Revision as of 16:53, 27 January 2008 edit Random Replicator (talk \| contribs) 1,924 edits m →Comparative anatomy: minor tweak ← Previous edit		Revision as of 16:55, 27 January 2008 edit undo Random Replicator (talk \| contribs) 1,924 edits m →Comparative anatomy: simplify Next edit →
Line 118: ;Convergent evolution Anatomical comparisons can be misleading, as not all anatomical similarities indicate a close relationship. Organisms that share similar environments will often develop similar physical features, a process known as ''[[convergent evolution]]''. Both [[shark]]s and [[dolphin]]s have similar body forms, yet are only distantly related – sharks are [[fish]] and dolphins are [[mammal]]s. Such similarities are a result of both populations being exposed to the same [[selective pressure]]s. Within both groups, changes that aid swimming have been favored. Thus, over time, they developed similar appearances (morphology), even though they are not closely related.<ref name= johnson2>{{citation \|last= Johnson\|first=George \| year =2002 \| publication-date = \| contribution = Convergent and Divergent Evolution\| contribution-url = http://www.txtwriter.com/backgrounders/Evolution/EVpage14.html\| title =The Evidence for Evolution\| publisher = 'On Science' column in St. Louis Post Dispatch\| url =http://www.txtwriter.com/backgrounders/index.html \|format = web resource\|accessdate=2008-01-23 }}.</ref> {{clear}}

Introduction to evolution: Difference between revisions