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Common descent is a concept in evolutionary biology applicable when one species is the ancestor of two or more species later in time. According to modern evolutionary biology, all living beings could be descendants of a unique ancestor commonly referred to as the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of all life on Earth.
All organisms are adapted to their environment to a greater or lesser extent. If the abiotic and biotic factors within a habitat are capable of supporting a particular species in one geographic area, then one might assume that the same species would be found in a similar habitat in a similar geographic area, e.g. in Africa and South America ...
Ecotypes are closely related to morphs or polymorphisms which is defined as the existence of distinct phenotypes among members of the same species. [16] Another term closely related is genetic polymorphism; and it is when species of the same population display variation in a specific DNA sequence, i.e. as a result of having more than one allele ...
Terms that are sometimes used synonymously but have more precise meanings are cryptic species for two or more species hidden under one species name, sibling species for two (or more) species that are each other's closest relative, and species flock for a group of closely related species that live in the same habitat.
Each "species" of lichen is make of different fungi and algae species, thus each has to come about independently. [199] [200] [201] Parental care came about independently in: mammals, most birds, some insects, some fish and crocodilians. [202] [203]
It differs from divergent evolution as the species involved do not descend from a closely related common ancestor and the traits accumulated are similar. [4] An example of convergent evolution is the development of flight in birds, bats, and insects, all of which are not closely related but share analogous structures allowing for flight. [8]
Shrews are also fairly common, and the smallest, the pygmy shrew, is one of the smallest mammals in the world. There are also seventeen species of bat found in Britain: the pipistrelle is the smallest and the most common. Rodents are also numerous across Britain, particularly the brown rat which is by far the most abundant urban mammal after ...
Sympatric speciation is the formation of two or more descendant species from a single ancestral species all occupying the same geographic location. Often-cited examples of sympatric speciation are found in insects that become dependent on different host plants in the same area. [38] [39]