Similarities in the base pairing of DNA strands

have been analysed to show evolutionary links

between organisms. The analysis of DNA between
humans and other primates shows that humans
are more closely related to chimpanzees than they
are to the Rhesus monkey. Furthermore it showed
that chimps are more closely related to humans
than they are to gorillas.
This technique can be used to identify
similarities in the DNA structure hence determine
evolutionary relationships between organisms.
Theroleofisolation:
For a new species to evolve, groups of
organisms need to be isolated from each other.
Organisms may become isolated by some
physical barrier.
Within each separate population, mutations
occur and different variations are produced.
Natural selection acts on the different
populations in different ways as they have different
characteristics and different selection pressures.
Eventually the population become so
different that they can no longer interbreed, giving
rise to a new species.
Geographicalisolation:Example 1: Break up of
Gondwanaland:About 100 million years ago the
southern continents separated, isolating all the
species they contained from other continents. As
the continents drifted apart each continent

experienced different environmental conditions

and new organisms evolved by natural selection.
Example 2: Eastern and Western Australian
species:Within Australia, geographical barriers
such as the formation of deserts in central
Australia, isolated organisms in the east from those
in the west.
DivergentEvolution(Adaptiveradiation):
Organisms originate from a common
ancestor.
The ancestor spreads into different
environments.
Different selection pressures operate. This
results in different changes in the characteristics of
the population at different locations.
Eventually, due to isolation they diverge
into different species.
E.g. the variations in the pentadactyl limb
are an example of divergent evolution. Evolution
led to modification of the basic pattern to serve
different functions, thus allowing descendents to
occupy different niches.
Example Darwins finches:
Darwin described fourteen different finches
on the Galapagos and Cocos islands.
They all had grey brown to black feathers,
similar nests and egg sizes but had different body
size, beak size and shape as they had different
food sources.