Adaptive radiation refers to:

Adaptive radiation refers to evolution of different species from a common ancestor. It is the evolutionary process by which many species originate from one species in an area and radiate to different species. The mammals are adapted for different mode of life i.e., they show Adaptive radiation. They can be aerial (bat), aquatic(whale and dolphins), burrowing or fossorial (rat), cursorial (horse), or arboreal (monkey). The adaptive radiation is also known as Divergent evolution.