What evolutionary process explains why woodrats developed traits similar to Old World rats despite their earlier taxonomic separation?
Answer
Convergent evolution
The observation that woodrats, belonging to the Cricetidae family, share traits like body structure and hoarding behaviors with the Old World rats from the Muridae family illustrates the principle of convergent evolution. This occurs when unrelated or distantly related organisms independently evolve similar traits or features as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. Because both groups faced similar selective pressures—such as needing to gather and store resources—they developed similar solutions, like building large nests or exhibiting hoarding tendencies, even though their recent shared ancestry is separated by a significant span of evolutionary time.
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