Question

On the islands of Hawaii there are a group of about 30 species of highly variable, but closely related, species of plant called Silverswords. These species appear to be related to a small group of plants in North America. What are the Silverswords an example of?

A. Adaptive radiation
B. Speciation
C. Hardy-Weinberg principle
D. None of the above

Answer 1

The silverswords of Hawaii are an example of adaptive radiation, where one species disperses and evolves into many new species, adapting to various niches within the isolated habitats of the Hawaiian islands.

Step-by-step explanation:

The silverswords of Hawaii are an example of adaptive radiation. This is a process where a population of one species disperses throughout an area and evolves into multiple new species as the result of adapting to different niches or isolated habitats. For instance, the Hawaiian islands provide the perfect context for adaptive radiation events due to their geographical isolation.

From the original parent species, the varied demands of their new lifestyles on the different islands lead to multiple speciation events, resulting in about 30 species of silverswords. Similar examples of adaptive radiation include the Hawaiian honeycreepers and the cichlids of Lake Victoria, both of which have also evolved into numerous species from a single founder species.