates on birds.
At this point we need to make a brief mention of the climatic
conditions on the Galápagos Islands. Generally speaking, the islands
enjoy a hot and rainy climate from January to May; on some islands, a
cooler and drier climate prevails. Total rainfall levels during the warm
and rainy season vary widely from year to year. Furthermore, atmos-
pheric events known as "El Niño," which occur at irregular intervals
and various intensities every two to 11 years, alter the climatic
balances. During times of El Niño, an excessive amount of rain
falls on the Galápagos, while the years which follow are gen-
erally dry and rainless.
The amount of rain is of vital importance for the
finches, which feed on seeds. In years when rain is plen-
tiful, the finches can easily find the seeds they need to
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