Hummingbird flowers are scentless tubular flowers that have independently came about in at least four plant families. (the need to find food; the need to escape predators). For example, bats, birds, and insects are very distantly related but all have evolved the ability to fly. 1. In a 2004 meta-analysis, two Cambridge University professors observed that despite having completely different brain structures, crows and primates use a remarkably similar set of mental tools absent in nearly every other speciesanticipation and natural reasoningto solve problems. Most of the time, the reason behind convergent evolution occurring is the build-up of adaptations over time to fill a certain niche. The two often appear together in succulent gardens, with many of their caretakers unaware of the differences because, at first glance, they look so similar. This may or may not be jaw-dropping, considering that birds evolved from dinosaurs, but it shows how evolution tends to mold large, flightless, feathered animals that live in plains environments. Flight first evolved in insects about 330 million years ago (mya), second in pterosaurs (about 225 mya), later in birds (about 150 mya), and still later in bats (50-60 mya). Though they do not produce chlorophyll, they are considered heterokonts along with several types of chlorophyll-producing algae. The important thing, though, is that dolphins and ichthyosaurs have similar lifestyles, and thus evolved similar anatomies: sleek, hydrodynamic, flippered bodies and long heads with extended snouts. This means finding cases where two or more species have a similar characteristic that evolved independently in each lineage. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/amazing-examples-of-convergent-evolution-4108940. Upon further examination it becomes apparent that this resemblance is superficial, resulting from the fact that whales and fish have adapted to the same . These two subclasses of mammals have adapted in similar ways to a particular food supply, locomotor skill, or climate. It consumes microorganismsreally any biological substance it comes into contact with. Find two additional examples of convergent evolution among the Accept a variety of ideas. The process of divergent evolution can relate to the process of dating back two . Often, convergence occurs when organisms are required to adapt to similar environmental conditions, such as in the evolution of thick water-retaining leaves and spines on cacti and Euphorbia species, which are adapted to tolerate conditions of extreme drought but are native to separate continents. All three species evolved elongated fins that employ the same rippling, oscillating motions, which are produced by identical mechanics, despite the last common ancestor between the three appearing before the Cambrian period. Others 'only once' or even 'never', although I have to say it is surprisingly difficult to find examples of these. Use the resources below to teach the theory of evolution in your classroom. This lists the logos of programs or partners of, National Geographic Entertainment: Flying Monsters 3D, Tech Setup: 1 computer per classroom, Projector. Dire wolves are iconic beasts. Recently, a Spanish archaeological team has discovered the earliest known evidence of opposable thumbs in the red pandas fossil record, in an extinct, tree-dwelling carnivore the size of a jungle cat. Smith WL, Wheeler WC (2006). Whether it's the scary portrayal of them in vampire films and literature or a general fear of how their real-life counterparts might transmit viruses, bats have gotten a bad rap that's actually more fiction than fact. San Diego: Academic Press. There are several species of plant that developed, independently of each other, a unique mechanism that accomplishes the one-two punch of tricking insects (the only things enticed by the aroma of animal dung or dead, rotting carrion) into pollinating them and warding off everything else. Confusingly enough, kangaroo rats are placental rodents native to North America, while the hopping mice of Australia are also placental mammals, having arrived at the southern continent about five million years ago after eons of island hopping. https://www.thoughtco.com/amazing-examples-of-convergent-evolution-4108940 (accessed July 30, 2023). Both lineages evolved saber teeth, which likely helped them kill prey. "Natural history of the slave making ant, "Top 10 Shortest Living Animals In The World", "Chapter 37: Shortest Reproductive Life | The University of Florida Book of Insect Records | Department of Entomology & Nematology", "Haltere-mediated equilibrium reflexes of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Echidnas are monotremes, the primitive order of mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young, while porcupines are placental mammals of the order Rodentia. physics. Still another example of convergent evolution is seen in the similar shape and coloration of fish and cetaceans, both of which have adapted to the marine environment by developing a fusiform body and neutral buoyancy (an extinct group of marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs evolved the same body plan). Crows from different regions will construct different tools for the same purpose. "10 Amazing Examples of Convergent Evolution." Given the different design of these