What major theme does molecular data confirm regarding the evolution of the aquatic lifestyle in beetles?
Answer
The aquatic lifestyle has evolved multiple times independently (convergent evolution).
Phylogenetic analyses based on contemporary evolutionary biology, which sequence the DNA of living beetles, strongly support the conclusion that the successful transition into aquatic habitats was not a singular event. Instead, molecular data demonstrates that unrelated beetle lineages have repeatedly invaded freshwater environments throughout evolutionary history. This phenomenon is known as convergent evolution, where dissimilar ancestral groups evolve similar traits—in this case, aquatic adaptations—independently because they are subjected to the same or similar environmental pressures found in water.
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