Adaptive Radiation and Tasmanian wolf

Adaptive radiation is a process in which a single ancestral species diversifies into several descendant species that occupy different ecological niches. The Tasmanian wolf, also known as the thylacine, is an example of adaptive radiation.

The Tasmanian wolf was native to Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. It evolved into a diverse group of carnivorous marsupials, ranging from small insectivores to large apex predators. These animals occupied a wide range of ecological niches, such as ground-dwellers, climbers, and burrowers. This diversification allowed the Tasmanian wolf to thrive in a variety of habitats, from the rainforests of New Guinea to the grasslands of Australia.

Adaptive Convergence and Sugar Glider

Adaptive convergence is a process in which unrelated species evolve similar traits due to similar selective pressures. The sugar glider is an example of adaptive convergence.

The sugar glider is a small arboreal marsupial that is native to Australia and New Guinea. It has a distinctive gliding membrane that allows it to glide from tree to tree. This gliding membrane is similar to the gliding membranes of flying squirrels and colugos, which are not closely related to sugar gliders. This similarity is an example of adaptive convergence, as the sugar glider and these other species evolved similar traits due to similar selective pressures, such as the need to navigate through the forest canopy.

Analogy and Neither Tasmanian wolf nor Sugar Glider

Analogy is a process in which unrelated species evolve similar traits due to similar functions, not due to selective pressures. Neither the Tasmanian wolf nor the sugar glider are examples of analogy, as their similar traits are due to different processes (adaptive radiation and adaptive convergence, respectively).

Tasmanian wolf and sugar glider are Australian marsupials representing adaptive radiation.