The Process of Adaptive Radiation and Link it to Evolution

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Recommended: Charles Darwin's theory of evolution

Charles Darwin, the father of evolution theories, stated that the intelligence or the strength of specie does not guarantee its survival and the continuation of its genetic line. The individual in a species with the suitable genetic material will continue to exist if sudden changes that require adaptation quickly bloom. These traits, which are not necessarily desirable, allow the individuals that contain them to live on and will be passed on from generation to generation. He describes these individuals as being ‘responsive to change’ because he sees them as the most sensitive to disturbances. So that they adapt quickly or prepare themselves to do so. This is a fragment of the definition and explanation of evolution that Darwin and many other academics were very much interested in. Evolution is a long, important process containing many components or fragments like adaptive radiation. This paper aims to outline the process of adaptive radiation and link it to evolution giving examples of instances where radiation was successful. Not failing to include the modern species distribution and the historical cause of the distribution.

The species by which the term and theory of adaptive radiation came to be known is the finches’ discovered by Charles Darwin. It is the process whereby different species emerge from one ancestor. If there is one species dominating in an environment then there will be an overuse of the resources so the individuals in the population will begin competing for them. This can result in the decrease of the population. In order to avoid dying off of individuals, the organisms radiate to different areas within the environment. They adapt to their new environments which in turn makes them into new species. This ties...

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...n Gene during the Adaptive Radiation of East African Great Lakes Cichlid Fishes. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 19 (10), 1807–1811.

Takahashi, T. and Koblmuller, S. 2011: The Adaptive Radiation of Cichlid Fish in Lake Tanganyika:

A Morphological Perspective. International Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 1-14.

Tohru Sugawara, Yohey, and Norihiro Miyagi, R., Terai, Y., Aibara, M., Sugawara, T., Imai, H., Tachida, H., Mzighani, S. I., Okitsu , T., Wada, A. and Okada, N. 2012: Correlation between nuptial colors and visual sensitivities tuned by opsins leads to species richness in sympatric Lake Victoria Cichlid fishes. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 29(11), 3281–3296.

Wilson, 2001. Adaptive Radiation. Retrieved from (http://learning.ukzn.ac.za/file.php/31915/Adaptive_Rad.pdf) Accessed on 28 March 2014.

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