Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): The similarity between a placental wolf and a Tasmanian wolf is an example of convergent evolution. Reason (R): Convergent evolution occurs when a single ancestral species evolves into different forms to occupy different habitats. In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate an

Step-by-step solution

Assertion (A) is correct because the placental wolf (a placental mammal) and the Tasmanian wolf (a marsupial) evolved independently from different lineages but developed similar phenotypic features due to adapting to similar ecological niches, which is a classic example of convergent evolution. Reason (R) is incorrect because the process where a single ancestral species evolves into different forms to occupy different habitats is the definition of adaptive radiation (which leads to divergent evolution). Convergent