What is Adaptationist theory?

Adaptationism, also known as functionalism, is the Darwinian view that many physical and psychological traits of organisms are evolved adaptations. Pan-adaptationism is the strong form of this, deriving from the early 20th century modern synthesis, that all traits are adaptations, a view now shared by few biologists.

What are spandrels on a house?

In buildings of more than one story the spandrel is the area between the sill of a window and the head of the window below it. In steel or reinforced concrete structures there will sometimes be a spandrel beam extending horizontally from one column to another and supporting a section of wall.

What is the spandrel argument?

In response to the position that spandrels are just small, unimportant byproducts, Gould and Lewontin argue that “we must not recognize that small means unimportant. Spandrels are characteristics that did not originate by the direct action of natural selection and that were later co-opted for a current use.

What is spandrels in psychology?

A spandrel is a phenotypic characteristic that evolved as a side effect of a true adaptation. The important implication of this idea for Evolutionary Psychology being, that therefore not every trait can be accounted for in terms of adaptive advantage.

Which is an example of a Darwinian puzzle?

Some of the classic examples include: left handedness, menopause, and mental disorders. These traits are also found in animals, a peacock shows an example of a trait that may reduce its fitness. The bigger the tail, the easier it is seen by predators and it also may hinder the movement of the peacock.

At what level does natural selection act?

the individual
Natural selection acts at the level of the individual; it selects for individuals with greater contributions to the gene pool of the next generation, known as an organism’s evolutionary (Darwinian) fitness.

What is the space between arches called?

A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently filled with decorative elements.

What is a spandrel window?

Spandrel glass is one such option. Unlike vision glass, which is meant to be transparent, spandrel glass is designed to be opaque in order to help hide features between the floors of a building, including vents, wires, slab ends and mechanical equipment.

Is religion a spandrel?

Religion As A Spandrels A belief of ghosts/afterlife generated by a mechanism producing illusory, but adaptive beliefs. Religion can be understood as a spandrel in the same way that Stephen Jay Gould claims the surface area between two adjacent arches are spandrels.

What are the three products of evolution?

In summary, the evolutionary process produces three products: naturally selected features (adaptations), by-products of naturally selected features, and a residue of noise.

Which is the best example of a Darwinian puzzle?

Why is monogamy a Darwinian puzzle?

Male monogamy is a Darwinian puzzle because a. Females could benefit from receiving sperm and assistance from more than one male. Polygynous males generally have access to more eggs to fertilize than monogamous males. …

What does spandrel stand for in evolutionary biology?

Basilica di San Marco, Venice In evolutionary biology, a spandrel is a phenotypic characteristic that is a byproduct of the evolution of some other characteristic, rather than a direct product of adaptive selection.

Which is the best description of a spandrel?

In evolutionary biology, a spandrel is a phenotypic characteristic that is a byproduct of the evolution of some other characteristic, rather than a direct product of adaptive selection. That is, it is a trait that is not particularly advantageous to have, though it is retained because it is not particularly harmful to have.

What did Stephen Jay Gould use the term spandrel for?

Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin used the architectural term spandrel (the triangular gap at the corner of an arch) to describe a byproduct of evolution. Basilica di San Marco, Venice

What are the subcategories of exaptations and spandrels?

Exaptations may be divided into two subcategories: pre-adaptations and spandrels. Spandrels are characteristics that did not originate by the direct action of natural selection and that were later co-opted for a current use.