adaptation
adaptation
1. Generally, the adjustments that occur in animals in respect of their environments. The adjustments may occur by natural selection, as individuals with favourable genetic traits breed more prolifically than those lacking these traits (genotypic adaptation), or they may involve non-genetic changes in individuals, such as physiological modification (e.g. acclimatization) or behavioural changes (phenotypic adaptation). Compare abaptation.
2. (evol.) That which fits an organism both generally and specifically to exploit a given adaptive zone (e.g. wings allow birds to fly, whereas the hooked beak and sharp talons of birds of prey are more specialized adaptations well suited to a predatory way of life). The word also implies that the feature has survived because it assists its possessor in its existing niche. Compare exaptation.
3. A decrease over time of the frequency of the impulses leaving a sensory receptor when a stimulus is repeated frequently. See accommodation and habituation.
1. Generally, the adjustments that occur in animals in respect of their environments. The adjustments may occur by natural selection, as individuals with favourable genetic traits breed more prolifically than those lacking these traits (genotypic adaptation), or they may involve non-genetic changes in individuals, such as physiological modification (e.g. acclimatization) or behavioural changes (phenotypic adaptation). Compare abaptation.
2. (evol.) That which fits an organism both generally and specifically to exploit a given adaptive zone (e.g. wings allow birds to fly, whereas the hooked beak and sharp talons of birds of prey are more specialized adaptations well suited to a predatory way of life). The word also implies that the feature has survived because it assists its possessor in its existing niche. Compare exaptation.
3. A decrease over time of the frequency of the impulses leaving a sensory receptor when a stimulus is repeated frequently. See accommodation and habituation.
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NEARBY TERMS
adaptation