EvolutionLesson 4 of 5 in the course Macroevolution and mass extinctions

Adaptive Radiation: Ecological Opportunity, Evidence, and Examples

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Adaptive radiation describes how one ancestral lineage can diversify into many species adapted to different ways of life. This lesson introduces the process and the evidence used to recognize it.

Adaptive radiation is the rapid diversification of organisms from a common ancestral species into multiple forms, often after environmental change creates new opportunities. Descendant species may develop different morphological traits, such as body or beak shape, and different physiological traits, such as ways of processing food.

All flashcards

Adaptive radiation
Rapid diversification of an ancestral lineage into species with different traits and ecological roles.
Ecological opportunity
Newly available resources, habitats, or ecological roles that a lineage can exploit.
Trait utility
The performance or fitness advantage a trait provides in its corresponding environment.
Ecomorph
A recurring ecological form associated with a particular way of life.
Convergent evolution
The independent evolution of similar traits in different lineages.

Quiz questions

  1. Which combination of conditions is especially favorable for an adaptive radiation after colonization?Answer: Newly available habitat, relative isolation, and abundant niche space.
  2. How can a key innovation create ecological opportunity?Answer: It can allow organisms to exploit resources in a new way.
  3. Why did specialized beaks help Darwin’s finches during long dry periods?Answer: They helped birds handle particular seeds when food was scarce.
  4. What major event contributed to severe cichlid losses in Lake Victoria?Answer: The introduction of the Nile perch.
  5. Crown–giant anoles on different Caribbean islands have similar traits but are not especially close relatives. What does this pattern illustrate?Answer: Similar selective conditions can favor similar traits independently.

Based on the Wikipedia article Adaptive radiation, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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