This article appears to contradict another article (Parallel evolution). Please see discussion on the talk page.

In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related, independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. On a molecular level, this can happen due to random mutation unrelated to adaptive changes; see long branch attraction. Image File history File links Circle-contradict. ... Bee hovering in flight In evolutionary biology, parallel evolution refers to the independent evolution of similar traits in closely related lineages of species, while convergent evolution refers to the appearance of striking similarities among lineages of organisms only very distantly related. ... Evolutionary biology is a subfield of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species, as well as their change, multiplication, and diversity over time. ... Two lichenes species on a rock, in two different ecological niches In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in an ecosystem. ... Long branch attraction (LBA) is a phenomenon in phylogenetic analyses (most commonly those employing maximum parsimony) when rapidly evolving lineages are inferred to be closely related, regardless of their true evolutionary relationships. ...

In cultural evolution, convergent evolution is the development of similar cultural adaptations to similar environmental conditions by different peoples with different ancestral cultures. Cultural evolution is the structural change of a society and its values over time. ...

An example of convergent evolution is the similar nature of the flight/wings of insects, birds, pterosaurs, and bats. All four serve the same function and are similar in structure, but each evolved independently. Some aspects of the lens of eyes also evolved independently in various animals. A Laughing Gull with its wings extended in a gull wing profile Aircraft wing planform shapes: a swept wing KC-10 Extender (top) refuels a trapezoid-wing F/A-22 Raptor A wing is a surface used to produce lift and therefore flight, for travel in the air or another... Orders See taxonomy Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined. ... “Aves” redirects here. ... Suborders Rhamphorhynchoidea Pterodactyloidea Pterosaurs (TEH-row-sore, winged lizards) were flying reptiles of the clade Pterosauria. ... “Chiroptera” redirects here. ... Eyes are organs of vision that detect light. ...

Convergent evolution is similar to, but distinguishable from, the phenomena of evolutionary relay and parallel evolution. Evolutionary relay refers to independent species acquiring similar characteristics through their evolution in similar ecosystems, but not at the same time (e.g. dorsal fins of extinct ichthyosaurs and sharks). Parallel evolution occurs when two independent species evolve together at the same time in the same ecospace and acquire similar characteristics (extinct browsing-horses and extinct paleotheres). In evolutionary biology, evolutionary relay describes how independent species acquire similar characteristics as a result of their evolution in similar ecosystems, but not at the same time. ... Bee hovering in flight In evolutionary biology, parallel evolution refers to the independent evolution of similar traits in closely related lineages of species, while convergent evolution refers to the appearance of striking similarities among lineages of organisms only very distantly related. ... Dorsal Fin of the Orca A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of fishes, whales, dolphins and porpoises. ... Families Ichthyosauridae Leptonectidae Mixosauridae Ophthalmosauridae Shastasauridae Stenopterygiidae Teretocnemidae Ichthyosaurs (Greek for fish lizard - ιχθυς meaning fish and σαυρος meaning lizard) were giant marine reptiles that resembled fish and dolphins. ... Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes Symmoriida(extinct) Shark (superorder Selachimorpha) are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton[1] and a streamlined body. ... The word ecology is often used in common parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or environmentalism. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... // The original sequence of species believed to have evolved into the horse were based on fossils discovered in North America in the 1870s by paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh. ... Species  ?  ?  ? Palaeotherium (old beast) is an extinct genus of mammal. ...

Structures that are the result of convergent evolution are called analogous structures or homoplasies; they should be contrasted with homologous structures, which have a common origin. The wings of pterosaurs (1), bats (2) and birds (3) are analogous: they serve the same function and are similar in structure, but each evolved independently. ... In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related, independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. ... In biology, homology is any similarity between structures that is due to their shared ancestry. ...

Animal examples

Mammals

• The marsupial Thylacine and placental Canids.

