What does the concept of parallelism refer to in evolutionary biology?

In evolutionary biology, the concept of parallelism refers to the adaptive convergence of closely related groups. This occurs when two or more related species develop similar traits or adaptations in response to similar environmental pressures or ecological niches, even though they have evolved separately. Such parallels showcase how species sharing a recent common ancestor can exhibit concurrent evolutionary changes, highlighting their shared ancestry while still adapting to different environments. This phenomenon can be observed in different species of animals or plants where similar adaptations arise due to analogous environmental challenges, supporting the idea that evolutionary processes can lead to similar solutions among closely related organisms.