The Concept of Convergent Evolution and Its Relationship to the Understanding of Form and Function

Within the field of evolutionary biology, divergence and convergence are two major phenomena that have helped shape the diversity and disparity of the Earth’s biota throughout the history of life. Exploration of them has contributed to the interpretation of dissimilarities (divergence) and similarities (convergence) in organismic form, function and behaviour at various hierarchical levels and how they favour, in some fashion, the emergence of optimal traits via natural and/or sexual selection across the full spectrum of occupied environments.