When one species influences another species evolutionary development it is known as Coevolution

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Coevolution Essay                Corey Diamond

                Period 1

                12/6/11

        When one species influences another species’ evolutionary development it is known as Coevolution. Coevolution is a mutually beneficial relationship between two species that enable their survival as a species or as an individual organism. The theory of coevolution was first conceived by Charles Darwin who observed a symbiotic relationship between the insects and flowers on his farm. Darwin discerned that the physical discrepancies of flowers could not have come about through self-pollination, but could have only been attained through pollination from other plants. In order to justify his theory that plants evolved and reproduced through the pollen of other plants, he explained that insects played a role in the conveyance of pollen. Darwin explained that when insects trekked to a flower for its nectar, pollen from the flower would fasten to the insects and be transported to another flower when that particular insect disembarked on it. In this way, the flower depended on the insect for reproduction and the insect depended on the flower for food. The communal relationship between the insect and the flower for survival is coevolution.

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        Not only does the relationship that Darwin observed help the species survive, but it also causes them to evolve in order to achieve a more seamless relationship with each other, and thus a better probability of survival.  The two species will evolve through natural selection to better fit each other’s niche. If a flower has a very deep nectary, insects that have long proboscises will be able to reach the nectar of the flower and survive, while insects with short proboscises will die. Meanwhile, flowers that have certain traits that makes it easier for the insects to feed, while still ...

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