How does variation within a clade affect the Clade's chance of surviving environmental change? If there is variation, the chance of surviving environmental changes increases. ... Similar environments exert similar pressures on different species and may result in adaptations of structures to perform similar functions.

How is mass extinction different from background extinction quizlet?

Mass extinction is an event in which a large number of species go extinct over a short period caused by major events. Background extinction is the rate of extinction going down over time that are not caused by major events.

What is the process that produces similar looking structures in unrelated groups of organisms?

In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related (not monophyletic), independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches.