What is adaptive evolution? What causes adaptive evolution?

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Expert Solution

Adaptive evolution is the evolution that results in better match between the organism and its enviroment. Adaptive evolution results in a heritable trait which increases the reproductive success of an individual and makes an organism more fit for the life in the local environment. In other words Adaptive evolution is the increase in frequency of beneficial alleles and decrease in deletorious alleles due to selection. It is common in population because it provides same improved function. Examples of adaptive evolution include Special structures, physiology modifications, behavior etc.

Causes of Adaptive evolution:

Natural selection causes adaptive changes.
Key adaptation that allows the organism to evolve to exploit a new niche or resource. Ex. Beetle radiations may have been triggered by adaptations for feeding or flowering plants
Variation in individuals lifetime reproductive success causes adaptive evolution
Lineages that invade islands (by releasing from competition / vacated niches) may result in adaptive radiations
Heritable variation in a trait causes adaptive evolution
Strong selection can lead to rapid adaptation

Limits to adaptive evolution: Gene flow (migration), sufficient time, trade offs and constraints limit the adaptive evolution

gladiator answered 1 year ago

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