ABSTRACT

A complex terminology developed around the evolutionary concept of adaptation. One definition of adaptation is synonymous with adaptive evolution and denotes a process of population change driven by natural selection resulting in individuals better able to survive and reproduce in a particular environment (compared to the population before the process began). This places adaptation at a hypothetical end point in a temporal sequence and can be difficult to use because the phenotypic composition of earlier, non-adapted populations is unknown. However, resurrection experiments can provide comparative data on populations before and after adaptation. The process of adaptation is a corollary to the well-described precepts of natural selection found in textbooks. Adaptation also denotes any trait that increases an organism’s fitness relative to individuals lacking it. This ‘all or none’ concept of adaptation limits its usefulness because most traits are quantitative. Leaf pubescence, a quantitative trait showing phenotypic and genetic variation in plant species, is used to illustrate adaptive value and significance. Historical application of adaptation has ranged from individuals to populations to species and encompassed molecular and phenotypic traits. Although exaptation and maladaptation have some heuristic utility, ‘pre-adaptation’ is best avoided because it does not reflect adaptive evolution.

摘要

围绕适应的进化概念发展起来的复杂术语。适应性的一个定义是适应性进化的同义词，表示由自然选择驱动的种群变化过程，导致个体能够在特定环境中更好地生存和繁殖（与该过程开始之前的种群相比）。这将适应置于时间序列中的假设终点，并且可能难以使用，因为早期未适应人群的表型组成是未知的。然而，复活实验可以提供适应前后种群的比较数据。适应过程是教科书中详细描述的自然选择规则的必然结果。适应还表示任何增加生物体相对于缺乏它的个体的适应性的特征。这种“全有或全无”的适应概念限制了它的实用性，因为大多数特征都是定量的。叶片短柔毛是一种显示植物物种表型和遗传变异的数量性状，用于说明适应性价值和重要性。适应的历史应用范围从个体到种群再到物种，包括分子和表型特征。尽管适应和适应不良有一些启发式效用，但最好避免“预先适应”，因为它不能反映适应性进化。用于说明适应性价值和意义。适应的历史应用范围从个体到种群再到物种，包括分子和表型特征。尽管适应和适应不良有一些启发式效用，但最好避免“预先适应”，因为它不能反映适应性进化。用于说明适应性价值和意义。适应的历史应用范围从个体到种群再到物种，包括分子和表型特征。尽管适应和适应不良有一些启发式效用，但最好避免“预先适应”，因为它不能反映适应性进化。