Thylacine, a canine-like marsupial Orders Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Sparassodonta (extinct) Marsupials are mammals in which the female typically has a pouch (called the marsupium, from which the name Marsupial derives) in which it rears its young through early infancy. ... Binomial name Thylacinus cynocephalus (Harris, 1808) The Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. ... Orders Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia Xenarthra Dermoptera: Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Placentalia and Eutheria are terms used to describe major groupings within the animal class of Mammalia. ... Genera Alopex Atelocynus Canis Cerdocyon Chrysocyon Cuon Dusicyon Fennecus Lycalopex Lycaon Nyctereutes Otocyon Pseudalopex Speothos Urocyon Vulpes Canidae is the family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals commonly known as canines. ... A pair of thylacines that lived at the US National Zoological Park in Washington DC from 1902 to 1905. ... Binomial name Thylacinus cynocephalus (Harris, 1808) The Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. ...

Golden Jackal, a true canine ImageMetadata File history File links Golden_Jackal_sa02. ... Binomial name Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758 Golden Jackals (Canis aureus), also called Asiatic or Common Jackals, are small jackals native to northern and central Africa and southern Asia. ...

• Several mammal groups have independently evolved prickly protrusions of the skin, called spines - echidnas (monotremes), hedgehogs (insectivores), Old World porcupines (rodents) and New World porcupines (a separate group of rodents). In this case, because the two groups of porcupines are relatively closely related, they would be considered to be an example of parallel evolution; neither echidnas nor hedgehogs, however, are closely related to rodents at all. In fact, the last common ancestor of all four groups was a contemporary of the dinosaurs.
• Cat-like, sabre-toothed predators evolved in three distinct lineages of mammals — sabre-toothed cats, Nimravids (false sabre-tooths), and the marsupial thylacosmilids. Gorgonopsids and creodonts also developed long canines, but that is the only physical similarity.
• A number of mammals have developed claws and long, sticky tongues that allow them to open the homes of social insects (e.g. ants and termites) and eat them. These include the four species of anteater, about 20 species of armadillo, eight species of pangolin, the African aardvark, four species of echidna, and the Australian numbat.
• Koalas of Australasia have evolved fingerprints, very similar to those of humans. The Australian honey possum has developed a long tongue for taking nectar from flowers, the same sort of structure that butterflies possess to accomplish the same task.

Birds

• The Little Auk of the north Atlantic (Charadriiformes) and the diving petrels of the southern oceans (Procellariiformes) are remarkably similar in appearance and habits.
• The similar evolution of auks in the Northern Hemisphere and penguins in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Vultures come in two varieties as a result of convergent evolution: both Old World vultures and New World vultures eat carrion, but Old World vultures are in the eagle and hawk family and use eyesight for food discovery; the New World vultures are related to storks and use the sense of smell (as well as sight) to find carrion. In both cases they search for food by soaring, circle over carrion, and group in trees, and both have featherless necks.

