Talk:Divergent evolution

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Does anyone know if this is synonymous with adaptive radiation? Might need a redirect if so... --postglock 06:14, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I don't think it's synonomous, but a new word used with specific reference to molecular evolution (I think). I spent a while checking this line by tonight, and there are a lot of errors here. For example the divergence of vertebrate limbs is certainly an example of adaptive radiation. "Divergent evolution" is not a term I've seen used before with reference to species. As far as I can tell it's a neologism from the molecular community that refers specifically to DNA or amino acid sequences, rather than to whole organisms or even phenotypic characters such as limbs. "Speciation" and "adaptive radiation" cover the phenomenon of phenotypic divergence quite well and have a long history.

The distinction between convergent evolution and parallel evolution is badly covered here and should be omitted. D. J. Futuma describes the difference clearly in the second edition of his text on evolutionary biology. That would be a good source for a better discussion in the article on parallel evolution.

Some miscellaneous comments: "Divergent evolution occurs when two or more biological characteristics have a common evolutionary origin but have diverged over evolutionary time. This is also known as adaption or adaptive evolution."

Why "two or more"? If it's only one characteristic, why would it have a different name?

I believe the following is the meat of this definition and most of the rest of the article might be deleted. I recommend editing this passage for clarity. For example, omitting "two or more" might be helpful, since the important point is that they are homologous genes.

"Alternatively, "divergent evolution" can be applied to molecular biology characteristics. This could apply to a pathway in two or more organisms or cell types, for example. This can apply to genes and proteins, such as nucleotide sequences or protein sequences that derive from two or more homologous genes. Both orthologous genes (resulting from a speciation event) and paralogous genes (resulting from gene duplication within a population) can be said to display divergent evolution. Because of the latter, it is possible for divergent evolution to occur between two genes within a species."

"The usage of this term and other related terms can vary slightly from one researchers to the next."

This could be because some of the researchers are confused. I gather "Divergent evolution" is a neologism, apparently defined in opposition to "convergent evolution." I looked in the indices of five books about evolution (by Futuyma, Ridley, Mayr, Dobzhansky, and Freeman, 2/e) and did not find the term "divergent evolution" in any of them.

I recommend a pretty thorough revision of this article. I would omit the organismal examples and focus on how the term is used by the molecular community. Eperotao 02:54, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

This article is confusing. I suggest that it be defined at the beginning of the article. Right now, it just starts as if it had already been talking about divergent evolution.66.255.194.1 (talk) 01:28, 3 May 2008 (UTC)

Apple maggot (fly) - evolved where?

This article gives as an example of divergent evolution the history the apple maggot fly, which it states as having occurred in the 1860s onward in Australia.

Yet in checking the 'apple maggot' article, it gives as a time and place for the evolution of this fly as being from 1800 - 1850 in North America.

Both articles can't be correct, can they? So if not, which article is correct? Van Dieman (talk) 04:17, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Simpatry as a factor driving the divergence

The text puts only allopatry as a cause, and even though I don't recall any textbook example for sure, but I think that sympatric divergence is pretty much a classic notion (perhaps more so than actual sympatric speciation). When two related species (or a single species with enough variation) live in the same habitat/territory, they/it may diverge towards different niches not only without isolation but "because" there's no isolation, to "avoid" competition against one another (a particular case of disruptive selection I guess). Whereas geographical isolation/distance can as well inversely have the effect of preserving the species as it was, as long as the environment does not differ that much. An example may be the ground finches of the genus Geospiza. They share the same environment, but each species specializes in feeding from different seed sizes. --Extremophile (talk) 21:55, 2 April 2012 (UTC)

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Though I greatly enjoyed seeing another example incorporated in divergent evolution, I can't seem to find the reference for the apple maggot fly in order to check its credibility... Please add references to that section.

Do we know if divergent evolution is forced or voluntary? If so, why didn't the following evolving population die out due to natural selection? Just some food for thought and if anyone comes across this information in any articles, it would be a great addition to this article!

"After many generations and continual evolution of the separated species, the population eventually becomes two separate species to such an extent where they are no longer able to interbreed with one another. One particular cause of divergent species is adaptive radiation." This is in the divergent species section. Could we get a reference on this fact? This fact seems very limiting. If this is true, then why are mules produced when horses and donkeys mate? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pangapalan.1 (talk • contribs) 01:43, 2 October 2014 (UTC)

Discussion of merge

See: Talk:Divergent evolution in animals Andrew Z. Colvin • Talk 01:53, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: BIOL 412 HONORS

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 2 February 2024 and 3 May 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Ajk1129 (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Morgan098, SydneyPeskovitz, HabitsofEelz.

— Assignment last updated by Cara.begley (talk) 17:40, 10 March 2024 (UTC)

Should I create a section called examples and then have subsection under it for each example or should I have every example be as its own section? Ajk1129 (talk) 19:42, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: BIOL 412 HONORS

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 24 January 2025 and 25 April 2025. Further details are available on the course page. Peer reviewers: Biol412edit.

— Assignment last updated by Magagne1 (talk) 16:33, 27 February 2025 (UTC)

A note to amateurs interested in biology contributing here

First: thank you for your interest in this amazing topic!

Second: Divergence is not always adaptative. We are no longer in the 1970s when neutral vs pan-adaptive is still a somewhat debatable thing. This is one of those tricky spots where the pop-science sources on evolution leave you halfway through a concept and what results is some serious misconceptions. We know as a molecular fact that the vast majority of sequence divergence is neutral, often non-coding entirely. Obviously the nitty gritty here is basically unending, but this is an encyclopedia article so what is valid for inclusion here is info which (in addition to all the normal wiki stuff) is either

1. at or mostly consensus or
2. widely considered theoretical positions or
3. questions generally considered as open/unresolved

In the latter two cases, very clear language needs be supplied which illustrates the hypothetical nature of the position, with solid citation and ideally tertiary sources discussing the field's response (i.e., secondary source) to the primary source(s) of the position itself. The central observational tenet of neutral theory (that most divergence is neutral) at this point falls in the first category, so that topic specifically is moot. Mausfield (talk) 09:28, 23 June 2026 (UTC)