Final answer:
Environmental changes millions of years ago led to the rise of wings in insects, initially for thermoregulation. The evolution of wings then significantly (D) increased insect mobility, enabling them to escape predators, find food and mates more efficiently, and colonize new habitats.
Step-by-step explanation:
Environmental conditions that gave rise to the evolution of wings in insects include the need for thermoregulation, escape from predators, and to find food and mates. The winglets on ancient insects could have helped to elevate their thorax temperature, allowing for faster movement and thus enabling them to evade predators more proficiently. As these winglets evolved into fully functional wings, insects gained the ability to fly, which conferred numerous advantages.
Flight aids insects in escaping from nonflying predators, searching for food, finding mates, and dispersing into new habitats. Wings were a de novo development in insects, meaning they evolved from scratch rather than from preexisting structures. Eventually, wings became essential for the ecological and evolutionary success of insects, contributing to their domination over other life forms on Earth.
The answer to the student's question from the multiple choices provided is D) To increase mobility and access new habitats. This answer encapsulates the ecological enhancements that wings provided, allowing insects to explore and colonize a myriad of ecological niches.