# Adaptive Radiation > **Machine-Evolution Nexus:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] places this node within the history and governance of substrate-independent evolution. **Domain:** Evolution / Ecology **Doc Type:** Canonical Wiki Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Adaptive radiation is rapid diversification of a lineage into forms occupying different ecological roles or niches. ## Nexus Context Avida experiments have reproduced diversification under controlled ecological opportunity, showing that digital populations can generate recognizable macroevolutionary patterns. ## Evidence Boundary Model radiation is evidence about general mechanisms under specified rules, not a complete reconstruction of organismal speciation or Earth history. ## Relationships [[wiki/Ecological Niche|Ecological Niche]], [[wiki/Speciation|Speciation]], [[wiki/Avida|Avida]], [[wiki/Population Dynamics|Population Dynamics]] ## Sources / Provenance - Adaptive-radiation literature; Avida experimental studies.