Adaptation

From Citizendium
Revision as of 06:17, 23 June 2007 by imported>Howard Arvi Hughes (Biology wgp)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

An adaptation is a characteristic of an organism whose form is the result of natural selection in a particular functional context [1] Similarly the process of adaptation is the evolutionary modification of a character for efficient or advantageous (fitness-enhancing) functioning in certain contexts. Consistent with these definitions, adaptations can be physiological, behavioral or morphological features of organisms that enable them to survive and reproduce in the face of various agents of selection.

References

  1. Williams, G.C. 1966. Adaptation and Natural Selection.Princeton University Press. ISBN-10: 0691026157