Study Questions - Selection and Adaptation
Readings - chapter 10
1) Define selection, fitness, adaptation, and exaptation
2) Adaptations are often identified by being non-random, complex traits that vary across populations in different environments. What other factors could cause these patterns?
3) What is the 'adaptationist programme' and why does it overreach?
4) How can you test the adaptive value of a trait?
5) How can you use observational data?
6) How can phylogenetic relationships confound correlational patterns?
7) How can you correct for these phylogenetic biases?
8) List four constraints that can limit what selection can do.