Question

Adaptive radiation does not follow which of the following statements?
A. Blackbird on Galapagos Islands observed by Darwin as an amazing example of Adaptive Radiation.
B. All the varieties of Finches evolved on the same planet from original seed feeding feature to insectivorous and vegetarian finches.
C. Australian marsupials, which are similar to each other evolved from an ancestral stock but all within the Australian island continent.
D. More than one adaptive radiation appeared to have occurred in an isolated geographical area representing different habitats, Known as convergent evolution.

Answer 1

Hint: The evolution of varied species in a specified geographical region starting from its original character and radiating to other geographical regions is known as adaptive radiation.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Adaptive radiation is the evolutionary process whereby several species are derived from one species in a region and radiate to various species. Darwin first noted the phenomenon of adaptive radiation by the time he travelled to a place known as Galapagos Island. During Darwin’s journey to Galapagos Island, he noticed small black birds known as Darwin’s Finches.
The finches were different in their food habitats like the original from seeds eating characteristics to several other forms with modified beaks that arose by allowing them to become vegetarian finches and insectivorous.
A number of marsupials, each differ from the other developed from an ancestral stock but all within the Australian continent. Examples: Sugar glider, wombat, kangaroo, marsupial rat, tiger cat, Tasmanian wolf, etc. In Australia, adaptive radiation is revealed in which the placental mammals are developed into varieties each of which seems similar to the equivalent marsupials. Example: Tasmanian wolf marsupial and placental wolf.

Hence the correct answer is option C.

Note: Adaptive radiation is an essential process in the history of life on the planet and it helps to describe in what way new species arise. By examining the mechanisms involved in adaptive radiation, we can have a better understanding of the forces that are driving the evolution and learn about the diversity of life on earth.