The Definition and Recognition of Biological Adaptation

Bock, Walter J.

doi:10.1093/icb/20.1.217

Cited by 246 publications

(142 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

128

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…One is that used by Williams (1966): a trait shaped by natural selection to perform a particular function. The other is a broader sense, as used by Bock and others (Bock, 1980;Bock & Von Wahlert, 1965): any trait that has some effect on survival and reproduction.…”

Section: Exaptation and Generality In Memory Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of multiple memory systems.

Sherry

Schacter²

1987

Psychological Review

810

396

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The existence of multiple memory systems has been proposed in a number of areas, including cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and the study of animal learning and memory. We examine whether the existence of such multiple systems seems likely on evolutionary grounds. Multiple systems adapted to serve seemingly similar functions, which differ in important ways, are a common evolutionary outcome. The evolution of multiple memory systems requires memory systems to be specialized to such a degree that the functional problems each system handles cannot be handled by another system. We define this condition as functional incompatibility and show that it occurs for a number of the distinctions that have been proposed between memory systems. The distinction between memory for song and memory for spatial locations in birds, and between incremental habit formation and memory for unique episodes in humans and other primates provide examples. Not all memory systems are highly specialized in function, however, and the conditions under which memory systems could evolve to serve a wide range of functions are also discussed.Memory is a function that permits animals and people to acquire, retain, and retrieve many different kinds of information. We would like to thank Fergus Craik, Victoria Esses, Luc-Alain GiraIdeau, Robert Lockhart, David Olton, Paul Rozin, Sara Shettleworth, Larry Squire, Endel Tulving, and Derek Van der Kooy for their many helpful comments and Carol Macdonald for her help with preparation of this article.The order of authorship was determined by a coin toss at the Young Lok Restaurant, where most of the article evolved.Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to David F. Sherry, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1 or to Daniel L. Schacter, who is now at the Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721. 1978;Olton, Becker, & Handelmann, 1979;Rozin & Kalat, 1971;Schacter &Moscovitch, 1984;Shettleworth, 1972;Squire & Cohen, 1984;Tulving, 1983). Some researchers are not convinced of the need to postulate the existence of multiple memory systems, however, and maintain that the experimental evidence does not mandate rejecting the view of a unitary learning and memory system that is explainable by a single set of general principles or laws (Bitterman, 1975;Craik, 1983;Jacoby, 1983Jacoby, , 1984Kolers & Roediger, 1984;Logue, 1979;MacPhail, 1982;Revusky, 1977).The purposes of this article are to determine whether there are evolutionary grounds for favoring a unitary or a nonunitary view of memory and to bring together recent research on memory systems in humans and animals that bears on this problem. The principal question we address is whether the evolution of qualitatively distinct memory systems would be expected to occur or whether a single memory system that is characterized by increasing complexity and flexibility is the expected evolutionary outcome. We develop an argument that favors the former alternative and that...

show abstract

Section: Exaptation and Generality In Memory Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of multiple memory systems.

Sherry

Schacter²

1987

Psychological Review

810

396

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is considered as an Table 4. Synthesis of the results obtained during the field observations at study site complemented with data on the feeding habits from Figueiredo & Menezes (1978, 1980, , 1985, and Carvalho-Filho (1999). Species were organized according to the cluster results of Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An adaptation is "a feature having properties of form and function which permit the organism to maintain successfully the synergy between a biological role of that feature and a stated selection force" (cf. Bock, 1980). When there is independent evolution of the same feature within distant phylogenetic lineages (i.e., convergence) or when closely related lineages present dissimilar traits (i.e., divergence) such feature/trait should be adaptive (see Bock, 1980;Brooks & McLennan, 1991;Winemiller, 1992;Ricklefs & Miles, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Habitat partitioning, habits and convergence among coastal nektonic fish species from the São Sebastião Channel, southeastern Brazil

