How has the process of continental drift affected evolution?

Question

How has the process of continental drift affected evolution?

Answer 1

By separating members in a given population, and changing the environment, Genetic divergencies occur at different rates. The stronger traits give the changed ones a better opportunity to use the traits, while those not changed are subject to the same risk. If coloration allows one member to go undetected, then the other which is unable to adapt will die out in more significant numbers. The survivers are the continuing species.Look to the galapogus Islands and Australia for divergence.

Answer 2

Weather wise, greatly.  A change in it can wipe out a specie and make another adaptive specie stronger.

Answer 3

A great example: Africa and South America are separated by the Atlantic Ocean, and both contain primates. However, geology tells us that these continents were much closer together 30 million years ago. There are specific differences between the primates of Africa and Asia (a.k.a. the "Old World primates", which includes all the apes, including humans), and the primates of Central and South America (a.k.a. the New World monkeys).

For example, OW primates (which includes humans) all have full three-color vision. NW primates have two color vision ... with one exception ... the Howler Monkey of S. America. But interestingly, the third color pigment in Hower Monkeys is different from the human third pigment. But all the OW monkeys and apes have the same third pigment ... and it is even located on the same gene, same location, and same chromosome as all the OW monkeys.

There are many other features that differ between OW and NW primates ... OW primates have opposable thumbs, and NW primates do not, they have a different nose structure, and different dentition (dental patter), etc. And NW primates have something that OW primates do not (showing a feature that evolved in the New World after the geographic separation) ... namely the prehensile (grasping) tail.

All of these show how geography predicts which animals can be classified together based on physical features. That is *enormous* evidence of ancestral relationships that got separated with the geographic separation.

In other words, evolution + continental drift explains beautifully why these features of primates differ so consistently depending on which side of the Atlantic the species live on.