The acquisition of a key evolutionary innovation by a species gives evidence for the concept of ____.
A)uniformitarianism
B)gradualism
C)convergence
D)adaptive radiation
E)special creation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The acquisition of a key evolutionary innovation by a species is a hallmark of adaptive radiation, where a single ancestral species rapidly diversifies into multiple new species with different adaptations to exploit different ecological niches. This process provides evidence for the concept of gradualism, where small incremental changes in traits accumulate over time to produce significant evolutionary diversification. Convergence and special creation are not necessarily related to the acquisition of a key evolutionary innovation, while uniformitarianism refers to the idea that natural processes observed today also operated in the past, but does not directly relate to the acquisition of evolutionary innovations.

The Acquisition of a Key Evolutionary Innovation by a Species