You discover a genus of lizards that contains two extinct species and five living species.The oldest fossils from the genus belong to the two extinct species,and are known only from the Ethiopian biogeographical region.Two of the living species are found only in the Neotropical biogeographic region and the other three are found only in the Australian biogeographic region.Fossil records confirm that all living species are native to the areas they currently inhabit.What is the most reasonable conclusion about the evolution of these lizard species?
A)The Neotropical and Australian lineages do not share a common ancestor,but evolved independently through convergent evolution.
B)The Neotropical and Australian lineages share a common ancestor,who originated in the Neotropical region.
C)The Neotropical and Australian lineages share a common ancestor,who originated in the Australian region.
D)The Neotropical and Australian lineages share a common ancestor,who originated in the Ethiopian region.
E)The Neotropical and Australian lineages share a common ancestor,which originated in the Palearctic region.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Given that the oldest fossils from the genus are found in the Ethiopian region and include the two extinct species, it's most reasonable to conclude that the common ancestor of both the Neotropical and Australian lineages originated in the Ethiopian region. This suggests a dispersal and diversification event from Ethiopia to the Neotropical and Australian regions.

You Discover a Genus of Lizards That Contains Two Extinct