Final answer:
It is a. true that anthropologists use the term "out-competed" to explain why fossil species became extinct, as competition and adaptability play crucial roles in natural selection and species survival.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is true that many anthropologists use the term "out-competed" to explain why fossil species became extinct. When a species is said to have been out-competed, it generally means that another species was better adapted to the environment or had certain advantages that allowed it to utilize resources more efficiently, eventually leading to the decline and extinction of the less competitive species.
Competition among species is a natural part of evolutionary processes. Extinction can occur for various reasons, such as climate change, the introduction of invasive species, zoonotic diseases, overharvesting, and other human activities. Additionally, species that fail to adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions are also at risk of extinction. The fossil record is a testament to the many species that once thrived on Earth but have since disappeared, illustrating the commonality of extinction events throughout Earth's history.
Indeed, the concept of being 'out-competed' is reflective of the idea of 'Survival of the Fittest', where only those organisms with beneficial traits for survival in their environment are more likely to persist and pass on those traits to future generations, leading to a higher chance of long-term survival for the species.