Extinction

The following graph shows the number of tetrapod (four-limbed animal) families on Earth over time, as indicated by the fossil record. The arrows indicate major mass extinction events.

Which of the following statements is consistent with the information provided in the graph?

(Choice A)
The extinction rate between the end-Permian and the end-Triassic extinctions indicates this was a time of global ecological stress.
(Choice B)
The tetrapod families that were lost during the end-Permian extinction returned after a lag of a few million years as they re-populated previously occupied habitats.
(Choice C)
Since the end-Permian extinction, the number of tetrapod families on Earth has halved roughly every 100 million years.
(Choice D)
Tetrapods underwent an adaptive radiation after the end-Cretaceous extinction, likely due to the use of ecological niches made available by the extinction event.

Biology library

Course: Biology library > Unit 26

Problem