Question
Read the following scenarios and determine each pattern of evolution being described
Fossil evidence suggests that whales evolved from land mammals. This was a slow
process over thousands of years that resulted from continual reduction of the
ancestral mammal's forelimbs over time, until they were reduced to fins.
Fossil evidence suggests that whales evolved from land mammals. This was a slow
process over thousands of years that resulted from continual reduction of the
ancestral mammal's forelimbs over time, until they were reduced to fins.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The scenario described represents **evolution through gradualism**. Gradualism is a pattern of evolution characterized by the slow and continuous process of change in a species over long periods of time. In this case, the gradual reduction of the forelimbs of ancestral land mammals into fins in whales exemplifies the gradual modifications that occur over thousands of years as species adapt to their environments.