wings, ask students whether or not they now think these animals evolved from a common ancestor. d. cream of tomato soup. The Functional Anatomy of Prehensile and Nonprehensile Tails of the Platyrrhini (Primates) and Procyonidae (Carnivora). Margaret Pennock, Science Teacher, Sidwell Friends School, Washington, D.C. 10 Amazing Examples of Convergent Evolution - ThoughtCo Since the last common ancestor of primates and marsupials lived about 70 million years ago, and since koala bears are the only marsupials to have evolved fingerprints, it seems clear that this is a classic example of convergent evolution: the distant ancestors of humans needed a reliable way to grasp their proto-tools, and the distant ancestors of koala bears needed a reliable way to grasp the slippery bark of eucalyptus trees! Sugar gliders are marsupials and more closely related to kangaroos and koalas, whereas flying lemurs are "placental mammals" and actually closest to primates. Summarize new understandings.In a written paragraph, have students explain why they think it could be difficult to use features such as wings to classify organisms, based on what theyve learned about convergent evolution. The wings of bats, birds and bees is an example of convergence since the three groups did not inherit the characteristic from their common ancestor. Whether examples of convergence owe to the inward pull of form (developmental biology) or to the push of Earth itself (ecology; "life rediscovering the same synergies," as Peter Corning speaks of it), we can count on particular forms and lifeways to develop time and again. McGhee, G.R. As a class, discuss the difference in meanings of converge, to move toward a common point or come together, and diverge, to move in different directions from a common point. Interestingly, while many of these were related to hearing, many were not and had no clear link to echolocating abilities. Assess students' written paragraphs to make sure they demonstrate an understanding that although species may seem to have similar characteristics, they may not be closely related. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/amazing-examples-of-convergent-evolution-4108940. by Cariosa Switzer", "johnabbott.qc.ca, Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrate Skeleta", "91st Annual Meeting, The American Society of Mammalogists, A Joint Meeting With The Australian Mammal Society Portland State University, 28 June 2011", "nationaldinosaurmuseum.com.au Thylacoleo", " R. Griffin, 88, Dies; Argued Animals Can Think", "Convergent sequence evolution between echolocating bats and dolphins", "Cetaceans on a molecular fast track to ultrasonic hearing", "Parallel signatures of sequence evolution among hearing genes in echolocating mammals: an emerging model of genetic convergence", "Genome-wide signatures of convergent evolution in echolocating mammals", "The feeding ecology of the striped possum Dactylopsila trivirgata (Marsupialia: Petauridae) in far north Queensland, Australia", "New monkey species found hiding in plain sight", "planetearth.nerc.ac.uk, Copepods and whales share weight belt tactic, 16 June 2011, by Tom Marshall", "Rumination: The process of foregut fermentation", "Racing the wind. Australian Birds by Donald Trounson, Molly Trounson, National Book Distributors and Publishers, 1996. (2011) Convergent Evolution: Limited Forms Most Beautiful. Crows are also among the only animals other than primates to make tools, like hooks for catching prey. I suspect that we'd find certain potential evolutionary pathways which life is 'eager' to go down. Princeton University Press. (2017, January 12). However, one shouldn't oversell the similarity between these two animals: dolphins are among the most intelligent creatures on earth, while even the big-eyed Ophthalmosaurus would have been a D student of the Mesozoic Era. Convergent Evolution Definition & Examples - Expii 1. "Venom evolution widespread in fishes: a phylogenetic road map for the bioprospecting of piscine venoms". Please use this list in whatever ways you wish (and hotlink it to your own websites). Compare the wings of a pterosaur, bat, and bird. All bats and birds "converged" on the ability of flight in response to environmental stimuli and biological goals. Hodder Publishing, Anupam N&am, Jimmy Ng and Trustin Ennacheril, "The Molecular Evolution of Arthropod & Molluscan Hemocyanin, Evidence for Apomorphic origin and convergent evolution in O2 hinding sites", December 1, 1997, Ajna S. Rivera, Todd H. Oakley, etc. And here's another odd fact about caecilians: these amphibians copulate like mammals (instead of a penis, males possess a "phallodium" that they insert into the female cloaca, in sessions lasting up to two or three hours). Convergent Evolution - University of Texas at Austin This is when unrelated species evolve to have functionally similar features. Here is a list of examples in which unrelated proteins have similar tertiary structures but different functions. Canberra: CSIRO Publishing. The late Cretaceous Struthiomimus was almost certainly feathered, and it was capable of hitting speeds of close to 50 miles per hour when evading prey; that, combined with its long neck, tiny head, omnivorous diet, and 300-pound weight, makes it a dead ringer for the modern ostrich.

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