What term is used to describe the rapid diversification of a gene pool when species are introduced to new environments?

The term that describes the rapid diversification of a gene pool when species are introduced to new environments is adaptive radiation. This phenomenon occurs when organisms evolve rapidly to fill various ecological niches and adapt to different environments following a significant change, such as the colonization of a new habitat or a mass extinction event that opens up new opportunities for survival and reproduction.

Adaptive radiation is characterized by a single ancestral species evolving into a wide array of forms that are adapted to different environments, leading to the development of new species that fulfill various roles in their ecosystems. This is often observed in islands or isolated ecosystems where a few colonizing species can dramatically diversify due to the lack of competition and the availability of new resources.

In contrast, convergent evolution refers to the process where unrelated species develop similar traits due to similar environmental pressures, rather than from a common ancestor. Divergent evolution involves two related species evolving differences from a common ancestral source, while coevolution occurs when two or more species influence each other's evolutionary pathways through interactions, such as predator-prey dynamics or mutualistic relationships. These concepts highlight various evolutionary processes but do not specifically capture the rapid diversification associated with a new environment like adaptive radiation does.