Gibran

2010

Neotrop. ichthyol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Based on a fish survey and preliminary underwater observations, 17 "morphotypes" were identified that characterize the morphological diversity found within 27 nektonic fish species sampled at São Sebastião Channel. Such "morphotypes" were studied using an ecomorphological approach, with the intention to investigate similarities and differences in shape and habits. Underwater field observations were also performed, to verify if the lifestyle of these species, such as vertical occupation of the water column and the habitat use, are in accordance with their distribution in the morphospace. The results, complemented with data from scientific literature on the taxonomy and phylogenies of these species, allowed discussing some of the typical cases of convergent and divergent evolution. Some of the ecomorphological clusters had no phylogenetic support although this is probably due to the environmental conditions in which theirs members have evolved. The body shape and fins positions of a fish clearly influence its ecological performance and habitat use, corroborating the ecomorphological hypothesis on the intimate link between phenotype and ecology.Com base em um levantamento ictiofaunístico realizado com diversos métodos de captura e em observações subaquáticas preliminares foram selecionados 17 "morfótipos" representativos da diversidade morfológica apresentada dentre 27 espécies de peixes nectônicos amostradas no Canal de São Sebastião. Tais "morfótipos" foram estudados por meio de uma abordagem ecomorfológica com o intuito de investigar semelhanças e diferenças quanto às suas formas e hábitos. Observações diretas no ambiente também foram realizadas para verificar se o modo de vida dessas espécies, assim como a ocupação vertical da coluna d'água e o uso do habitat, condizem com suas distribuições pelo espaço morfológico. Os resultados obtidos, complementados com dados da literatura científica sobre taxonomia e relações de parentesco evolutivo dessas espécies, permitiram discutir alguns típicos casos de convergência e divergência evolutiva. Alguns agrupamentos ecomorfológicos não tiveram qualquer suporte filogenético tendo sido resultantes, provavelmente, das condições ambientais na qual seus membros evoluíram. A forma do corpo e a posição das nadadeiras de um peixe claramente influenciam seu desempenho ecológico e o uso do habitat, corroborando a hipótese ecomorfológica sobre a estreita relação entre fenótipo e ecologia. Introduction"Strong relationships between basic form and ecological function in fishes allow the comparative study of ecological relationships using morphological features" (Winemiller, 1992). Morphology has been used as a predictor of the wayof-life (see Karr & James, 1975;; the ecomorphological hypothesis is based on the idea that the morphological attributes of each species should reflect its ecology and, thus, can be used as indicative of its habits and adaptations to different habitats ( Van der Klaauw, 1948;Keast & Webb, 1966;Winemiller, 1991Winemiller, , 1992. The central focus of an ecomorp...

show abstract

“…Before we can understand that such an ability might be an adaptive feature of an organism [4] we should try to find out which types of stimuli occur in the natural optic environment. Traditionally three types have been distinguished, at least with respect to higher vertebrates, namely patterned, moving and light stimuli.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The eyes of man as a photic bisensor system

Verheijen

Fingal

1982

Behavioural Brain Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Key words: ambient light-bisensor system -human -visual system -light field -photic orientation -residual vision Non-patterned photic stimulation of the eyes of human subjects was obtained by homogeneous illumination of the closed eyes. The subjects perceived a difference between the stimulation intensity of the left and of the right eye as a field of view consisting of a bright and a dark half, adjoined across an indeterminate vertical midline. It is not clear which parts of the visual system mediate the residual perceptual functions that survive this stimulatory reduction of man's eyes to a photic bisensor system. It is argued that animals with side-set eyes might use this perceptual ability for photic orientation in an anisotropic light field.Elaborate schemes for classifying orientational responses have been developed on the basis of the type of stimulus, the type of response, and the arrangement of the relevant receptors. For tropotaxis the organism must be provided with two sense organs (sensors, see SchOne, ref. 22) which are so arranged that they are not equally strongly stimulated in most of the positions that the organism can adopt. According to the tropism theory of Loeb [ 16] the central nervous system strikes a balance between the inputs from the two sense organs, for instance the eyes. Loeb's idea that an organism therefore moves straight towards or straight away from a light source was adopted by K0hn [14], Fraenkel and Gunn [6], and Jander: basotaxis (in ref. 13). It is doubtful, however, whether basic directions or positions actually exist (see ref. 22, pp. 68-69). From a cybernetic point of view it seems more likely that an animal selects any appropriate position or direction on the basis of a predetermined difference between the stimulation intensities of the two sense organs (bisensor system, ref. 22). The fact that an organism in which one eye is put out of action keeps turning towards one side (circus or manege movements) would result from the organism's inability to establish the ratio of stimulation intensities which corresponds to a selected orientation (open-loop condition of the control system). 0166-4328/82/0000-0000/$02.75

show abstract

The Definition and Recognition of Biological Adaptation

Cited by 246 publications

References 9 publications

The evolution of multiple memory systems.

The evolution of multiple memory systems.

Habitat partitioning, habits and convergence among coastal nektonic fish species from the São Sebastião Channel, southeastern Brazil

The eyes of man as a photic bisensor system

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About