A) Evaluate the process of biogeography we see today in the distribution of mammals on the

Question

Australian and South American continents? (1 point)
Fossils on both continents are similar enough to conclude that both continents were once joined and
animals travelled between them then evolved differently when the continents separated.
Biogeography explains how animals on both continents are so different that they have no physical or
molecular features in common.
Fossils on both continents are so different that animal species evolved independently and happened
to look similar despite the vast difference in location.
Biogeography explains that animals on both continents travelled across the sea or sky to inhabit
different continents and interbreed with the species already living there

Answer 1

The best evaluation of the process of biogeography with respect to the distribution of mammals on the Australian and South American continents is:

Fossils on both continents are similar enough to conclude that both continents were once joined and animals travelled between them then evolved differently when the continents separated.

This explanation aligns with the theory of continental drift and the concept of vicariance, which describes how species that were once geographically connected can evolve independently after being separated. The distribution of similar fossils on both continents provides evidence for this shared ancestry before the continents drifted apart.