Question

What can we infer from the stickleback fossil record about evolutionary processes occurring today?

A. Evolutionary patterns observed in the fossil record are consistent with evolutionary processes occurring today.

B. Analysis of fossil stickleback shows us that three spine stickleback living millions of years ago looked strikingly different from those living today.

C. Analysis of the fossil record indicates that natural selection was an evolutionary process at work in the past, but it no longer occurs today.

D. The fossil record provides insights into the ecological mechanisms that result in the evolution of pelvic reduction, while study of living populations tells us more about the rate of evolutionary change of this trait.

Answer 1

Answer;

Evolutionary patterns observed in the fossil record are consistent with evolutionary processes occurring today.

Explanation;

• Three spine stickleback is a model organisms for studies in evolution because; Stickleback fish are small and have short generation times. These two characteristics make them easy to keep in a lab and useful for conducting genetic studies, since researchers can follow several generations of fish in a relatively short time.
• Also, stickleback fish populations occur throughout the Northern Hemisphere in a wide range of environments, so researchers can compare different populations and study how they have changed over time in response to different environmental pressures.