Question

(a) “The process of evolution of different species in a given geographical area starts from a point and literally radiates to other geographical areas.” Explain it with an example.
(b) Cite an example where more than one adaptive radiation has occurred in an isolated geographical area. Name the type of evolution your example depicts.

Hint:

Adaptive radiation is rapid evolution from a common ancestor in varied environments. Convergent evolution involves similar traits in unrelated lineages.

Answer 1

• [(a)] This describes adaptive radiation. Example: Darwin’s finches on Galápagos Islands radiated into different species based on beak types for different food sources.
• [(b)] Example: Australian marsupials, where different species evolved in isolation to fill various ecological niches. It represents convergent evolution.