In evolutionary biology, a species flock is a diverse, primarily monophyletic, group of closely related species in an isolated area.
A species flock may arise when a species penetrates a new geographical area and diversifies to occupy a variety of ecological niches; this process is known as adaptive radiation. The first species flock to be recognized as such was the 13 species of Darwin's finches on the Galápagos Islands described by Charles Darwin.
A species flock may also arise when a species acquires an adaptation that allows it to exploit a new ecological niche.
All the members of a species flock usually share one or more synapomorphies.
Read more about Species Flock: Examples
Famous quotes containing the words species and/or flock:
“The question that will decide our destiny is not whether we shall expand into space. It is: shall we be one species or a million? A million species will not exhaust the ecological niches that are awaiting the arrival of intelligence.”
—Freeman Dyson (b. 1923)
“... what a family is without a steward, a ship without a pilot, a flock without a shepherd, a body without a head, the same, I think, is a kingdom without the health and safety of a good monarch.”
—Elizabeth I (1533–1603)