(evolutionary theory) The effect whereby an organism's ability to learn new behaviours affects its reproductive success and therefore changes the genetic makeup of its species through natural selection.
(humorous) One of the international honours awarded to people who supposedly help to improve the human gene pool by "removing themselves from it in a spectacularly stupid manner."
A symbol, portrayed as a fish with legs, used to indicate support for the scientific theory of evolution as being the cause of species diversification, rather than creationism.
Alternative letter-case form of Darwinian. [Of or pertaining to the scientific views advanced by the English biologist, geologist, and naturalist Charles Darwin, especially his theory that living organisms evolve through the natural selection of inherited variations that increase organisms' ability to compete, survive, and reproduce.]
The principles of natural selection set out in Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859), more strictly defined by August Weismann and developed by other authors into a central part of the modern evolutionary synthesis.
A form of natural selection in which extreme values for a trait are favored over intermediate values, causing subpopulations of a single species within the same habitat to develop different adaptations.
(informal) Abbreviation of evolutionary developmental biology. [(biology) A branch of biology that studies the interaction of evolutionary and developmental processes.]
(evolutionary theory) A subfield of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species and as their evolution, multiplication and diversity over time.
(psychology, evolutionary theory) A theoretical approach to psychology that attempts to explain mental and psychological traits—such as memory, perception, or language—as adaptations, that is, as the functional products of natural selection.
Misconstruction of evolutionarily stable strategy [(evolutionary theory) A strategy that, when adopted by a population, is effective and unlikely to be replaced by another strategy.]
(biology, evolutionary theory) The situation of an evolved behaviour or trait of a species becoming detrimental to the survival or reproductive ability of individuals, possibly leading to extinction.
(evolutionary theory) A suggested sexual selection mechanism to account for the evolution of exaggerated male ornamentation (such as a peacock's plumage) by persistent, directional female choice.
(biology) The belief that evolution proceeds at a steady pace, without the sudden development of new species or biological features from one generation to the next.
(biology, evolution) A form of natural selection whereby traits that may be disadvantageous to the individual can be propagated when they are advantageous to the survival of a group as a whole.
A hypothesis attempting to explain how evolution may lead to "honest" or reliable signalling between animals which have an obvious motivation to bluff or deceive each other. It suggests that costly signals must be reliable, costing the signaller something that could not be afforded by an individual with less of a particular trait.
(evolutionary theory) The principle of biology that states that populations isolated onto islands may undergo evolution towards dwarfism or gigantism to better conform to available resources
Alternative form of Lamarckism [(evolutionary theory, historical) The theory that structural variations, characteristic of species and genera, are produced in animals and plants by the direct influence of physical environments, and especially, in the case of animals, by effort, or by use or disuse of certain organs.]
(evolutionary theory, historical) The theory that structural variations, characteristic of species and genera, are produced in animals and plants by the direct influence of physical environments, and especially, in the case of animals, by effort, or by use or disuse of certain organs.
Alternative form of metaevolution [(philosophy, biology) Beyond evolution. The evolution of the elements of evolutionary systems. Applying evolutionary concepts to non-living systems. Applying evolutionary concepts to individual learning and personal development. Examining the implications and past and future developments of evolution.]
(philosophy, biology) Beyond evolution. The evolution of the elements of evolutionary systems. Applying evolutionary concepts to non-living systems. Applying evolutionary concepts to individual learning and personal development. Examining the implications and past and future developments of evolution.
(evolutionary theory) A process by which heritable traits conferring survival and reproductive advantage to individuals, or related individuals, tend to be passed on to succeeding generations and become more frequent in a population, whereas other less favourable traits tend to become eliminated; the differential survival and reproduction of phenotypes.
(sociology, anthropology) A school of anthropology, developed in the mid-20th century, concerned with long-term, evolutionary social change and with the regular patterns of development that may be seen in unrelated, widely separated cultures.
(biology) The neutral theory of molecular evolution, holding that, at the molecular level, most evolutionary changes and variation within and between species are caused not by natural selection but by genetic drift of mutant alleles that are neutral.
A theory of evolution, holding that evolutionary change tends to be characterized by long periods of stability, or equilibrium, punctuated by episodes of very fast development.
In evolutionary biology, belief that evolution does not proceed at a steady pace, but instead is characterized by periods of stasis, punctuated by brief (within several hundred-thousand years) periods of rapid change.
An evolutionary hypothesis which proposes that organisms must constantly adapt, evolve, and proliferate not merely to gain reproductive advantage, but also simply to survive while pitted against other evolving organisms in an ever-changing environment.
(evolutionary theory) The belief that evolution operates by the sudden development of new species or biological features from one generation to the next.
(evolutionary theory) A type of natural selection where members of the sexes acquire distinct forms either because the members of one sex choose mates with particular features or because in the competition for mates among the members of one sex only those with certain traits succeed.
(biology) A school of biological thought that deals with the law-like behaviour of the structure of organisms and how it can change, emphasising that organisms are wholes, and therefore that change in one part must necessarily take into account the inter-connected nature of the entire organism.
A belief system based heavily on Darwinism and evolutionism. Believers in it see Charles Darwin's work as vital, even all-encompassing, and usually see atheism as an implication of evolution.
Alternative form of ultra-Darwinism [A belief system based heavily on Darwinism and evolutionism. Believers in it see Charles Darwin's work as vital, even all-encompassing, and usually see atheism as an implication of evolution.]
(social sciences, anthropology) The theory, now considered obsolete, that societies evolve in a single direction toward complexity, progress, and civilization.
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