Concepts View

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Ecosystem Engineering

A process whereby organisms directly or indirectly control the availability of resources for other organisms by physically modifying their environments. Compare to “Niche Construction.”

References:

Jones, C.G., Lawton, J.H. and M. Shackak (1994). “Organisms as ecosystem engineers.” Oikos 69:373–386.

Evolutionary Trend (Active, or Driven)

Directional change of traits or features in a lineage, or a discernible pattern of change in a large sample of lineages, caused by forces whose operation over time is relatively homogeneous (acting in the same direction). Compare to “Evolutionary Trend (Passive).”

References:

McShea, D.W. (1994). “Mechanisms of large-scale evolutionary trends.” Evolution 48(6):1747–1763.

Evolutionary Trend (Passive)

Directional change of traits or features in a lineage, or a discernible pattern of change in a large sample of lineages, caused by forces whose operation over time is heterogeneous (acting in more than one direction). Compare to “Evolutionary Trend (Active, or Driven).”

References:

McShea, D.W. (1994). “Mechanisms of large-scale evolutionary trends.” Evolution 48(6):1747–1763.

Evolvability

The capacity or potential of a system to evolve or generate heritable variation.

References:

Kirschner, M. and J. Gerhart. (1998). “Evolvability.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 95:8420-8427.

Allied Concepts:
Adaptation, Exploratory Behavior, Niche construction, Plasticity

Exaptation

A trait that evolved to perform a particular function but that was later co-opted (but not selected) to play a different role; or, a trait that evolved as a correlate of growth or accidental by-product of selection that was later co-opted (but not selected) for a new role. Exaptations have no proper evolutionary function, but nonetheless increase fitness by their presence.

References:

Gould, S.J., and E.S. Vrba (1982). “Exaptation—a missing term in the science of form.” Paleobiology 8:4–15.

Exploratory Behavior

Activities that are capable of searching out and finding targets in a novel environment. Examples include ambulatory exploration, vertebrate adaptive immunity, and the formation of microtubule structures.

References:

Gerhart and Kirschner (2007). “The theory of facilitated variation.” PNAS 104(suppl. 1):8582–8589.