In the following illustration of adaptive radiation of mammals,which is the ancestral species?
A) Grizzly bear
B) Brontotherium
C) Woolly mammoth
D) Morganucodon

Question

In the following illustration of adaptive radiation of mammals,which is the ancestral species? 
A) Grizzly bear 
B) Brontotherium 
C) Woolly mammoth 
D) Morganucodon

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Adaptive radiation is a process in which a single lineage diversifies into multiple species that occupy different ecological niches. In this illustration, we can see that Morganucodon is the oldest and most ancestral species. It gave rise to different groups of mammals through adaptive radiation, such as Brontotherium, Woolly mammoth, and Grizzly bear. Therefore, the best choice as the ancestral species is D, Morganucodon.

In the Following Illustration of Adaptive Radiation of Mammals,which Is