In plants, members of the euphorbia family and the cactus family have separate origins, with the euphorbia evolving in the desert regions of Asia and Africa and the cacti in the desert regions of the Americas. Both have fleshy stems adapted for water storage, protective spines, and leaves that are greatly reduced or absent. The similarities between these two families of plants represent an example of ____________.

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Answer: The two families of plants  represent the convergent adaptation.

Explanation: The Europhobia species gets found in Asia and Africa. They have adapted according to the harsh and arid desert environments. The cactus family too followed the similar path to survive the adaption came in the form

- Longitudinal ribs of the stems

- Spines and shorter leaves

- Evolved fibrous root system being shallower

- Succulent stems allow storing water

- Adapted to Crassulacean metabolism

Both cactus and Europhobic species have adapted the convergent evolution. The ribs can contract during the sweltering climatic conditions and protect the stomata of the plant. This way, both the plants can conserve water and regulate the gaseous exchange.

Adaptation is defined as the act or process of changing to better suit the environment. Adaptation is the key to evolutionary studies.

The similarities between the two families of Euphorbia and Cactus show the convergent evolution.

Convergent evolution can be explained as:

  • Convergent evolution is defined as the process in which distantly related organisms evolve similar traits to adapt to similar surrounding conditions.

  • Euphorbia and cactus are the two distant families of plants, which exhibit similar traits such as fleshy stems, protective stems, and leaves greatly reduced or absent to prevent water loss.

  • The presence of similar traits in both families is the result of the convergent evolution.

Thus, the correct answer is Convergent Evolution.

To know more about convergent evolution, refer to the following link:

https://brainly.com/question/3405872