Convergence, Natural Selection, 'Survival of the Fittest'

1.) A great example of convergence from the "Improbably Destinies" Chapter 1 was the example of caffeine-producing species.

2.) Convergent evolution is when multiple species have similar traits but do not have a common ancestor. The multiple species independently evolve these similar traits. Divergent evolution is quite the opposite of convergent evolution. Divergent evolution is when related species have evolved similar traits, while convergent evolution is for species who have evolved similar traits and do not have a common ancestor.

3.) The example in #1 showcases convergent evolution because it talks of how these multiple species, cacao, tea, and coffee all produce caffeine but they are on different branches of the evolutionary tree as the diagram below shows. This shows that these species, cacao, tea, and coffee all evolved the caffeine-producing trait independently from one another. 

4.) Due to natural selection, these species could have developed convergent features because they developed the caffeine-producing feature for better fitness of the species. As "Improbably Destinies" stated that all these species produce caffeine in different ways. Producing caffeine could be more beneficial to these plants and allow for longer survival, therefore producing more offspring and spreading the trait more throughout the population. It became a trait through natural selection as it may contribute to the overall fitness of the plants.