Assignment no.

: 1
Assignment topic : Adaptive Radiation and examples

Course title: Evolution and principles of systematics

Course code: ZOO-343

Submitted by : Amina Zulfiqar

Registration no: 19-UON-0721

Semester : Zoology 6th

Department : BS Zoology

Session : 2019-2023

Submitted to : Doctor NAUREEN ANWAR

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Table of Contents:

Adaptive radiations: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2

Definition: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2

Expression of Adaptive radiations : …………………………………………………………………………………………………2

Examples of adaptive radiations: …………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Adaptive radiations in mammals: …………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Cichlids of African Great Lakes: …………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Adaptive radiation in Reptiles: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………4

Adaptive radiation in Hawaiian honeycreepers: …………………………………………………………………………...4

Adaptive radiations in penguins: …………………………………………………………………………………………………..4

Adaptive radiation in marsupial(metatherian) mammals: …………………………………………………………….5

Conclusion: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5

References: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6

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Adaptive radiation:

 Definition:

“Adaptive radiation is a rapid increase in the number of species with a common ancestor,
characterized by great ecological and morphological diversity. The driving force behind it is
the adaptation of organisms to new ecological contexts’’

For Simpson adaptive radiation may not necessarily apply at the scale of the species, but
may just as well apply at a higher taxonomic level (major groups of organisms may also
appear by adaptive radiation).

It can even be said that theirs is the most typical, most famous case of adaptive radiation
studied by scientists. During the course of evolution, their beaks have changed in size and
morphology so that they are now adapted to different diets: some species eat mostly
animals (e.g. insects), others seeds or plants; some feed in the trees, and others on the ground.
Ultimately, it is the variety of environments and food resources that led to the rapid
differentiation of these species of finches. All these species share a common ancestor and are
now characterized by broad ecological (their diets are different) and morphological (the size
and shape of their beaks are different) diversity.

 Expression of adaptive radiations:

The expression “adaptive radiation” is extremely popular in the scientific community.

Nevertheless, there are those who feel it is not appropriate, both for practical and semantic
reasons. Some people speak of adaptive radiation within a single species; others of radiation
amongst all life on Earth – i.e. amongst several million species (or even tens of millions,
according to estimations). Between these two extremes, Olson and Arroyo-Santos found
intermediary situations. In their view, the term is used in so many different contexts that in
practice, today, it no longer means anything specific. Along with this practical observation,
we can make a semantic criticism. The term “adaptive radiation” includes two words.
Unfortunately, these two words are related to two different scientific approaches, although
they are very complementary.

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 The word “adaptation” is linked specifically to an
evolutionary process. Galapagos finches have adapted to
different types of food supply through an evolutionary
process. The word “radiation” expresses taxonomic
diversity. When we look at a radiation event, we describe
an increase in biodiversity.

The 14 or 15 species are an observable result of an

evolutionary adaptation. By combining patterns and
processes of evolution, the expression “adaptive radiation” creates ambiguity. This is not
without consequences, and may have given rise to misunderstandings between scientists from
different cultures.

Examples of adaptive radiations:

1. Adaptive Radiation in Mammals:

 Adaptive radiation in placental (eutherian) mammals: Placental mammals

illustrate a great example of adaptive radiation, where multiple diverse forms have
developed from the common lineage of a primitive, short-legged,, insectivorous, rat-
like creature, that coexisted with dinosaurs. Extinction of dinosaurs triggered a global
adaptive radiation event that resulted in the rich mammal diversity that exists today.
Adaptive radiation in mammals followed 5 different lines with respect to limb
structure:
i. Arboreal: Limbs adapted to live on trees (scansorial legs), e.g.
squirrel, monkeys, etc.
ii. Aerial: Limbs adapted for flying, eg. bats. Gliding mammals like
flying squirrels
iii. Cursorial: Limbs suitable for rapid movement

Plantigrade– walking with the whole sole on the ground, e.g, bears, primates, human beings

Digitigrade– Digits touch the ground, e.g. lion, tiger, cat, leopard, dog

Unguligrade– animals having hoofs. They walk on the tips of their fingers or toes, e.g.

Artiodactyls– They have double hoofs, e.g. cattle, buffaloes, sheep, etc.

Perissodactyls– They have one hoof, e.g. horses, zebras

iv. Fossorial: Burrowing mammals, e.g. moles, badgers

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 v. Aquatic: Limbs adapted for living in water, e.g whales, porpoises.
Seals, walrus, sea lions can move on land as well. Polar bears can walk
and swim equally well

Adaptive radiation is also applied to teeth structure or mode of feeding in mammals.

2. Cichlids of African Great Lakes: There are more than 2000 species of cichlids fishes
found in these lakes, which are a remarkable example of adaptive radiation. They have varied
morphological characteristics and play various roles like predators, herbivores, scavengers.
Their head shape and dentition varies according to their dietary habits.

