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Convergent evolution shows how species have evolved separately but have similar (analogous) structures. Divergent evolution demonstrates how species can have common (homologous) anatomical structures which have evolved for different purposes.
An evolution in which distinct species evolve with likeness in their functions and features because of adaptation to a specific environment is known as convergent evolution. Divergent evolution: The kind of evolution in which an ancestral species diverges into several distinct species, eventually resulting in novel species is divergent evolution.
Convergent evolution, on the other hand, occurs when two or more distinct species develop similar forms or traits that are not due to a common ancestor. Instead, selection pressure results in similar solutions to similar problems in more than one species — sometimes in a wide variety of species.
What is the difference between convergent and divergent evolution? Divergent evolution is the opposite of convergent evolution. Divergent evolution occurs when two species share a common ancestor and evolve one or more characteristics that make them different to each other.
What are the differences between convergent and divergent evolution, and what are examples of each that support evolution by natural selection? What are examples of homologous and vestigial structures, and what evidence do these structures provide to support patterns of evolution?
Convergent evolution is the opposite of divergent evolution, in which related species evolve different traits. Convergent evolution is similar to parallel evolution, in which two similar but independent species evolve in the same direction and independently acquire similar characteristics.
On a large scale, divergent evolution is responsible for the creation of the current diversity of life on earth from the first living cells. On a smaller scale, it is responsible for the evolution of humans and apes from a common primate ancestor.
Divergent evolution describes the process in which two species evolve in diverse directions from a common point. Convergent evolution is the process in which similar traits evolve independently in species that do not share a recent common ancestry.
The main difference between convergent evolution and divergent evolution is that convergent evolution is the development of similar features in two species with different ancestral origins whereas divergent evolution is a process where two different species share a common ancestor.
Convergent Evolution: Unrelated species develop similar traits due to adapting to similar environments. Divergent Evolution: Species with a common ancestor develop different traits over time. Structures: Convergent Evolution: Leads to analogous structures (similar functions, different origins).