Bifurcation

A '''bifurcation''' occurs when a small smooth change made to the 
parameter values (the bifurcation parameters) of a system 
causes a sudden 'qualitative' or topological change in 
its behaviour.

In an evolutionary system, the bifurcation of a 
[[Phylogenetic Tree|phylogenetic tree]] is named
[[Speciation|speciation]].

== Links ==

* Wikipedia entry for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bifurcation_%28dynamical_systems%29 Bifurcation theory]

* MathWorld entry for [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Bifurcation.html Bifurcation]