What have scientists learned about the evolutionary history of microbial species over the past billion years?
A) α has remained slightly higher than Ω.
B) Tens of thousands of lineages have gone extinct every million years.
C) We can not infer what early microbes were like based on living species alone.
D) a and b
E) a, b, and c

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Scientists have learned that the evolutionary history of microbial species is complex, with high extinction rates (tens of thousands of lineages going extinct every million years) and that it's challenging to infer the characteristics of early microbes solely based on living species. Additionally, the balance between speciation rates (α) and extinction rates (Ω) has been a critical factor in shaping microbial diversity over time.

What Have Scientists Learned About the Evolutionary History of Microbial