coevolution

[ koh-ev-uh-loo-shuhnor, especially British, -ee-vuh- ]

noun

1. evolution involving a series of reciprocal changes in two or more noninterbreeding populations that have a close ecological relationship and act as agents of natural selection for each other, as the succession of adaptations of a predator for pursuing and of its prey for fleeing or evading.

coevolution

/ kəʊˌiːvəˈluːʃən /

noun

1. the evolution of complementary adaptations in two or more species of organisms because of a special relationship that exists between them, as in insect-pollinated plants and their insect pollinators

coevolution

/ kō′ĕv-ə-lo̅o̅′shən /

1. The evolution of two or more species that interact closely with one another, with each species adapting to changes in the other. The mutually beneficial development of flowering plants and insects such as bees and butterflies that pollinate them is an example of coevolution, as is the mutually antagonistic development of prey and predator species in which defensive adaptations in the one are matched by counteradaptations in the other aimed at neutralizing or overcoming them.

coevolution

1. The process that occurs when two species influence each other during evolution . For example, an insect may evolve specialized parts that allow it to feed on a specific flower, whereas the flower evolves to facilitate pollination by that particular insect.

Other Words From

• coev·o·lution·ar·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of coevolution¹

First recorded in 1960–65; co- + evolution

Example Sentences

One hurdle for glycobiology, Gagneux noted, is that even closely related species with high levels of genetic similarity, like chimps and humans, have glycans that can vary significantly because of constant, ongoing coevolution.

From Quanta Magazine

Because of host-pathogen coevolution, “there’s a lot of diversity” in the glycome, Cummings said.

From Quanta Magazine

If there has been a gene-culture coevolution for musicality, the larger message for the sciences is that the interplay of biology and culture has shaped important aspects of the human mind.

From Nautilus

For the 2018 CASP competition, DeepMind took these basic ideas about coevolution and contact prediction but added two important twists.

From Fortune

With this book he has given his successors an indispensable guide to continuing the Sino-American “coevolution” he began.

From The Daily Beast