Concepts View

The expected number of individual offspring in the next generation of a population. (Note: absolute fitness is a summary statistic, usually measured for particular genotypes, and should not be confused with fitness understood as a property ascribed to individuals.) Compare to “Fitness (Relative).”

The expected number of individual offspring in the next generation of a population relative to an environment and other individuals in a population. (Note: relative fitness is a summary statistic, usually measured for particular genotypes, and should not be confused with fitness understood as a property ascribed to individuals.) Compare to “Fitness (Absolute).”

What an entity (e.g., a chemical substance, organ or character) is capable of doing: in particular, observable and measurable activities or behaviors. Compare to “Function (Biological Role).”

The advantage conferred upon a biological system by the presence of an item or activity. Compare to “Function (Evolutionary).”

The manner in which an item or activity contributes to a complex activity or capacity of a biological system. (Note: a “complex activity” is the result of the way the parts and activities of a system are organized.) Compare to “Function (Activity).”

The effects for which a trait was selected in the past that explain its current presence in a population. Compare to “Function (Biological Advantage).”