Definition
Adaptation is a dynamical process whereby populations become better suited to their habitat. It is promoted by environmental changes, be they abiotic (e.g., climatic change) or biotic (e.g., the appearance of a new trait in a predator or the extinction of a competitor species). Adaptation is the outcome of natural selection acting on heritable variation and leading to a change in the genetic makeup of a population. It may involve changes in any phenotypic trait, among others, in morphology, physiology, dispersal, defense and attack mechanisms, development and growth, reproduction, behavioral patterns, and ecological interactions.
Overview
Adaptation has been an ongoing process ever since the emergence of the first self-replicating molecules. Populations of replicating entities generate continuous variability chiefly due to mutations and (in the case of organisms) to the migration of genesand other mobile genomic sequences. Adaptation is a gradual process that occurs over...
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References and Further Reading
Gould SJ (ed) (1993) The book of life: an illustrated history of the evolution of life on Earth. WW Norton, New York
Maynard Smith J, Szathmáry E (1995) The major transitions in evolution. Oxford University Press, New York
Mayr E (1982) The growth of biological thought: diversity, evolution and inheritance. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Moalem S, Prince J (2006) Survival of the sickest. Harper Collins, New York
Rose MR, Lauder GV (eds) (1996) Adaptation. Academic, San Diego
Stenseth NC, Maynard Smith J (1984) Coevolution in ecosystems: red queen evolution or stasis? Evolution 38:870–880
Van Valen L (1973) A new evolutionary law. Evol Ther 1:1–30
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Manrubia, S. (2014). Adaptation. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_29-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_29-3
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4
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