Nubian vulture, an Old World vulture Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Families Kollikodontidae (extinct) Ornithorhynchidae - Platypus Tachyglossidae - Echidnas Steropodontidae (extinct) Monotremes are mammals that are best known for laying eggs, instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials and placental mammals (Eutheria). ... Genera Atelerix Erinaceus Hemiechinus Mesechinus Paraechinus A hedgehog is any of the small spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. ... Families Erinaceidae Soricidae Talpidae Solenodontidae The biological order Insectivora in the past was used as a scrapbasket for a variety of small to very small, relatively unspecialized, insectivorous mammals. ... Genera Atherurus Hystrix Thecurus Trichys The Old World porcupines are large representatives of the terrestrial rodent mammals, distinguished by their spiny covering from which they take their name. ... Families Many, see text The order Rodentia is the most numerous of all the branches on the mammal family tree. ... Genera  Coendou  Sphiggurus  Erethizon  Echinoprocta The New World porcupines are large terrestrial rodents, distinguished by their spiny covering from which they take their name. ... Bee hovering in flight In evolutionary biology, parallel evolution refers to the independent evolution of similar traits in closely related lineages of species, while convergent evolution refers to the appearance of striking similarities among lineages of organisms only very distantly related. ... Species Smilodon californicus Smilodon fatalis Smilodon gracilis Smilodon populator The large extinct cats known as smilodon lived approximately 3 million-10,000 years ago in North America and South America. ... subfamilies Nimravinae Hoplophoninae Barbourofelinae The Nimravidae, also known as false sabre-tooths, are an extinct family of mammalian carnivores. ... Species Thylacosmilus was a saber-toothed marsupial predator that first appeared during the Miocene. ... Families Cyclopedidae Myrmecophagidae Anteaters are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. ... Families Pampatheriidae (prehistoric) Glyptodontidae (prehistoric) Dasypodidae Armadillos are small placental mammals, known for having a bony armor shell. ... Species Manis culionensis Manis gigantea Manis temminckii Manis tricuspis Manis tetradactyla Manis crassicaudata Manis pentadactyla Manis javanica Pangolins (pronounced ) or scaly anteaters are mammals in the order Pholidota. ... Binomial name Orycteropus afer (Pallas, 1766) Aardvark range map The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer; sometimes called antbear)[1] is a medium-sized mammal native to Africa. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Binomial name Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836 Subspecies Myrmecobius fasciatus fasciatus Myrmecobius fasciatus rufus The Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a small marsupial endemic to western Australia. ... Binomial name Phascolarctos cinereus Goldfuss, 1817 The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus; sometimes also spelled Phascolarctus cinereus) is a thickset arboreal marsupial herbivore endemic to Australia, and the only representative of its family, Phascolarctidae. ... Binomial name Tarsipes rostratus Gervais & Verreaux, 1842 The Honey Possum (Tarsipes rostratus) or Noolbenger is a tiny Australian marsupial weighing just five to 10 grams—about half the size of a mouse. ... Binomial name Alle alle (Linnaeus, 1758) The Little Auk, or Dovekie, Alle alle, is a small auk, the only member of the genus Alle (Link, 1806). ... “Atlantic” redirects here. ... Families Thinocoridae Pedionomidae Scolopacidae Rostratulidae Jacanidae Chionididae Burhinidae Haematopodidae Recurvirostridae Ibidorhynchidae Charadriidae Pluvianellidae Dromadidae Glareolidae Stercorariidae Rhynchopidae Laridae Sternidae Alcidae Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. ... The diving petrels are seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. ... Families Procellariidae Diomedeidae Hydrobatidae Pelecanoididae Procellariiformes (from the Latin procella, a storm) is an order of birds formerly called Tubinares and still called tubenoses in English. ... Genera Uria Alle Alca Pinguinus Synthliboramphus Cepphus Brachyramphus Ptychoramphus Aethia Cerorhinca Fratercula Extinct genera, see Systematics Auks are birds of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. ... The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and about 88-90% of the human population. ... Modern genera Aptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus For prehistoric genera, see Systematics Some penguins are curious. ... southern hemisphere highlighted in yellow (Antarctica not depicted). ... Orders Falconiformes (Fam. ... † see also: Accipitridae Old World vultures belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. ... Genera Cathartes Coragyps Gymnogyps Sarcorhamphus The New World vulture family Cathartidae contains seven species found in North and South America. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (768x652, 66 KB)A Nubian Vulture. ... Binomial name Torgos tracheliotus (Forster, 1791) The Lappet-faced Vulture, Torgos tracheliotus, is an African Old World vulture belonging to the bird order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. ...

Turkey vulture, a New World vulture Download high resolution version (651x765, 259 KB)Turkey vulture in profile. ... Binomial name Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is the most common vulture in the Americas. ...

• The Flightless Cormorant of the Galapagos Islands, unlike other cormorants, now has wings developed for swimming rather than flight, equal in proportion to penguins.

Other

• The similarities in diet and activity patterns between the thorny devil (Moloch horridus) and the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) both in different clades.
• The Neotropical poison dart frog and the Mantella of Madagascar have independently developed similar mechanisms for obtaining alkaloids from a diet of ants and storing the toxic chemicals in skin glands. They have also independently evolved similar bright skin colors that warn predators of their toxicity–(by the opposite of crypsis, namely aposematism).
• Assassin spiders are a group comprising two lineages that evolved independently. They have very long necks and fangs proportionately larger than thaose of any other spider, and hunt other spiders by snagging them from a distance.
• The smelling organs of the terrestrial coconut crab are similar to those of insects.
• The prehistoric fish-like reptile Ophthalmosaurus and the aquatic mammal Dolphins and Tuna
• The brachiopods and bivalve molluscs, which both have very similar shells

