Rapid diversification of a lineage into many forms filling different niches, as with Hawaiian honeycreepers.
After a colonist enters an environment with empty niches or after a mass extinction, a lineage diversifies. Examples: Darwin's finches (about 15 species), Hawaiian honeycreepers, African cichlids and mammals after the dinosaur extinction.
It is rapid on geological timescales.
Rapid diversification of a lineage into many forms filling different niches, as with Hawaiian honeycreepers.
Adaptive Radiation is one of the 53 topics in Evolution. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Allopatric Speciation, Punctuated Equilibrium, Charles Darwin.
Marsupials in Australia filled niches equivalent to placental mammals elsewhere.
Work through the Beginner topics in Evolution first, such as Evolution, Natural Selection, Charles Darwin, then return to Adaptive Radiation. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Adaptive Radiation are Allopatric Speciation, Punctuated Equilibrium, Charles Darwin, Divergent Evolution. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Adaptive Radiation. To practise the whole of Evolution, use the Evolution quiz.
Adaptive Radiation: Rapid diversification of a lineage into many forms filling different niches, as with Hawaiian honeycreepers. Allopatric Speciation: Speciation after a geographic barrier separates populations, as with Darwin's finches on separate islands. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Allopatric Speciation and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Evolution quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Speciation after a geographic barrier separates populations, as with Darwin's finches on separate islands.
🦎 EvolutionSuggests species remain stable for long periods interrupted by short bursts of rapid change.
🦎 EvolutionThe naturalist who proposed natural selection in On the Origin of Species in 1859 after the Beagle voyage.
🦎 EvolutionRelated species become increasingly different as they adapt to separate environments.
🦎 Evolution