AP BIOLOGY

EVOLUTION

PATTERNS OF EVOLUTION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Ostriches (birds) and giraffes (mammals) are both native to the savannahs of Africa. They eat food that is high off the ground and share the same characteristic of an elongated neck. This is an example of-
A
Adaptive radiation
B
Convergent evolution
C
Coevolution
D
Hox genes
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Ostriches and giraffes are both native to the savannahs of Africa. They share the same characteristic of a very long neck. Also called adaptive radiation.

Detailed explanation-2: -New species form by speciation, in which an ancestral population splits into two or more genetically distinct descendant populations. Speciation involves reproductive isolation of groups within the original population and accumulation of genetic differences between the two groups.

Detailed explanation-3: -Horse evolution shows long stable periods of little evolution interrupted by brief periods of rapid change. A kit fox that lives in the desert and has large ears with greater service area that keep the fox from getting overheated.

Detailed explanation-4: -Convergent evolution occurs when species occupy similar ecological niches and adapt in similar ways in response to similar selective pressures. Traits that arise through convergent evolution are referred to as ‘analogous structures’. They are contrasted with ‘homologous structures’, which have a common origin.

Detailed explanation-5: -The term coevolution is used to describe cases where two (or more) species reciprocally affect each other’s evolution.

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