adaptive radiation
- noun
- /əˈdæptɪv ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
radiación adaptativa
- The evolution of the finches on the Galapagos Islands is a classic example of adaptive radiation, with different species adapting to various food sources.
Examples
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Species diversity and adaptive radiations of the family Cichlidae (order Perciformes) provide comparable examples over a similar time frame, but the group is less diverse.
Academic text (2010) -
Over time, the species evolve adaptations to use their different ecological niches, and the result is a set of species adapted to use different parts of the environment—that is, an adaptive radiation.
Academic text (2007) -
Now let's compare this to to a boring adaptive radiations like the Darwin's finches.
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West Indian Anolis lizards also exemplify adaptive radiation, replicated four times and with much the same outcome on each island.
Academic text (2007) -
Keywords: adaptive radiation; Anolis; community ecology; evolution; lizard
Academic text (2007) -
In a series of experiments, my collaborators, Thomas Schoener and David Spiller, and I have attempted to experimentally test ideas fundamental to the adaptive radiation hypothesis.
Academic text (2007) -
This knowledge will allow us to study anole adaptive radiation synthetically, uniting investigations of genomics with those of community ecology, behavior, and macroevolution.
Academic text (2007) -
The most exuberant expression of vertebrate adaptive radiation in the world (Table 1) is now in the midst of the first mass extinction of vertebrates that scientists have ever had the opportunity to observe, an event as exciting as it is depressing.
Academic text (1992) -
When animals diversify to fill different ecological roles, such as in the case of reptiles after the dinosaurs, we see a phenomenon called adaptive radiation.
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During adaptive radiation, one species can evolve into several different forms, as seen in the diverse types of cichlids in African lakes.
Synonyms
1
5.2
A group of animals or plants that spreads and forms many new species
How Extensive
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
5.2
- Specialized
16
6.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally built: 'radiation' (a spreading/diversification process) modified by 'adaptive' (caused by adaptation), so the overall meaning — diversification of species driven by adaptation to niches — follows directly from the parts. Although it is a technical biological term, its internal logic is transparent and would be inferable by a learner who knows both constituent meanings.
Etymology
Adaptive radiation paints a clear picture: one original species spreads out like rays from a single point (the idea behind radiation) and each group quickly changes to fit new places or ways of living (the idea of adaptive). That's why adaptive radiation means 'many new species' coming from one ancestor as they adapt to different places or ways of living.