Unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments.

• A. Divergent evolution
• B. Convergent evolution
• C. Parallel evolution
• D. Coevolution

Answer: (B)

This question tests convergent evolution—the idea that unrelated organisms can develop similar traits when they face the same environmental challenges. When different lineages encounter similar problems (like moving efficiently through water or capturing prey), natural selection can favor comparable solutions, so their bodies end up looking or functioning alike even though they don’t share a recent common ancestor. For example, dolphins (mammals) and sharks (fish) both have streamlined bodies to reduce drag in water, even though they’re not closely related. The eyes in octopuses and humans are another case of similar solutions to seeing well, arrived at independently. In contrast, divergent evolution happens when related species become more different due to different environments; parallel evolution involves related species evolving similar traits after diverging from a common ancestor; and coevolution describes changes driven by interactions between species, like predators and prey.