Considering Alfred Wegner's theory of continental drift and the evidence he presented, which of the following scenarios best illustrates how the movement of continents could impact global biodiversity over millions of years?

Question

1)Continents collide, creating new mountain ranges that provide diverse habitats, leading to increased species diversity through adaptive radiation.
2)Continents drift apart, resulting in the extinction of species that cannot adapt to new environments, while new species evolve in isolation.
3)Continents remain stationary, leading to isolated ecosystems that evolve independently without any influence from neighboring landmasses.
4)Continents shift positions, but the climate remains unchanged, allowing species to thrive in their original habitats without any evolutionary pressure.

Answer 1

Considering Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift and the diverse ways in which the movement of continents can impact global biodiversity over millions of years, the scenario that best illustrates these effects is:

1) Continents collide, creating new mountain ranges that provide diverse habitats, leading to increased species diversity through adaptive radiation.

This scenario captures the dynamic nature of continental movement as described in Wegener's theory. When continents collide, they can create new environments (such as mountain ranges) that facilitate the emergence of various ecological niches. This can drive adaptive radiation, as species diversify to exploit different habitats and resources, ultimately enhancing global biodiversity.

While other scenarios also present valid interactions between continental drift and biodiversity, they either focus solely on extinction (scenario 2), suggest a lack of change and isolation (scenario 3), or imply no evolutionary pressure (scenario 4), which does not align with the fundamental impacts of continental drift on ecological diversity.