Binomial name Nannopterum harrisi (Rothschild, 1898) The Flightless Cormorant, Nannopterum harrisi, is a cormorant native to the Galapagos Islands. ... NASA Satellite photo of the Galápagos archipelago. ... For other uses, see Cormorant (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Moloch horridus Gray, 1841 The Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) is also known as the Thorny Dragon, Thorny Lizard, or the Moloch. ... Binomial name Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan, 1825) The Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) is one of 14 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards. ... Greek clados = branch) or phylogenetic systematics is a branch of biology that determines the evolutionary relationships of living things based on derived similarities. ... The Neotropic ecozone is a terrestrial ecoregion which includes South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. ... {{Taxobox | color = aqua | name = Poison arrow frogs | image = Dendrobates pumilio. ... Species See text. ... Diagram of Ephedrine An alkaloid, strictly speaking, is a naturally-occurring amine produced by a plant,[1] but amines produced by animals and fungi are also called alkaloids. ... Subfamilies Aenictogitoninae Agroecomyrmecinae Amblyoponinae (incl. ... Crypsis is a phenomena where an organisms appearance allows it to blend well into its environment. ... The bright colours of this Yellow-winged Darter dragonfly serve as a warning to predators of its noxious taste. ... Assassin spider with a victim. ... Binomial name Birgus latro Linnaeus, 1767 Coconut crab distribution The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. ... Had extraordinarily large eyes. ... This article is about the dolphin mammal. ... A shoal of skipjack tuna Tuna are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ... Classes Lingulata Paterinata (extinct) Craniforma Chileata (extinct) Obolellata (extinct) Kutorginata (extinct) Strophomenata (extinct) Rhynchonellata Brachiopods (from Latin bracchium, arm + New Latin -poda, foot) make up one of the major animal phyla, Brachiopoda. ... Orders Subclass Protobranchia Solemyoida Nuculoida Subclass Pteriomorphia - oysters Arcoida Mytiloida Pterioida Subclass Paleoheterodonta - mussels Trigoinoida Unionoida Subclass Heterodonta - clams, zebra mussels Veneroida Myoida Subclass Anomalosdesmata Pholadomyoida Animals of the Class Bivalvia are known as bivalves because they typically have two-part shells, with both parts being more or less symmetrical. ...

Plant examples

• Prickles, thorns and spines are all modified plant tissues that have evolved to prevent or limit herbivory, these structures have evolved independently a number of times.
• The aerial rootlets found in ivy (Hedera) are similar to those of the Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) and some other vines. These rootlets are not derived from a common ancestor but have the same function of clinging to whatever support is available.
• Many Euphorbia and Cactaceae species occur in hot, dry environments and have similar modifications (see picture below).

Euphorbia obesa Raised thorns on the stem of the wait-a-bit climber Prickles on rose stems Thorns of the Ocotillo A spine is a rigid, pointed surface protuberance or needle-like structure on an animal, shell, or plant, presumably serving as a defense against attack by predators. ... Raised thorns on the stem of the wait-a-bit climber Prickles on rose stems Thorns of the Ocotillo A spine is a rigid, pointed surface protuberance or needle-like structure on an animal, shell, or plant, presumably serving as a defense against attack by predators. ... Raised thorns on the stem of the wait-a-bit climber Prickles on rose stems Thorns of the Ocotillo A spine is a rigid, pointed surface protuberance or needle-like structure on an animal, shell, or plant, presumably serving as a defense against attack by predators. ... In zoology, an herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat primarily plants (rather than meat). ... Species Hedera algeriensis – Algerian Ivy Hedera azorica – Azores Ivy Hedera canariensis – Canaries Ivy Hedera caucasigena Hedera colchica – Caucasian Ivy Hedera cypria Hedera helix – Common Ivy Hedera hibernica – Irish Ivy Hedera maderensis – Madeiran Ivy Hedera maroccana Hedera nepalensis – Himalayan Ivy Hedera pastuchowii – Pastuchovs Ivy Hedera rhombea – Japanese Ivy Hedera sinensis... Binomial name Hydrangea petiolaris Siebold & Zucc. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article needs cleanup. ... This article is about the desert plant. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x700, 118 KB) Summary Description: Euphorbia obesa ssp. ...

