Adaptive radiation is best described as what?

Adaptive radiation is best described as what?

• A. Diversification into many species from a common ancestor
• B. Radiation due to mutation
• C. Maintenance of genetic diversity without speciation
• D. Extinction

Answer: (A)

Adaptive radiation involves rapid diversification of a single ancestral species into many species, each adapted to a different ecological niche. When new habitats or resources become available (such as after colonizing islands or after competitors are reduced), populations expand and then natural selection pushes them to specialize in different ways, leading to a diverse group of related species in a relatively short period. This is why the best description is diversification into many species from a common ancestor. It’s not just about mutation increasing variation, and it isn’t about maintaining diversity without forming new species or about extinction, which is the opposite of diversification.

Adaptive radiation involves rapid diversification of a single ancestral species into many species, each adapted to a different ecological niche. When new habitats or resources become available (such as after colonizing islands or after competitors are reduced), populations expand and then natural selection pushes them to specialize in different ways, leading to a diverse group of related species in a relatively short period. This is why the best description is diversification into many species from a common ancestor. It’s not just about mutation increasing variation, and it isn’t about maintaining diversity without forming new species or about extinction, which is the opposite of diversification.