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Natural Selection Patterns Of Convergent Evolution

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Convergent evolution can be defined as “the repeated evolution of similar traits in independent evolutionary lineages inhabiting similar environments” ( www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199941728/obo-9780199941728-0038.xml) . It refers to the commonalities between two or more unrelated species, which arose as an outcome of adaptive evolution due to natural selection. Adaptive evolution is the changes which occur to a population due to environmental pressures. This pattern of evolution is an important phenomenon to the evolution theory, this is because it is evidence. Convergent evolution is displayed through analogous structures, which are shared by unrelated species that have had slightly different adaptations evolve, but with the same function. There are many examples of convergent …show more content…

This pattern of evolution, convergent evolution, arises when species are forced to adapt to similar environments, which can be due to Natural Selection (darwin ref). Natural Selection influences convergent evolution significantly. This is because it is the underlying mechanism behind this pattern of evolution. It influences convergence because it determines which traits are beneficial and will enable the individual to survive and reproduce, and which traits are not. “Natural selection is a process which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits” (bio book ref). Therefore, when different taxes are living in similar environments or ecological niches, the environmental pressures are likely to be similar, therefore similar adaptations will evolve within the different species to help them to survive in their similar environments. As there are many unrelated species which

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