Written Assignment Unit 7
Adaptation and Adaptive Trait
Withheld for peer assessment
Bachelor of Science in health science, UoPeople
BIOL 1301 Introduction to Biology - AY2021-T5
Dr. Rita Mourya (Instructor)
3rd August 2021
Written Assignment Unit 7 1
Introduction
To answer these questions, first, we need to know what “adaptive trait” means.
According to Wikipedia contributors (2021), an adaptive trait in biology has “three related
meanings. First, it is the dynamic evolutionary process that fits organisms to their environment,
enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Second, it is a state reached by the population during that
process. Third, it is a phenotypic trait or adaptive trait, with a functional role in each individual
organism, that is maintained and has evolved through natural selection” (para. 1).
Something interesting I found is that according to KC Moore (2017), not all “traits are an
adaptation. Some might be exaptation, vestigial and others by-products that has never and maybe
will never serve a particular function” (2:20).
Adaptation and Adaptive Trait
An adaptive trait common to more than one species that I selected for this assignment is
the different types of beaks in birds and octopuses.
1. Describe what makes this trait an adaptation.
This trait is an adaptation because depending on the type of food and location, each bird has its
beak for that specific environment. For example, I live near mountains and jungle, and I have
never seen a bird that eats seed or fruit has its beak like a pelican, likewise, I have never seen a
bird that eats fish or octopus has a beak like a hummingbird, for this reason, this trait is an
adaptation.
Written Assignment Unit 7 2
2. Briefly describe how the trait evolved.
This trait is a natural selection. According to Lumen Learning (2021) when Darwin
observed that beak shape varies among finch species. He postulated that the beak of an ancestral
species had adapted over time to equip the finches to acquire different food sources. Hence,
Darwin called this mechanism of change natural selection and was an inevitable outcome of
three principles that operated in nature (para. 11).
Out of these three principles, Darwin reasoned that offspring with inherited
characteristics that allow them to best compete for limited resources will survive and have more
offspring than those individuals with variations that are less able to compete. Due to that
characteristics are inherited, these traits will be better represented in the next generation. This
will lead to change in populations over generations in a process that Darwin called “descent with
modification,” or evolution (Lumen Learning, 2021, para. 11).
3. What is the difference between homologous and analogous traits? How does your trait
of choice fit either of these descriptions?
The difference between homologous and analogous traits is that homologous have similar
structures, different functions, and comes from a common ancestor. Analogous had a different
structure, similar function, but are not from a common ancestor (2 Minute Classroom, 2016).
In the case of the trait I choose, the type of structure is analogous. The reason is that bird
peaks have a different structure, used for the same function which is eating but comes from
different ancestors compared to other animals that have beaks such as octopus, platypus, etc.
Written Assignment Unit 7 3
4. What is convergent and divergent evolution? Describe whether the trait is a result of
convergent or divergent evolution.
“Convergent evolution is when two species with different ancestral origins develop similar
characteristics, while divergent evolution refers to when two species diverge from a common
ancestor and develop different characteristics” (2 Minute Classroom, 2017).
For the trait I used (beaks), they are convergent evolution. That is because both of them,
bird and octopus, comes from a different ancestor, and each of them develops beaks they use for
eating but each of them evolves those beaks independently.
Conclusion
I don’t believe in evolution and stuff like that. For Christians like me, who have read and
study the Bible and believe in God, know that he created everything according to their gender
(Genesis 1:25-28). I do believe that there has been mutation in certain organisms like bacteria
and viruses and eventually, they change. Still, this was a very interesting topic and I believe I
answer the question right.
The comparison between bird and octopus beaks is great. Even though both of them
come from different genders and species, both have beaks and are used for the same reason,
eating. Likewise, in birds alone, there is a great variety in size and structure on their beaks,
depending on the environment they live in. As I mentioned at the beginning of this assignment, I
have never seen a bird near my community, which is located between forest and mountains, with
Written Assignment Unit 7 4
beaks like pelicans, nor I have seen a bird that lives near sea/ oceans, that have beaks like a
hummingbird or woodpecker.
Written Assignment Unit 7 5
Reference
2 Minute Classroom. (2016, October 25). Homologous Structures vs Analogous Structures | Key
Differences [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N3OPRodRvk
2 Minute Classroom. (2017, March 8). Convergent Evolution vs Divergent Evolution | Shared
Traits Explained [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-XtZyHcck4
KC Moore. (2017, April 21). Not all traits are adaptive [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUpESNpKO50
Khan academy medicine. (2013, December 11). Adaptive value of behavioral traits | Behavior |
MCAT | Khan Academy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=tp4I9J5viS4
Lumen Learning. (2021). Understanding Evolution | Boundless Biology. Lumen.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-biology/chapter/understanding-evolution/
Rye, C., Wise, R., Jurukovski, V., DeSaix, J., Choi, J., & Avissar, Y. (2016). Biology. OpenStax.
https://openstax.org/books/biology/pages/1-introduction
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, July 12). Adaptation. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptation
