Co-evolution

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/co-evolution

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is co-evolution?Co-evolution is when two species change together because they live close to each other and influence each other’s traits.
2. How do predators and prey help each other evolve?When a predator gets better at hunting, the prey must get better at escaping, so both keep improving through natural selection.

Reciprocal Selection: The process where genetic changes in one species impose selective pressures that drive genetic changes in another species, and vice versa.
Speciation: The evolutionary process by which new biological species arise from existing ones.
Antagonistic Co-evolution: Co-evolutionary interactions where one species benefits at the expense of another, such as predator-prey or host-parasite relationships.
Mutualistic Co-evolution: Co-evolutionary interactions where both species involved derive a net benefit from their relationship.