[2026] PTE Academic Reading - Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches.A classic example is the streamlined body shape of dolphins and sharks.While dolphins are mammals and sharks are fish, their shared anatomical features are an adaptive response to the physics of moving through water efficiently.These traits are not inherited from a common ancestor but are the product of natural selection acting on different lineages to solve identical challenges.In contrast, divergent evolution involves the splitting of a single ancestral species into multiple diverse forms.This typically occurs when a population of a species is separated into different habitats, leading each group to undergo unique adaptations that eventually distinguish them from their original lineage.