Divergent vs Convergent 1-15 Is each of the following examples showing convergent or divergent evolution? How do you know?

1. The two unrelated types of plants have adapted to desert environments. The cactus, which grows in the American desert, resembles the euphorbia which grows in the African deserts. Both have fleshy stems armed with spines. These adaptations help the plants store water and ward off predators.

2.

3. Opossums and Rats are both nocturnal animals that can live in close proximity of humans. The opossum is the only marsupial in North America a distant relative to the kangaroo. The rat is a placental rodent that has no relation to the marsupial kangaroos.

4.

5. Charles Darwin finches overall appearance seemed to be similar and were clearly descendants of the same common ancestor, they did have different beak shapes and were no longer able to interbreed in nature. This lack of interbreeding and the different niches the finches had filled on the Galapagos Islands led the populations to become less and less similar over time.

6. The Australian sugar glider and the North American flying squirrel look very similar with their small rodent-like body structure and thin membrane that connects their forelimbs to their hind limbs that they use to glide through the air. Even though these species look very similar and are sometimes mistaken for each other, they are not closely related on the evolutionary tree of life. Their adaptations evolved because they were necessary for them to survive in their individual, yet very similar, environments.

7.

8. Many desert plants have evolved somewhat of a holding chamber for water inside their structures. Even though the deserts of Africa and those in North America have similar climates, the species of flora there are not closely related on the tree of life. Instead, they have evolved thorns for protection and the holding chambers for water to keep them alive through long periods of no rain in the hot climates.

9.

10. The overall body structure of the shark and the dolphin. A shark is a fish and a dolphin is a mammal. However, their body shape and how they move through the ocean is very similar. These animals are not related very closely via a recent common ancestor, but they live in similar environments and needed to adapt in similar ways in order to survive in those environments.

11.

12. Even though whales, cats, humans, and bats all are very different morphologically and in the niches they fill in their environments, the bones of the forelimbs of these different species share the same structure. Whales, cats, humans, and bats clearly cannot interbreed and are very different species, but the similar bone structure in the forelimbs indicate they once came from a common ancestor. Mammals became very dissimilar over a long period of time, yet still retain similar structures that indicate they are related somewhere on the tree of life.

13.

14. Manatees and Pinnipeds both evolved from land organisms. The manatees' closest land-based relative is the elephant. The seals are closer related to bears. Seals and manatees look very similar.

15.

Answers 1-15

1. The two unrelated types of plants have adapted to desert environments. The cactus, which grows in the American desert, resembles the euphorbia which grows in the African deserts. Both have fleshy stems armed with spines. These adaptations help the plants store water and ward off predators. CONVERGENT

2. CONVERGENT

3. Opossums and Rats are both nocturnal animals that can live in close proximity of humans. The opossum is the only marsupial in North America a distant relative to the kangaroo. The rat is a placental rodent that has no relation to the marsupial kangaroos. CONVERGENT

4. DIVERGENT

5. Charles Darwin finches overall appearance seemed to be similar and were clearly descendants of the same common ancestor, they did have different beak shapes and were no longer able to interbreed in nature. This lack of interbreeding and the different niches the finches had filled on the Galapagos Islands led the populations to become less and less similar over time. DIVERGENT

6. The Australian sugar glider and the North American flying squirrel look very similar with their small rodent-like body structure and thin membrane that connects their forelimbs to their hind limbs that they use to glide through the air. Even though these species look very similar and are sometimes mistaken for each other, they are not closely related on the evolutionary tree of life. Their adaptations evolved because they were necessary for them to survive in their individual, yet very similar, environments. CONVERGENT

7. DIVERGENT = FORM CONVERGENT = FUNCTION

8. Many desert plants have evolved somewhat of a holding chamber for water inside their structures. Even though the deserts of Africa and those in North America have similar climates, the species of flora there are not closely related on the tree of life. Instead, they have evolved thorns for protection and the holding chambers for water to keep them alive through long periods of no rain in the hot climates. CONVERGENT

9. CONVERGENT

10. The overall body structure of the shark and the dolphin. A shark is a fish and a dolphin is a mammal. However, their body shape and how they move through the ocean is very similar. These animals are not related very closely via a recent common ancestor, but they live in similar environments and needed to adapt in similar ways in order to survive in those environments. CONVERGENT

11. DIVERGENT

12. Even though whales, cats, humans, and bats all are very different morphologically and in the niches they fill in their environments, the bones of the forelimbs of these different species share the same structure. Whales, cats, humans, and bats clearly cannot interbreed and are very different species, but the similar bone structure in the forelimbs indicate they once came from a common ancestor. Mammals became very dissimilar over a long period of time, yet still retain similar structures that indicate they are related somewhere on the tree of life. DIVERGENT

13. CONVERGENT

14. Manatees and Pinnipeds both evolved from land organisms. The manatees' closest land-based relative is the elephant. The seals are closer related to bears. Seals and manatees look very similar. CONVERGENT

15. DIVERGENT

1. A single species interbreeds, either through natural means or artificially chosen traits and selective breeding, and then that species begins to branch off and become different species. Over time as the two new different species continues to evolve, they are becoming less and less similar. DIVERGENT

2. Two species, that are not related via a recent common ancestor, become more similar. Most of the time, the reason behind convergent evolution occurring is the buildup of adaptations over time to fill a certain niche. When the same or similar niches are available in different geographical locations, different species will most likely fill that niche. As time passes, the adaptations that make the species successful in that niche in that particular environment add up producing similar favorable traits in very different species. CONVERGENT

3. CONVERGENT

4. DIVERGENT

1. The red fox lives in mixed farmlands and forests, where its red color helps it blend in with surrounding trees. The kit fox lives on the plains and in the deserts, where its sandy color helps conceal it from prey and predators. The ears of the kit fox are larger than those of the red fox. The kit fox's large ears are an adaptation to its desert environment. The enlarged surface area of its ears helps the fox get rid of excess body heat. Similarities in structure indicate that the red fox and the kit fox had a common ancestor. As they adapted to different environments, the appearance of the two species changed. DIVERGENT