Evolution

Evolution is strategy over generations—the slow game that eventually wins. Every term in this category describes how populations change over time through differential reproduction. The vocabulary isn't just about biology; it's about any system where variants compete and successful variants proliferate. The core insight of evolution is that adaptation isn't progress. Organisms don't get 'better'—they get more fit to current conditions. A highly adapted species is precisely optimized for its niche, which makes it catastrophically vulnerable when conditions change. The same logic applies to companies: the firms most adapted to today's market are often worst prepared for tomorrow's. Evolution vocabulary helps you think about long-term dynamics. 'Natural selection' isn't about survival of the fittest—it's about differential reproduction of the fit-enough. 'Genetic drift' explains why small populations lose diversity. 'Adaptive radiation' explains why new markets generate explosive variety. These aren't metaphors; they're mechanisms. The terms here reveal why successful strategies become traps. Path dependence locks in early choices. Specialization creates competency traps. Success itself eliminates the variation that enabled success. Evolution is full of warnings about the dangers of winning. After exploring this category, you'll understand that long-term success requires maintaining variation, accepting 'waste,' and never fully adapting to current conditions.

Adaptation A trait that increases an organism's fitness in its environment, or the evolutionary process by which such traits arise.... Adaptive Radiation The rapid diversification of a single ancestral species into many new species, each adapted to exploit different ecologi... Allopatric Speciation The evolution of new species from populations that are geographically isolated from each other. The most common form of... Analogous Structures that perform similar functions but evolved independently in unrelated species. Similar appearance due to simi... Aposematism Warning coloration or signals that advertise an organism's unprofitability to predators, typically indicating toxicity o... Batesian Mimicry A harmless species evolving to resemble a harmful or unpalatable species, gaining protection through predator avoidance... Co-Evolution Reciprocal evolutionary change in interacting species, where each exerts selective pressure on the other leading to matc... Coevolution The process by which two or more species reciprocally affect each other's evolution through natural selection. Changes i... Convergent Evolution The independent evolution of similar features in species that are not closely related, usually because they face similar... Costly Signaling Signals that are reliable because they are expensive to produce or maintain. The cost ensures honesty: only individuals... Divergent Evolution The process by which related species become increasingly different over time as they adapt to different environments or... Evolutionary Arms Race Reciprocal adaptation between species locked in antagonistic relationships, where improvements in one select for counter... Evolutionary Stasis Long periods during which a species shows little morphological change despite environmental variation. A key observation... Evolvability The capacity of a system to generate heritable, selectable variation. A measure of how readily a lineage can adapt to ne... Fitness (Evolutionary) An organism's relative ability to survive and reproduce in its environment. Measured by reproductive success—how many of... Frequency-Dependent Selection Natural selection where fitness depends on how common or rare a trait is in the population. Negative frequency dependenc... Grandmother Effect The evolutionary advantage of post-reproductive survival, where older individuals contribute to fitness by helping desce... Handicap Principle The theory that reliable signals must be costly to the signaler, making them impossible to fake. The handicap itself pro... Homologous Structures or genes that share a common evolutionary origin, even if they have different current functions. Evidence of... K-Selection Reproductive strategy emphasizing few offspring with high parental investment, adapted to stable environments near carry... Kin Selection Natural selection that favors behaviors benefiting genetic relatives, even at cost to the individual. Explains altruisti... Natural Selection The process by which organisms with traits better suited to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully, l... Peto's Paradox The observation that cancer rates do not increase proportionally with organism size or lifespan, despite larger animals... Phylogenetic Relating to evolutionary relationships among organisms or groups. Phylogenetic trees depict ancestral relationships base... Phylogeny The evolutionary history and relationships among species or groups of organisms. Typically represented as branching tree... Punctuated Equilibrium A theory that evolutionary change occurs in rapid bursts separated by long periods of stasis. Proposed by Gould and Eldr... Semelparous Reproduction A reproductive strategy with a single reproductive episode followed by death. All resources are invested in one massive... Sexual Selection A form of natural selection where traits are favored because they increase mating success rather than survival. Drives t... Speciation The evolutionary process by which new species arise, typically through geographic isolation or ecological divergence tha... Sympatric Speciation The evolution of new species from a single ancestral species while living in the same geographic area. Speciation withou...