A museum exhibit explains that the fossil record shows mass extinction events followed by periods of rapid diversification. What does this pattern reveal about life's response to environmental catastrophes?
Question 3 options:

Mass extinctions permanently reduce biodiversity with no recovery possible

Mass extinctions only affect large animals, never plants or microscopic organisms

Environmental catastrophes strengthen existing species but prevent new ones from evolving

Major environmental changes eliminate many species but create opportunities for survivors to diversify

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Major environmental changes eliminate many species but create opportunities for survivors to diversify.

Explanation: Mass extinctions remove competitors and open ecological niches, so surviving lineages often undergo rapid adaptive radiation and produce many new species.