Astrophytum asterias Image File history File links Astrophytum_asterias1. ... Species See text. ...

Biochemical/molecular examples

• The existence of distinct families of carbonic anhydrase is believed to illustrate convergent evolution.
• The use of (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl acetate as a sex pheromone by the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and by more than 100 species of Lepidoptera.
• The independent development of the catalytic triad in serine proteases independently with subtilisin in prokaryotes and the chymotrypsin clan in eukaryotes.
• The repeated independent evolution of nylonase in two different strains of Flavobacterium and one strain of Pseudomonas.

Carbonic anhydrase (carbonate dehydratase) is a family of metalloenzymes (enzymes that contain one or more metal atoms as a functional component of the enzyme) that catalyze the rapid interconversion of carbon dioxide and water into carbonic acid, protons, and bicarbonate ions. ... Look up Z, z in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Binomial name Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 Asian Elephant range The Asian or Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus), sometimes known by the name of its nominate subspecies (the Indian Elephant), is one of the three living species of elephant, and the only living species of the genus Elephas. ... Superfamilies Butterflies Hesperioidea Papilionoidea Moths Acanthopteroctetoidea Alucitoidea Axioidea Bombycoidea Calliduloidea Choreutoidea Cossoidea Drepanoidea Epermenioidea Eriocranioidea Galacticoidea Gelechioidea Geometroidea Gracillarioidea Hedyloidea Hepialoidea Heterobathmioidea Hyblaeoidea Immoidea Incurvarioidea Lasiocampoidea Lophocoronoidea Micropterigoidea Mimallonoidea Mnesarchaeoidea Neopseustoidea Nepticuloidea Noctuoidea Palaephatoidea Pterophoroidea Pyraloidea Schreckensteinioidea Sesioidea Simaethistoidea Thyridoidea Tineoidea Tischerioidea Tortricoidea Urodoidea Whalleyanoidea Yponomeutoidea Zygaenoidea The order Lepidoptera... Three amino acid residues found inside the active site of certain proteases. ... Crystal structure of Trypsin, a typical serine protease. ... Subtilisin is a proteolytic enzyme obtained from . ... Prokaryotes (pro-KAR-ee-oht) (from Old Greek pro- before + karyon nut or kernel, referring to the cell nucleus, + suffix -otos, pl. ... Chymotrypsin (bovine γ chymotrypsin: PDB 1AB9, EC 3. ... Kingdoms Animalia - Animals Fungi Plantae - Plants Protista Alternative Phylogeny Unikonta    Opisthokonta    Amoebozoa Bikonta    Apusozoa    Cabozoa       Rhizaria       Excavata    Corticata       Archaeplastida       Chromalveolata Animals, plants, fungi, and protists are eukaryotes (IPA: ), organisms with a complex cell or cells, where the genetic material is organized into a membrane-bound nucleus or nuclei. ... // Original Discovery In 1975 a team of Japanese scientists discovered a strain of Flavobacterium living in ponds containing waste water from a factory producing nylon that was capable of digesting certain byproducts of nylon-6 manufacture, such as, 6-aminohexanoate linear dimer, even though those byproducts had not existed prior... Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges. ... Species group P. aeruginosa P. alcaligenes P. anguilliseptica P. argentinensis P. citronellolis P. flavescens P. mendocina P. nitroreducens P. oleovorans P. pseudoalcaligenes P. resinovorans P. straminea group P. aurantiaca P. aureofaciens P. chlororaphis P. fragi P. lundensis P. taetrolens group P. antarctica P. azotoformans P. cedrina P. corrugata P. fluorescens...

References

• Rasmussen, L.E.L., Lee, T.D., Roelofs, W.L., Zhang, A., Doyle Davies Jr, G. (1996). Insect pheromone in elephants. Nature. 379: 684
• Convergent Evolution Examples- Ecological Equivalents, Department of Biology, Bellarmine University