Environmental Cause of Adaptive Radiations - Essay Example

Environmental Cause of Adaptive Radiations When it comes to evolution of biodiversity, experts know that adaptive radiations play the key function. According to Wilson, adaptive radiation refers to the process by which many species evolve from one species (95). It is a process where many niches branch out from an original niche. Biodiversity, as defined by Wilson, refers to a term that scientists use to explain the existence of diverse life forms. The environment causes such evolutionary development of adaptive radiations when an invading lineage is influenced by ecological niches (Wilson 108).

The ecological niches are solely determined to an extent by a community’s diversity. In the environment, particularly one such as an island, most of the ecological niches are usually unoccupied. In the new ecosystem, the species have to evolve and adapt first if they want to survive. In the process of adapting, the species may change so much that in the end it becomes a different species. This is when the species is said to be going through convergent evolution. Convergent evolution refers to the process where unrelated species evolve into similar uniqueness the due to environmental pressures (Wilson 100).

Therefore, the process of adaptive radiation takes place when the new species has to evolve so as to make use of the available ecological niches. It is crucial to note that adaptive radiation occurs when the species are under high pressure in the new environment. It is also crucial to note that when adaptive radiation occurs speciation does not take place consciously (Wilson 118). In speciation process, new species are formed. Animals in the new environment are never conscious when adapting into new species.

Additionally, in the environment, evolutionary development of adaptive radiation only occurs mostly in animals and a few times in plants. This is because plants do not disperse in new environments like the animals. Work Cited Wilson, Edward O. The Diversity of Life. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992. Print.