On a particular chain of islands, 14 species of finches arose from a common ancestor. This is an example of:
a) evolutionary bottleneck
b) genetic drift
c) commensalism
d) adaptive radiation
Explanation
Separate species arising from a single ancestor refers to adaptive radiation.
a) Evolutionary bottleneck: Incorrect. An evolutionary bottleneck refers to a severe population crisis that causes a shift in allelic frequencies in survivors.
b) Genetic drift: Incorrect. Genetic drift refers to loss of an allele in small populations due to all members with the allele dying.
c) Commensalism: Incorrect. Commensalism refers to a relationship between species in which only one species benefits from the relationship while the other is unaffected.
d) Adaptive radiation: Correct.
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