Adaptive radiation A. reduces the size of prosperous ecological communities. B. increases extinction rates. C. allows new species to occupy different habitats. D. observes trends in the fossil record.

The correct answer is - C. allows new species to occupy different habitats.

Explanation:

Adaptive evolution is a type of evolution that allows the generation of new species from an ancestral species. This evolution occurs mainly due to the separation of habitat between two populations of species.

So when some members of ancestral species get new habitat which is different in ways like in food availability, food type, environment, etc then this isolated population adapts to the new environment by doing changes in their gene which results and the development of new species. So the correct answer is C.