Topic: adaptive radiation


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adaptive radiation

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
adaptive radiation in biology, the evolution of an ancestral species, which was adapted to a particular way of life, into many diverse species, each adapted to a different habitat. Adaptive radiation has occurred in the evolution of many groups of organisms, and is clearly illustrated by Hawaiian honey-creepers (see illustration) . Another example is shown in Darwin's finches, 14 species of small land birds of the Galápagos Islands. All the finches derive from a single species of ground-dwelling, seed-eating finch that probably emigrated from the South American mainland. Because th... Read more
adaptive radiation
A Dictionary of Zoology adaptive radiation 1. A burst of evolution, with rapid ... applied at many taxonomic levels (e.g. the radiation of the mammals at the base of the Cenozoic is of ordinal status, whereas the radiation of Darwin's finches in the Galá ... Read more
adaptive radiation
A Dictionary of Psychology adaptive radiation n. The evolutionary process whereby species that are descended from a common ancestor diverge to exploit different ecological niches . Read more

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Free Article "Radiating" Plants.(adaptive radiation)
Endangered Species Bulletin; 11/1/1998
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Free Article Any dose is too high.(Radiation)
Environmental Health Perspectives; 11/1/2005

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