Patterns of Evolution

There are four common patterns of evolution:

• Divergent evolution describes two or more species that evolved from a common ancestor.
  
  
• Convergent evolution describes two or more unrelated species that have adopted similar adaptations to their environment.
  
  
• Parallel evolution describes two or more species that have continued to evolve similar characteristics even after their divergence from a common ancestor.
  
  
• Coevolution describes the evolution of one species in response to the evolution of another. Coevolution usually occurs in a predator-prey relationship.