BIOL 1602 Lecture Notes - Thermoregulation, Genetic Drift, Genetic Variation
Document Summary
Chapter 10- studying adaptation: evolutionary analysis of form and function. Explanation of organismal design is among the triumphs of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Individuals in previous generations varied in their design, and the ones with the best designs passed on their genes in greater numbers. A trait, or integrated suite of traits, that increases the fitness of its possessor is called an adaptation and is said to be adaptive. In order to prove that a trait is an adaptation, we need first to determine what a trait is for and then show that individuals possessing the trait contribute more genes to future generations than individuals lacking it. 10. 1 all hypotheses must be tested: oxpeckers reconsidered. Oxpeckers are vampires and eaters of earwax. Even when they do eat ticks, oxpeckers prefer adult females that have already engorged themselves with blood- that is, ticks that have already done their damage to the host.
