repeated evolution
nounUK /rɪˈpiːtɪd ˌiːvəˈluːʃən/
US /rɪˈpiːtɪd ˌɛvəˈluːʃən/
When the same kind of body or habit shows up again and again in different animals that are not close family.
The wings of bats and birds are a case of repeated evolution, since both groups grew wings on their own.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The appearance of the same feature more than once within a single line of descent.
Repeated evolution of long legs happened several times in the same lizard family.
3. In biology, the independent origin of similar traits in separate lineages.
Repeated evolution explains why many desert plants have thick, waxy leaves.
4. A pattern where similar solutions to a problem arise again in unrelated groups.
Eyes evolved by repeated evolution in many different animal groups.