Convergence is not difficult

For those who do not know what convergence is in biology, it should be clarified that this concept came to us from the Latin language and means it "rapprochement." It should be noted that this definition is used not only in biology, but also in linguistics, telecommunications, and even in political science. That is why it should be understood that convergence is a certain similarity of features in organisms that are dissimilar in nature, originated in the context of evolution. As a result of this process, they have a certain number of similar characteristics (for example, the external appearance, the structure of the organs).

Many people know that by convergence there were, for example, streamlined sharks, dolphins, flying membranes in marsupial squirrels and flying squirrels. If we talk about the evolutionary form of groups of living organisms, then convergence and divergence, as well as parallelism, are singled out.

Irreversibility of the evolutionary process

In the process of evolution each organism passed certain stages in its development, and this concerned absolutely all structural components. And if convergence is a "similarity," then it's worth considering other concepts.

1. Divergence - these are the differences of features that exist within a particular species. This biological process leads to the emergence of new groups and individuals. The more pronounced the divergence, the more differences are acquired by any particular species, as a result of which the organisms begin to differ not only in appearance, but also in the internal structure, the habitat and the peculiarities of the choice of space for existence. And only those who can survive in the environment can choose one area. In connection with the fact that the key concept of evolution is natural selection, only the strongest species survive, while the weaker ones survive.

2. Convergence is, first of all, a phenomenon opposite to divergence. In this case, different organisms begin to acquire similar forms. Often this is related to the same habitat, its basic conditions and characteristics. It is worth noting that the phenomenon of convergence is most common in the animal world, where, for example, birds can not do without wings, fish should have a streamlined shape, and so on.

3. Parallelism - in translation from the Greek language, this concept means "walking alongside". This development in the context of the evolution of similar groups that are genetically related, but the acquisition of similar traits in these representatives does not depend on each other. Almost always, these signs are inherited from ancestors. Taking into account that convergence is similar features that gradually appear with a certain dependence, parallelism is caused directly by the historical process (in particular, we are talking about phylogeny).

Why Convergence Occurs

When considering the basic concepts in the context of evolution, it has already been said that convergence is a frequent phenomenon, which is inherent mainly to representatives of the animal world. Naturally, both divergence and parallelism are often found in nature. But the necessity of convergence can not be denied, because the reasons for the appearance of such similarities are due not to the presence of kinship, but to a certain set of characteristics that needed to evolve in the evolutionary process, so that this or that species of living organisms survived and became stronger.

So, the main reason for convergence is the direct similarity of ecological niches in which some or other representatives of the animal world live. If you look at the most popular examples of convergent similarities, you can understand why these or other species of representatives of living organisms have some specific form, appearance and certain lifestyle characteristics.