What is parallel speciation?
Parallel speciation is a special form of parallel evolution in which traits that determine reproductive isolation evolve repeatedly in independent, closely related populations as a by-product of adaptation to different environments (6, 11).
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What do you mean by parallel evolution?
‘Parallel evolution’ occurs when independent species acquire similar characteristics while evolving together at the same time in the same ecospace. An example of parallel evolution is extinct browsing-horses and paleotheres.

What is a simple definition of speciation?
Speciation is how a new kind of plant or animal species is created. Speciation occurs when a group within a species separates from other members of its species and develops its own unique characteristics.
What is parallel and convergent evolution?
Strictly speaking, convergent evolution occurs when descendants resemble each other more than their ancestors did with respect to some feature. Parallel evolution implies that two or more lineages have changed in similar ways, so that the evolved descendants are as similar to each other as their ancestors were.
Is speciation a natural selection?
Natural selection can lead to speciation, where one species gives rise to a new and distinctly different species. It is one of the processes that drives evolution and helps to explain the diversity of life on Earth.

What is Parapatric speciation in biology?
Parapatric speciation occurs when new species evolve in contiguous, yet spatially segregated habitats. Unlike allopatric speciation, the populations that are diverging during parapatric speciation maintain a zone of contact and do not cease the exchange of genes completely.
What are 2 examples of parallel evolution?
Examples of these include the placental sabre-toothed cats (Machairodontinae) and the South American marsupial sabre-tooth (Thylacosmilus); the Tasmanian wolf and the European wolf; likewise marsupial and placental moles, flying squirrels, and (arguably) mice.
What causes parallel evolution?
The repeated and similar large-scale morphological evolutionary trends of distinct lineages suggest that adaptation by means of natural selection (functional constraints) is the major cause of parallel evolution, a very common phenomenon in extinct and extant lineages.
What are two types of speciation?
In allopatric speciation, groups from an ancestral population evolve into separate species due to a period of geographical separation. In sympatric speciation, groups from the same ancestral population evolve into separate species without any geographical separation.
What’s an example of speciation?
There are many interesting examples of speciation. Kaibab and Abert’s squirrels – Separate squirrel species evolved after the Grand Canyon was formed, resulting in different squirrel species evolving on either side of the canyon.
What is the difference between parallel and divergent evolution?
Parallel evolution is the development of a similar trait in species descending from the same ancestor. It is similar to divergent evolution in that the species descend from the same ancestor, but it differs in that the trait is the same while in divergent evolution the trait is not.
What are causes of speciation?
The factors responsible for speciation are:
- Geographical barrier.
- Natural selection.
- Genetic drift.
- Large mutation.
What is an example of speciation?
Some Examples of Speciation
Kaibab and Abert’s squirrels – Separate squirrel species evolved after the Grand Canyon was formed, resulting in different squirrel species evolving on either side of the canyon.
What is sympatric speciation example?
A rare example of sympatric speciation in animals is the divergence of “resident” and “transient” orca forms in the northeast Pacific. Resident and transient orcas inhabit the same waters, but avoid each other and do not interbreed.
What is an example of allopatric speciation?
1: Allopatric speciation due to geographic separation: The northern spotted owl and the Mexican spotted owl inhabit geographically separate locations with different climates and ecosystems. The owl is an example of allopatric speciation.
Is parallel evolution from natural selection?
Why is it important to learn about parallel evolution?
The parallel evolution of phenotypes or traits within or between species provides important insight into the basic mechanisms of evolution. Genetic and genomic advances have allowed investigations into the genetic underpinnings of parallel evolution and the independent evolution of similar traits in sympatric species.
What is speciation and its types?
Speciation is an evolutionary process of the formation of new and distinct species. The species evolve by genetic modification. The new species are reproductively isolated from the previous species, i.e. the new species cannot mate with the old species.
What is the most common type of speciation?
Allopatric speciation
Allopatric speciation, the most common form of speciation, occurs when populations of a species become geographically isolated. When populations become separated, gene flow between them ceases.
What are the two types of speciation?
Are dogs an example of speciation?
Overall, dogs’ and wolves’ different social, behavioral, and physical characteristics reflect speciation and domestication.
What is divergent speciation?
Divergent speciation
Reproductive isolation means that interbreeding between the two groups is prevented by some barrier. Once interbreeding ends, two processes cause the isolated group to become different from the parent population: 1) Genetic variation occurs independently in the two groups.
What are three examples of parallel evolution?
What are the 3 steps of speciation?
THE MAGICAl ROAD TO EVOLUTION
- First Stage: Separation. Speciation usually begins when a part of a population becomes separated from the rest of their species.
- Second Stage: Adaptation.
- Third Stage: Reproductive Isolation.
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