Q.Differentiate divergent evolution from convergent evolution with one example each.

Divergent evolution produces different traits from a shared ancestry; convergent evolution produces similar traits from independent (different) ancestries.

In divergent evolution, a group of organisms sharing a common ancestor spreads into different habitats or ecological niches, and natural selection favours different adaptations in each population, leading to increasingly different structures over time -- Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands, which evolved distinctly shaped beaks suited to different food sources from a shared ancestral finch, are the classic example; such traits are termed homologous, reflecting shared origin despite different current form/function. In convergent evolution, by contrast, species that are not closely related independently evolve similar structures or body forms because they face similar selective pressures in similar environments -- sharks (fish) and dolphins (mammals) independently evolved a similar streamlined, fin-bearing body shape suited to fast aquatic movement, even though their most recen …