evolutionary trend

• Padrão de mudança ou desenvolvimento gradual em uma direção específica ao longo do tempo, usado especialmente em biologia para descrever a evolução das espécies, mas também aplicado em tecnologia, negócios e ciências sociais.

A pattern of gradual change or development in a particular direction over time, often used in biology to describe changes in species, but also applied in technology, business, and social sciences.

1. Direction of biological changeC1formal

   A consistent pattern or direction of change in the characteristics of a species or group of organisms over successive generations.

   Tendência evolutiva

   • The evolutionary trend towards larger body size in dinosaurs is well-documented.
   • Biologists study the evolutionary trend of increasing brain size in hominids.
   • A clear evolutionary trend in horses is the reduction of toe number.

2. General pattern of developmentC1formal

   A long-term, directional change in the features or behaviors of a lineage, often driven by natural selection.

   Tendência evolutiva

   • The evolutionary trend of flightlessness in island birds is a classic example.
   • Researchers observed an evolutionary trend towards more complex social structures in primates.
   • The fossil record shows an evolutionary trend of increasing body armor in certain reptiles.