specialization

angiosperms have evolved specialized cells and tissues that carry out these functions and have further evolved specialized vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) that translocate the water and nutrients to all areas of the plant body. The specialization of the plant body, which has evolved as an adaptation to…

On most continents, reciprocal evolutionary changes, or coevolution, between grasses and large grazing mammals have taken place over periods of millions of years. Many grass species have evolved the ability to tolerate high levels of grazing, which is evident to anyone who…

It is now evident that the parasitic lifestyle often favours extreme specialization to a single host or a small group of hosts. Living for a long period of time on a single host, a parasite must remain attached within or on its…

Specialization is not always a liability; in times of environmental stability, the specialized animal enjoys many advantages, but, in a rapidly changing world, it is the less-specialized animals that are more likely to survive and flourish. The plasticity of primate behaviour is largely a function…