Radiation Triangle
When these conditions align, a single lineage can explode into extraordinary diversity.
The three biological ingredients required for adaptive radiation: ecological opportunity (empty niches or access to underexploited resources), evolvability (genetic variation and developmental flexibility to generate novel traits), and reproductive isolation (mechanisms that prevent diverging populations from interbreeding and homogenizing). When these conditions align, a single lineage can explode into extraordinary diversity.
When to Use Radiation Triangle
Use to diagnose whether conditions exist for biological diversification, or as foundation for understanding the Strategic Radiation Triangle in business contexts.
How to Apply
Assess Ecological Opportunity
Identify empty niches or underexploited resources that could support new species/forms.
Questions to Ask
- Are there unfilled ecological roles?
- Have competitors been absent or recently removed?
- Has a key innovation unlocked new resources?
Evaluate Evolvability
Assess capacity to generate phenotypic variation through modularity and standing genetic variation.
Questions to Ask
- Are traits developmentally modular (can evolve independently)?
- Does the population have standing genetic variation to act upon?
- Can the lineage iterate rapidly on new forms?
Check Reproductive Isolation
Determine whether mechanisms exist to prevent gene flow from homogenizing diverging populations.
Questions to Ask
- Is there geographic separation?
- Do ecological differences create assortative mating?
- Are there behavioral barriers to interbreeding?