Adaptive behavior (ecology)

In behavioral ecology, an adaptive behavior is a behavior which contributes directly or indirectly to an individual's survival or reproductive success and is thus subject to the forces of natural selection. Examples include favoring kin in altruistic behaviors, female selection of the most fit male, and defending a territory or harem from rivals.

Conversely, a non-adaptive behavior is a behavior or trait that is counterproductive to an individual's survival or reproductive success. These might include altruistic behaviors which do not favor kin, adoption of unrelated young, and being a subordinate in a dominance hierarchy.

Adaptations are commonly defined as evolved solutions to recurrent environmental problems of survival and reproduction. Individual differences commonly arise through both heritable and nonheritable adaptive behavior. Both have been proven to be influential in the evolution of species adaptive behaviors, although heritable adaptation remains a controversial subject.

Populations change through the process of evolution. Each individual in a population has a unique role in their particular environment. This role is commonly known as an ecological niche, and is simply how an organism lives in an environment in relation to others. Over successive generations, the organism must adapt to their surrounding conditions in order to develop their niche. An organism's niche will evolve as changes in the external environment occur. The most successful species in nature are those that are able to use adaptive behaviors to build on prior knowledge, thereby increasing their overall knowledge bank. In turn, this will increase their overall survival and reproductive success.

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