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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior pp 1–11Cite as

Adaptedness of Behavior

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Synonyms

Adaptation; Adaptive behavior; Behavioral accommodation; Behavioral plasticity; Fitness

Definition

The adaptedness of behavior depends on the effects behavior has on individual fitness, i.e., how it influences survival and reproductive success. This hinges in turn on how well suited to environmental conditions the behaviors are.

Introduction

Behavior is a major determinant of fitness. It influences foraging success, the ability to avoid predators, success in the competition for resources, and reproductive success. Similarly to other traits, behavior evolves through natural selection; individuals with behaviors that allow them to produce more viable offspring than other individuals pass more copies of their genes onto the next generations, and thereby also the genes for their behaviors, which then increase in frequency in the population.

Evolution consequently gradually changes the behavior of individuals so that they become better and better adapted to local environmental...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Ulrika Candolin

Authors
  1. Ulrika Candolin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ulrika Candolin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Marieke Cassia Gartner

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Candolin, U. (2018). Adaptedness of Behavior. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_366-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_366-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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