The evolutionary development of an organism within a single lineage over time, without branching into new species.
From Greek ana- (up, back) + genesis (origin, creation). The term was coined in biology to describe evolution that occurs in a straight line through one species rather than through splitting and diversification.
Darwin's famous tree of life shows branches splitting apart, but anagenesis is like a single trunk growing taller and changing shape over time—one species gradually transforming into something new without splitting. It's why some scientists debate whether a dinosaur gradually becoming a bird is really a 'new species' or just extreme change.
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