3. Adaptive radiation in reptiles: Adaptive radiation in reptiles occurred between the

Permian and Cretaceous eras. They ruled over the land in the Mesozoic era, which is also
referred to as the “Age of Reptiles”. The initial success of the reptiles is due to the
evolutionary shift from aquatic to completely terrestrial development, i.e. amniotic eggs of
several animals.

4. Adaptive radiation in Hawaiian honeycreepers

A variety of reptiles blossomed from

Cotylosauria (stem reptile).: These are a group
of related birds found in the Hawaiian Islands.
Honeycreepers diversified quickly and
occupied the available adaptive zones. There
were more than 50 species found, of which
only 17 species remain today. Many species
went extinct after the discovery and subsequent
colonisation of the island. Their beaks are specialized to satisfy their dietary requirements.
Some are curved to extract nectar out of tubular flowers, whereas others are short and thick to
rip away the bark of trees in search of insects.

5. Adaptive radiations in penguins:

Either different species of penguin migrated to
Africa on separate occasions, or they all descend
from a single group of penguins that arrived in
Africa a long time ago. Biologist call this last
scenario an endemic or adaptive radiation.

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Radiations often happen when a single species colonizes an island or continent. Roughly 66
million years ago species from the genus Waimanu lived in the waters off of New Zealand.
The two species of Waimanu penguins are currently considered the basal ancestors, meaning
they are considered the earliest common ancestor of all penguins

6. Adaptive radiation in marsupial(metatherian)

mammals: Australian Marsupials show a great
diversity. They are a classic example of adaptive
radiation. There is a wide variety of marsupials that
evolved on the Australian continent

1. Grazing – Kangaroo
2. Burrowing- Marsupial moles
3. Arboreal- Koala, tree kangaroo
4. Teeth like rodents- Wombats, marsupial rats Rabbit-like – Hare wallabies.
5. Wolf-like – Tasmanian wolves
6. Marsupials exhibit adaptive radiation into varieties of animals. Each of which
appears to be similar to the corresponding placental mammal. This is called
“convergent evolution”. It happens when the two unrelated species develop
the same features because they live in similar habitats.

Conclusion:

Ecological opportunity is usually a prerequisite for adaptive radiation, although in some

cases, radiation can occur in the absence of preexisting opportunity. Nonetheless, many
clades fail to radiate although seemingly in the presence of ecological opportunity; until
methods are developed to identify and quantify ecological opportunity, the concept will have
little predictive utility in understanding a prior when a clade might be expected to radiate.
Contingencies of a variety of types may usually preclude close similarity in the outcome of
evolutionary diversification in other situations.

The synthesis of ecological, phylogenetic, experimental, and genomic advances promises to

make the coming years a golden age for the study of adaptive radiation; natural history data,
however, will always be crucial to understanding the forces shaping adaptation and
evolutionary diversification.

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References:

1. Larsen, Clark S. (2011). Our Origins: Discovering Physical Anthropology (2 ed.). Norton.
p. A11.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Schluter, Dolph (2000). The Ecology of Adaptive Radiation. Oxford
University Press. pp. 10–11. ISBN 0-19-850523-X.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b Yoder, J. B.; Clancey, E.; Des Roches, S.; Eastman, J. M.; Gentry,
L.; Godsoe, W.; Hagey, T. J.; Jochimsen, D.; Oswald, B. P.; Robertson, J.; Sarver, B.
A. J. (2010). "Ecological opportunity and the origin of adaptive radiations:
Ecological opportunity and origin of adaptive radiations". Journal of Evolutionary
Biology. 23 (8): 1581–1596. doi:10.1111/j.1420-
9101.2010.02029.x. PMID 20561138. S2CID 25334971.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b Simpson, G (1949). "Tempo and Mode in Evolution". Transactions of
the New York Academy of Sciences. New York: Columbia University Press. 8: 45–
60. doi:10.1111/j.2164-0947.1945.tb00215.x. PMID 21012247.
5. ^ Hague, M T J; Routman, E J (2016). "Does population size affect genetic diversity?
A test with sympatric lizard species". Heredity. 116 (1): 92–
98. doi:10.1038/hdy.2015.76. ISSN 0018-067X. PMC 4675878. PMID 26306730.
6. ^ Jump up to:a b Stroud and Losos (2016). "Ecological Opportunity and Adaptive
Radiation". Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 47: 507–
532. doi:10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-121415-032254.

^ Black, Riley. "Earth's Biodiversity Bursts Do Not Follow Expected Pattern". Scientific
American. Retrieved 17 January 2021.

7. ^ "Artificial intelligence finds surprising patterns in Earth's biological mass

extinctions". phys.org. Retrieved 17 January 2021.

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/an/current

https://byjus.com/neet/important-notes-of-biology-for-neet-adaptive-radiation/.

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