Whatever its ultimate cause(s), the cambrian explosion is a prime example of A)

Question

Whatever its ultimate cause(s), the cambrian explosion is a prime example of
A) Mass Extinction
B) Hardy-Weiberg principle
C) Adaptive Radiation
D) A and C only
E) A, B, and C

The answer through elimination is C. But I am curious to know how is it an example of adaptive radiation. Many phyla of animals appear suddenly in fossils formed early in the cambrian period... How does this represent adaptive radiation?

Please explain need to understand the theme here for exam, will gladly award LifeSaver

Explanation / Answer

Because you already know that the Cambrian explosion is a period where most of today's major phyla have been dated to, it is a prime example of adapative radiation. Before the Cambrian period, organisms were very simple. AR is the rapid evolution of species diversification; they developed different morphological and physical traits as a result of a presumably sudden change in the environment (This last part is still debated).

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