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Adaptations: Evolution and Sexual Selection

This text explores the concept of adaptations in evolutionary biology, focusing on how mutations lead to specialized and costly traits. It discusses the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA) and the role of cognitive and emotional adaptations. The text also explores the impact of sexual reproduction and sexual selection on the development of adaptations. Evidence supporting evolution, such as the fossil record, homology, and the universality of the genetic code, is also discussed.

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Adaptations: Evolution and Sexual Selection

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  1. Adaptations Are: built of existing variation (mutations). often formed slowly often formed cumulatively specialized costly and: may be out of date The Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA)

  2. Cognitive adaptations: Not general-purpose fitness maximizer. Rules of thumb: Sex feels good, even with birth control Masturbation feels good Adoptive parents feel parental love Emotional systems as internal rewards.

  3. Evolution by Natural Selection tends to make the mean phenotype converge on the optimum. frequency trait value

  4. Evolution by Natural Selection tends to make the mean phenotype converge on the optimum. frequency trait value

  5. Evolution by Natural Selection tends to make the mean phenotype converge on the optimum. frequency trait value

  6. Sexual reproduction continually generates variation around the optimum.

  7. Sexual Selection Type of natural selection. Selection builds adaptations of all types. Sexual selection builds adaptations that increase mating success: 1. more mates 2. better mates

  8. Selection builds adaptations that address recurring problems... faced by our ancestors. Would the challenges of mate choice have been the same for ancestral males and females? Theory of sexual selection says probably not. Male reproductive success is less limited than female reproductive success.

  9. Challenges for ancestral males: quantity. Challenges for ancestral females: quality. Likely to produce divergent adaptations: Two optimal phenotypes

  10. frequency trait value

  11. Date solicitation experiment Confederates asked unsuspecting subjects for a date. Variable: coffee, apartment visit, sex. Acceptance rate?

  12. Date solicitation experiment Confederates asked unsuspecting subjects for a date. Variable: coffee, apartment visit, sex. Acceptance rate? Women Men Coffee 50% 50% Apartment 6% 69% Sex 0% 75%

  13. Evidence in favor of evolution • Existence and pattern of the fossil record. • Homology.

  14. Evidence in favor of evolution • Existence and pattern of the fossil record. • Homology. • Universality of genetic code. • Analogy with plant and animal breeding. • Direct observation.

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