In situations in which both vicariance and dispersal can explain biogeographic patterns, biologists prefer
A) the vicariance explanation.
B) the dispersal explanation.
C) the most parsimonious explanation.
D) the explanation that requires the largest number of unobserved events to account for it.
E) to flip a coin.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Biologists prefer the most parsimonious explanation, which is the one that requires the least number of assumptions or unobserved events to account for the biogeographic pattern. In situations where both vicariance and dispersal can explain the pattern, the most parsimonious explanation is often the one that invokes fewer dispersal events, as long-distance dispersal events are generally less common than vicariance events.

In Situations in Which Both Vicariance and Dispersal Can Explain