homoparity
Homoparity is a term used in evolutionary biology to describe a situation where two species that are closely related exhibit similar traits due to shared ancestry, rather than independent evolution of the same trait. This is in contrast to homoplasy, where similar traits arise independently in different lineages. Homoparity occurs when a trait that was present in a common ancestor is retained in both descendant lineages.
For example, if two bird species descend from an ancestor that had a specific beak shape, and
Identifying homoparity is crucial for reconstructing evolutionary relationships. When researchers observe similar traits in related species,