AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Of which pattern of macro-evolution is this an example? 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: -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-4: -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-5: -Punctuated equilibrium is a pattern of evolution in which long stable periods are interrupted by brief periods of more rapid change.