An Overview of Adaptation

Adaptation, defined most simply, is the process by which a plant or animal species becomes favourably fitted to a particular environment. This is normally initiated by external environmental challenges, is driven by natural selection, and is the result of changes in heritable variations within the species. There are many ways in which an organism can adapt including genetic, behavioural, physiological and reproductive adaptation. This ability to adapt enables even the smallest organisms to better exploit the environments they inhabit and in turn increase the fitness of their species.


Many examples of adaptation are seen through speciation events, where each new species must adapt in order to occupy a different environmental position, better known as its niche. One of the most well known examples of adaptation to occupy new niches is in Darwins Finches, where various species of finches adapted different beak sizes, which in turn allowed them to feed on different sized fruit, reducing competition between the species.

"Darwins Finches", accessed 9th March 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin's_finches>

Although Darwins Finches are one of the better known examples of adaptation through natural selection, there are examples of adaptations that can be seen in any species still occurring today. By studying these adaptive changes in extant species, as well as in extinct species through the use of fossils, we are able to both describe how organisms have changed over time and model how they may change in response to challenges in the future.