Question

environmental change & evolution
modified from image courtesy of m. benton, 2016. plos biology.
licensed under cc by 4.0.
which of the following claims is best supported by this information?
a. the asteroid impact at the end of the cretaceous period was the greatest cause of extinction throughout earths
history.

b. the increase in speciation rate after the cretaceous period was unrelated to the mass extinction that resulted from the
asteroid impact.

c. large changes in the environment are typically associated with high levels of species extinction and low levels of
speciation.

d. rapid environmental change can lead to the extinction of certain species while promoting the emergence of new
species.

Explanation:

• Option A: The graph doesn't focus on comparing the asteroid impact's extinction cause to others, so A is unsupported.
• Option B: The graph doesn't give info on the relationship between post - Cretaceous speciation rate and the asteroid impact, so B is wrong.
• Option C: The graph shows that environmental changes (like the transition from marine to terrestrial - related changes) are associated with both extinction and speciation, not low speciation. So C is incorrect.
• Option D: The graph (with species richness over time and different environments like marine and terrestrial) implies that as the environment changes (e.g., from marine - dominated to more terrestrial - related), some species go extinct while new ones emerge (seen in the rise in species richness). So D is supported.

Answer:

D. Rapid environmental change can lead to the extinction of certain species while promoting the emergence of new species.