Adaptive radiation
Adaptive radiation
Adaptive radiation (/əˈdæptɪv ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃən/) is a process in evolution where organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms, particularly when a change in the environment makes new resources available, creates new challenges, or opens new environmental niches.
Etymology
The term "adaptive radiation" is derived from the words "adaptive", which refers to the ability of an organism to change or adjust, and "radiation", which in this context refers to the divergence of species from a common ancestor.
Related Terms
- Evolution: The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
- Natural Selection: The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
- Speciation: The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
- Ecological Niche: The role and position a species has in its environment; how it meets its needs for food and shelter, how it survives, and how it reproduces.
- Ancestral Species: A species from which others have evolved.
See Also
References
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Adaptive radiation
- Wikipedia's article - Adaptive radiation
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