Coevolution is a biological concept that occurs when two or more species reciprocally affect each others evolution through the process of natural selection. It can also refer to two traits in the same species affecting each others evolution. Coevolution is likely to happen when different species have close ecological interactions with one another, such as predator/prey and parasite/host relationships, competitive species, and mutualistic species.
Examples of coevolution can be found between plants and insects, where plants and their pollinators are so reliant on each other that biologists have good reason to think that “matches” between the two are the result of a coevolutionary process. Coevolution can also occur between wolves and deer, where the deer evolve to be faster to avoid being caught by wolves, and the wolves evolve to be faster to catch the faster deer/05%3A_Evolution/5.23%3A_Coevolution).
Coevolution is a complex process that occurs on many levels and can involve many species. It does not necessarily require the presence of antagonism, and the interactions or characteristics within groups of unrelated species may converge to allow individual species to exploit valuable resources or enjoy increased protection. Once an interaction evolves between two species, other species within the community may develop traits akin to those integral to the interaction, whereby new species enter into the interaction.
