Lecture 16: Fitness & Adaptation Flashcards
What is an adaptation?
An adaptation increases the fitness of the carrier
What are the three kinds of adaptations?
- Physiological
- Genetic
- Behavioral
What is Darwinian fitness?
- Survival and Reproduction
Define fitness
an individual’s genetic representation in future generations
Understnad adaptation vs. constraints
You want to be the very best but there are constraints
Understand adaptation vs. “effect”
Why is sugar sweet? sugar is nutritious, mutations conferring good taste are favored. Apple farming is an effect, not an adaptation.
Understand current utility vs. historical origin
Adaptation arise “for the purpose” of solving biological “problem”. Some evolve for one function, are co-opted for a second function.
Define exaptation
a characteristic that evolves, but that isn’t considered an adaptation
Understand how unusual structure arise.
Initial mutations that lead to phenotypic variation, subtle differences in survival or reproduction, heritable variation selected
What is the adaptationist programme?
Consists of optimality and constraints.
What type of constraints are organisms subject to?
- Phylogenetic
- Developmental
- Design
- Genetic
What are phylogenetic constraints?
constraints referring to their phylogeny,
What are developmental constraints?
constraints in how the organism develops
What are design constraints?
constrains in the design on the organism, sea turtle
What are genetic constraints?
contraints in the genetics make up
