Diversity increases rapidly following a mass extinction because...

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Diversity after a mass extinction is driven by ecological opportunity created when many niches are left unoccupied or underutilized.
Option 1: 'The rate of mutation in populations increases to allow them to occupy new niches' This statement incorrectly attributes a global increase in mutation rate to post-extinction eras. Mutation rates are not universally elevated as a response to mass extinctions; speciation can occur without a generalized spike in mutation rate.
Option 2: 'Populations diversify rapidly as they adapt to previously occupied niches.' This captures the core idea: vacant niches and reduced competition create opportunities for surviving lineages to radiate into available ecological roles, driving rapid diversification.
Option 3: 'Reproduction rates increase following mass extinctions.' While reproductive strategies can shift, there is no universal rule that populations universally increase reproduction rates as a direct consequence of mass extinctions; diversification is more tightly tied to ecological opportunity than simply higher reproduction.
Option 4: 'Mass extinctions often result in population bottlenecks that result in speciation events.' Bottlenecks reduce genetic variation and can constrain diversification in the short term; while bottlenecks can influence evolutionary trajectories, they are not the primary mechanism explaining widespread rapid diversification immediately after extinction events. The statement also implies a direct causation to speciation in a way that is not universally applicable across taxa.
In summary, option 2 aligns with the standard explanation that surviving lineages diversify by filling the open ecological spaces left by the extinct taxa, whereas the other statements misconstrue the drivers or conditions of post-extinction diversification.

Diversity increases rapidly following a mass extinction because...单项选择题

类似问题

There are many large mammals on Earth today. This is because:

Rapid evolutionary diversification within one lineage, producing many descendant species that have adapted to a wide variety of habitats. This is best applied to ….

The phenomenon that causes a single ancestral species to evolve into a wide array of descendant species with diverse habitats, forms, or behaviors that occurs often as a result of colonization of a new area is known as radiation.

Which diagram correctly illustrates the concept of adaptive radiation?

A period of mass extinction is often followed by ______.

更多留学生实用工具

智能学习助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单