Kalissa's Blog

How can an individual in a population's absolute fitness be different than their relative fitness? The absolute fitness focuses on the individual's fitness without paying mind to that of the population. This would be the number of offspring that individual produces within it's lifetime. Alternatively, the relative fitness analyzes the individuals fitness relative to that of the population, so this would be the individual compared proportionately to the populations "most fit" individual. In this example, lets compare the colors green and pink. Initially, the mate preference is green in the idividuals seen at the top. However, the preference changes to pink individuals meaning those are more likely to mate. In the next generation, the individuals that are pink are more abundant than that of green. The absolute fitness of green individuals would be 4 each, but the relative would consider the individuals produced from the second generation in pink. Thus the relative...

The phrase "survival of the good enough" can offer a more nuanced perspective compared to the commonly used "survival of the fittest." As we've discussed in class, this shift in terminology can be beneficial for several reasons. First, changing "fittest" to "good enough" prompts a reevaluation of what each phrase actually means. Familiar phrases can become desensitized through overuse, leading to a misunderstanding of their true implications. For instance, common language mistakes like confusing "there," "their," and "they're" demonstrate how easily misinterpretations can occur. Additionally, "fittest" is a technical term in biology, which requires a precise definition of fitness when evaluating an organism. In everyday language, however, "fitness" often refers to physical attributes like speed and strength, which may not accurately reflect the original biological meaning. On the other han...

Many examples from the text Improbable Destinies explain exactly what convergent evolution is. One of the ones I found very interesting was within the section discussing "body armor" in the context of Echidnas and Hedgehogs. Though briefly mentioned, this is an excellent way to explain the topic. Echidnas are native to Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania, King Island, Flinders Island, and Kangaroo Island while Hedgehogs are native to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia. Although they originated from different regions, they both developed the use of quills as a form of protection against predation. This leads us into what convergent evolution is exactly, this is the process of when organisms that are unrelated or distantly related evolve similar traits or adaptations to respond to pressures in the environment. In this case, the main pressure would be predation. It is amazing how two these two organisms that are not closely related can develop very similar traits, suc...

 

 One of the most common misconceptions that I have encountered is that adaptations are the same as evolution. The relationship between evolution itself and adaptation sound easily intertwined but the processes are so very different. Adaptation is something an organism has to develop around a change in it's environment. For example, if the main food source for a rabbit suddenly dissipates in availability, then the rabbit may start consuming it's second preferred food source. On the other hand, evolution occurs when there is a random genetic mutation that on the off chance makes the organism better at surviving in the environment at its current state. Say that organism reproduces and the offspring also carries the mutation, then the offspring would be a better fit for survival. Overall, adaptation is changes that the organism makes within it's lifetime and evolution is a change to the genetic makeup of the organism that is passed through generations.  I have encountered this ...