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Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

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Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
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Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

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Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.
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The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

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Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
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Speciation Rates01:07

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Phylogeny01:23

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Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire kingdom.
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What is Evolutionary History?02:35

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 7, 2026

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects
07:42

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects

Published on: December 10, 2015

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Evolution: Flight of the Ratites.

Florian Maderspacher1

  • 1Florian Maderspacher is Current Biology's Senior Reviews Editor.

Current Biology : CB
|February 8, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Flightless ratite birds, now found across the Southern Hemisphere, likely originated from the North. These large, ancient birds dispersed across continents after flying from northern ancestral origins.

Area of Science:

  • Paleornithology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biogeography

Background:

  • Ratite birds (ostriches, emus, kiwis, etc.) are a diverse group of flightless avians.
  • These birds are geographically isolated across the Southern Hemisphere's continents, including South America, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • Their current distribution presents a biogeographical puzzle, given the vast oceanic separations between these landmasses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary origins and dispersal patterns of flightless ratite birds.
  • To understand the mechanisms that led to the wide geographic separation of ratites across the Southern Hemisphere.
  • To reconcile the distribution of ratites with paleogeographic and paleoclimatic data.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analyses of avian DNA sequences to reconstruct evolutionary relationships.

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Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill
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Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 7, 2026

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FLEX: Flight Exercise Training Protocol for the Fruit Fly Drosophila
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FLEX: Flight Exercise Training Protocol for the Fruit Fly Drosophila

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Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill
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  • Comparative analysis of fossil records to establish timelines of ratite evolution.
  • Biogeographical modeling incorporating tectonic plate movements and climate change data.

    • Main Results:

    • Phylogenetic studies indicate that ratites form a monophyletic group, suggesting a single common ancestor.
    • Molecular clock estimates place the origin of ratites in the Northern Hemisphere during the Cretaceous period.
    • Evidence suggests that early ratites possessed the ability to fly, facilitating their dispersal southward.

    Conclusions:

    • The current distribution of flightless ratites is best explained by dispersal from a Northern Hemisphere origin, not vicariance.
    • Early ratites likely utilized migratory routes or continental connections to colonize the Southern Hemisphere before continental fragmentation.
    • The evolution of flightlessness occurred independently in different ratite lineages after their arrival in the Southern Hemisphere.