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Adaptationism

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Adaptationism is a scientific perspective on evolution that focuses on accounting for the products of evolution as collections of adaptive traits, each a product of natural selection with some adaptive rationale.

~11 min read

Article

13 sections
Contents
  • Overview
  • Criteria to identify a trait as an adaptation
  • Constraints on the power of evolution
  • Genetic constraints
  • Anatomical constraints
  • Debate with structuralism
  • Purpose and function
  • Function
  • Teleology
  • See also
  • References
  • Sources
  • External links

Adaptationism is a scientific perspective on evolution that focuses on accounting for the products of evolution as collections of adaptive traits, each a product of natural selection with some adaptive rationale.

A formal alternative would be to look at the products of evolution as the result of neutral evolution, in terms of structural constraints, or in terms of a mixture of factors including (but not limited to) natural selection.

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