Question

What is the most important pre-condition for adaptive radiation?

Answer 1

Definition:

The process by which new species are formed by adapting to its environment from a common ancestor is called adaptive radiation.

Adaptive radiations in finches:

● Due to an environmental event some of these ancestral seed eating finches were carried along with the strong wind to the Galapagos islands.

● These finches could not go back to the mainland.

● They occupied different regions of the island and their beaks adapted according to the different kinds of food available in their geographical region. This gave rise to different finches species.

Pre-condition:

Geographical isolation or barrier is a precondition for adaptive radiation.