Question

The diagram represents a taxonomic tree showing the possible evolution of six species of finches.



The most likely explanation for the branching pattern seen in the circled region labeled X is that:
A.
environmental changes resulted in extinction
B.
speciation occurred as a result of inbreeding
C.
no speciation occurred during this time
D.
environmental changes influenced speciation

Answer 1

Answer:

Option B

Explanation:

As we can see in the figure,  three species of the finches in circle lie on the same main branch as three sub branches. This is an example of speciation caused by interbreeding of species which led to removal  of deleterious genes and then caused emergence of three species adaptable to the existing environmental conditions.

Hence, option B is correct