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11y ago

In evolutionary Biology, fitness is defined as the reproductive capacity of a particular genotype, relative to another.

For example, consider a hypothetical genotypic variant in birds that enables birds which possess it to fledge, on average, 20% more offspring than birds possessing a different variant. The first variant is said to be the fitter of the two, and over time, will become more common in the population, all other things remaining equal.

Darwin talks about survival of the fittest. Every organism has a variety of different attributes; the shape of their teeth, the length of their fur, the type of digestive enzymes they secrete, and so forth. Every organism, to be successful, must have some ecological niche that it fills. It does not need to be good at everything (for example, some species swim very well, some don't; some can fly, some can't, and so forth) but it does need to be good at something. The degree to which a given organism is good at what it does, would define the fitness of that organism.

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Q: What is fitness in evolutionary terms?
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In evolutionary terms an organisms fitness is measured by its?

contribution to the gene pool of the next generation


From an evolutionary stand point fitness is measured in?

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Why does the phrase survival of the fittest does not accurately reflect Darwins concept of evolutionary fitness?

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Why does the phrase survival of the fittest does not accurately reflect Darwin's concept of evolutionary fitness?

Darwin's concept of evolutionary fitness refers to how the genes reproduced through generations are those that are necessary to survival. So, if an organism has a genetic trait that makes it susceptible to prey, then it gets killed and cannot pass its genetic information to offspring. So, its trait is lost over time. This is Darwin's concept. The phrase "survival of the fittest" is not accurate in terms of Darwin because it refers to strong organism, which is not necessarily the case in terms of survival through genetic traits. These traits may be present in a small, weak organism, which may not seem strong and physically fit, but its genes are still passed on since it survives