Although planet Earth is a closed system, it is constantly changing to be able to respond to the conditions of a specific place and time. One of the processes that allow this is evolution, which is the change of organisms from ancestors to form new descendant species. We can distinguish between different types of evolution, depending on the route taken to develop morphological and physiological structures. One of them is parallel evolution, in which two groups develop similar structures. If you want to meet thoroughly What is parallel evolution and examplesin addition to how we work, we invite you to continue reading this Ecology Verde article.
What is parallel evolution
The parallel evolution occurs when two groups related to the same clado, but considerably distant, develop a similar feature between them before equal environmental pressures. It happens in different populations, so the repetition of a genotype or phenotype could seem almost unlikely, but still happens.
The result of this evolution is the development of functional and morphological structuresin response to environmental conditions and to adapt to them.
Causes of parallel evolution
Parallel evolution occurs when environmental conditions cause or demand that the body have new structures to be functional in such a medium. Therefore, some of the causes that increase the probability of parallel evolution are the following:
- Natural selection: The different environmental pressures will select those agencies that have adaptive advantages, while those who will not perish. The genes that will be favored by the selection, have less energetically expensive adaptations and that is why they will prevail. This is considered the least important cause to reach parallel evolution. Discover what natural selection and examples are.
- Similarity in the environment: The main cause for parallel evolution to occur is that two related groups live in similar ecosystems, even when they are at different geographical points. This is because related lineages will have similar pressures that will lead them to develop similar modifications.
- Population size: When a population begins to increase, a clonal interference process occurs, which causes a bias that privileges mutations that have more selective advantages, and that certain characters are expressed.
- Mutational heterogeneity: The genetic material of an organism does not always remain the same, but evolves over time to give new genotypes and phenotypes.
Examples of parallel evolution
There are several examples of rapid evolution. Here are some of them.
Pathagio in Colugos, Petaurs of Sugar and Slatter Squirons
These animals have in common a thin membrane called Pathagio that extends from the legs to the arms, to form something similar to an integrated parachute. It does not serve to fly properly, but to plan. Although all are similar and that they are mammals, Each belongs to distant groups between them. The colugos belong to the dermoptera order, the petaruos or better known as suglergliders are of the Diprotodontia order, and the planning squirrels to the rodentia order. The Pathage was developed independently by each group to adapt to its environment, which is common to all these groups. This feature is an advantage that allows them to move from one tree to another without having to go down to the ground where predators abound.
You may be interested in what are flying mammals.
Old and New World vultures
We can distinguish two large groups of vultures depending on their geographical distribution. Those of the New World live in America and those of the Old World in the Old Continent. Despite living in different places, both have equal eating habits: They are scavengers who eat dead decomposition animals. They also have similar physical characterswhere we can observe the naked head and a very acidic stomach. We might think that they are the same group for how similar they are, but it is not.
While both groups are birds belong to the order of the falconiforms, they are very separate in terms of their close relationship. The New World vultures are from the Cathartidae family, where the condors also belong, and those of the Old World belong to the Accipitridae family, a group under which the eagles classify. They belong to a common upper clado, but to separate lower groups. These birds developed similar features between them, because both in the old and in the New World there were decomposition animals that could be consumed, and both occupied the available niche.
Know the different types of vultures.
Plant leaves
Evolution can also be seen in plants. The best example we can see are the leaves. For example, the classic sheet in Lanceolate can be seen in eucalyptus, laurel or olive. All belong to the Magnoliophasid class, but the eucalyptus is from the Myrtaceae family, the Laurel de la Lauraceae and the olive tree of the Oleaceae family. This foliar form provides advantages for the absorption of sunlight.
Differences between parallel evolution and convergent evolution
Now that we review the parallel evolution, consider the convergent. This occurs when two groups develop similar structures to those of other groups, so it could easily be confused with parallel evolution.
The key to differentiating both is that lA Convergent Evolution presents analogy in unrelated groups among themwhile the parallel occurs in distant groups, but that are under the same clade, that is, they are relatively close. Another way of explaining it is that in convergent evolution the descendants are more similar among them than with their ancestors. On the other hand, in parallel evolution the descendants and ancestors always have similarities.
We can better understand both terms if we look at the name. The parallel evolution consists of two “parallel” or close groups that evolve in a similar feature, while in the convergent evolution two groups that are not parallel “converge” or converge in a similar feature.
Now that you know what is parallel evolution and examples, we recommend this other ecology article where we talk about rapid evolution: what is and examples.
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- Bailey, SF, Blanquart, F., Batailon, T., & Kassen, R. (2017). Whatlel Evolution What’s Whatlel? How Population Size and Mutational Variation contributes to repeated evolution. Bioessays, 39 (1), 1-9.