Question

Which of the following is an example of adaptive radiation?
One population of squirrels becomes two separate species over a long time.
One population of lizards forms 15 separate species over a short time.
One species of birds becomes better suited to its environment over time.
One species of fish forms when two species of fish begin to breed with each other.

Answer 1

Answer: One population of lizards forms 15 separate species over a short time.

Reason: Adaptive radiation is the rapid diversification of one ancestral species into many species that occupy different ecological niches (e.g., Darwin’s finches). The lizard example fits that definition.