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Which group of fishes includes a lineage that migrated out of fresh water and adapted to life on land?

A) ray-finned fishes
B) jawless fishes
C) cartilaginous fishes
D) lobe-finned fishes

User Sebien
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Lobe-finned fishes are the group that includes a lineage that migrated out of fresh water and adapted to life on land, eventually giving rise to terrestrial vertebrates including amphibians.

Step-by-step explanation:

The group of fishes that includes a lineage that migrated out of fresh water and adapted to life on land is D) lobe-finned fishes. These fishes have a unique fin structure that includes a stump-like appendage of bone and muscle, which was crucial in the evolution toward land-dwelling vertebrates. The lobe-finned fishes are best known by their living representatives, the lungfishes and coelacanths. Unlike cartilaginous fishes (such as sharks and rays) and ray-finned fishes, which remain predominantly aquatic, the lobe-finned fishes led to the rise of terrestrial animals, including amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and eventually humans.

Through the course of evolution, the stout fins of the lobe-finned fish developed into limbs in their terrestrial descendants. This adaptation allowed for the exploration of terrestrial ecosystems, leading to a vast radiation of species on land. Thus, the lobe-finned fishes played a pivotal role in the evolutionary history of vertebrates by bridging the gap between aquatic and terrestrial life.

User Erfan HosseinPoor
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