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Also called functionalism. The Darwinian view that many or most physiological and behavioral traits of organisms are adaptations that have evolved for specific functions or for specific reasons (as opposed to being byproducts of the evolution of other traits, consequences of biological constraints, or the result of random variation). adaptive radiation The simultaneous or near-simultaneous ...
Evolutionary trap – Cases in which an evolved, and presumably adaptive, trait has suddenly become maladaptive; Evolvability – Capacity of a system for adaptive evolution; Exaptation – Function of trait, shifted by evolution; Extinction – Termination of a taxon by the death of its last member
The example of king crabs (family Lithodidae) evolving from hermit crabs has been particularly well studied, and evidence in their biology supports this theory. For example, most hermit crabs are asymmetrical , and fit well into spiral snail shells ; the abdomens of king crabs, even though they do not use snail shells for shelter, are also ...
For example, Darwin observed that orchids and insects have a close relationship that allows the pollination of the plants. He noted that orchids have a variety of structures that attract insects, so that pollen from the flowers gets stuck to the insects' bodies. In this way, insects transport the pollen from a male to a female orchid.
The first five editions of Darwin's in Origin of Species used the word "evolved", but the word "evolution" was only used in its sixth edition in 1872. [8] By then, Herbert Spencer had developed the concept theory that organisms strive to evolve due to an internal "driving force" ( orthogenesis ) in 1862. [ 7 ]
More questions can be asked regarding the evolution of species and higher taxonomic groups (genera, families, orders, etc), and how these have evolved across geography and vast spans of geological time. Such questions are researched from various fields of science. This makes the study of 'macroevolution' interdisciplinary. For example:
The recurrent evolution of flight is a classic example, as flying insects, birds, pterosaurs, and bats have independently evolved the useful capacity of flight. Functionally similar features that have arisen through convergent evolution are analogous , whereas homologous structures or traits have a common origin but can have dissimilar functions.
The Pyrenean ibex, also known as the bouquetin (French) and bucardo (Spanish), is the only animal to have survived de-extinction past birth through cloning.. De-extinction (also known as resurrection biology, or species revivalism) is the process of generating an organism that either resembles or is an extinct species. [1]