adaptive radiation
noun Biology.
the diversification of an ancestral group of organisms into a variety of related forms specialized to fit different environments or ways of life, each often further diversifying into more specialized types.
Origin of adaptive radiation
First recorded in 1900–05
Words nearby adaptive radiation
adaption,
adaptive,
adaptive behavior scale,
adaptive hypertrophy,
adaptive optics,
adaptive radiation,
adaptogen,
adaptogenic,
adaptometer,
adaptor,
adar
British Dictionary definitions for adaptive radiation
adaptive radiation
noun
evolution of a number of divergent species from a common ancestor, each species becoming adapted to occupy a different environment. This type of evolution occurred in the Tertiary manuals and the Mesozoic reptiles
Scientific definitions for adaptive radiation
adaptive radiation
[ ə-dăp′tĭv ]
The evolutionary diversification of a species or single ancestral lineage into various forms that are each adaptively specialized to a specific environmental niche. Adaptive radiation generally proceeds most rapidly in environments where there are numerous unoccupied niches or where competition for resources is minimal. See Note at adaptation.