Question

Which scenario is an example of adaptive radiation? A. After the extinction of dinosaurs that ate leaves from tall trees, a new leaf-eating species that could access this resource thrived. B. As a population of small mammals grew in size, members of the population competed for limited resources. C. Smaller carnivores occupied grasslands after a large carnivore disappeared from those spaces. D. The limbs of a redwood tree grew steadily upward, reaching toward the sunlight shining from above. E. Aquatic birds such as seals and penguins developed flippers to help them navigate through the water.

Answer 1

Adaptive radiation occurs when a population disperses and adapts to different niches, leading to speciation events. An example is the extinction of dinosaurs and the subsequent evolution of a new leaf-eating species.

Step-by-step explanation:

Adaptive radiation refers to the process in which a population of one species disperses throughout an area and adapts to different niches or habitats, leading to multiple speciation events. One example of adaptive radiation is option A: After the extinction of dinosaurs that ate leaves from tall trees, a new leaf-eating species that could access this resource thrived. The extinction of the previous leaf-eating dinosaurs created vacant ecological niches, allowing the new species to evolve and radiate into several new ones.