Adaptation
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| - | '''Adaptation''' is a response to environmental conditions: the process of adjustment to given (outer) conditions. It refers to a any change in the structure or function of an entity (say, a biological organism or a software system) that allows it to act more effectively, efficiently and successfully in its environment. In general it is the ability to learn from experience and describes the process of change and modification in a system that helps to adjust and fit the system to the conditions of the environment. Adaptation is the set of adjustments made by systems in respect of their environments. The adjustments are often controlled by experience and practice. The concept of a change in behavior or structure as a result of experience and practice is related to learning. [[Learning]] is a special form of adaptation for the behavior of intelligent systems. | + | '''Adaptation''' is a response to environmental conditions: the process of adjustment to given (outer) conditions. It refers to a any change in the structure or function of an entity (say, a biological organism or a software system) that allows it to act more effectively, efficiently and successfully in its environment. Originally, the term adapted meant "apt, or suited to, to, some particular purpose or other" (Keller and Lloyd, 1992). |
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| + | In evolutionary systems, adaptation means the change of traits across generations which increase the [[Fitness|fitness]]. It is the "characteristic of an organism whose form is the result of selection in a particular functional context" (Keller and Lloyd, 1992). In physiology, it means physiological adjustments and short-term cdhanges in response to environmental conditions. In anthropology, adaptation is usually defined as the gradual process organisms undergo to achieve a beneficial adjustment to a particular environment (Haviland et al, 2007). | ||
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| + | In general it is the ability to learn from experience and describes the process of change and modification in a system that helps to adjust and fit the system to the conditions of the environment. Adaptation is the set of adjustments made by systems in respect of their environments. The adjustments are often controlled by experience and practice. The concept of a change in behavior or structure as a result of experience and practice is related to learning. [[Learning]] is a special form of adaptation for the behavior of intelligent systems. | ||
== Function, Purpose and Niche Occupation == | == Function, Purpose and Niche Occupation == | ||
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== Books == | == Books == | ||
| - | Lashon Booker (Editor), | + | * Lashon Booker (Editor), ''Perspectives on Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems'', (Proceedings Volume in the Santa Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences of Complexity), Oxford Univ Press (2005) ISBN 0195162935 |
| - | ''Perspectives on Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems'' | + | |
| - | (Proceedings Volume in the Santa Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences of Complexity), | + | * John H. Holland, ''Hidden Order: How Adaptation Builds Complexity'', Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1996, ISBN 0201442302 |
| - | Oxford Univ Press (2005) ISBN 0195162935 | + | |
| + | * John H. Holland, ''Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems: An Introductory Analysis with Applications to Biology, Control, and Artificial Intelligence'', The MIT Press, 1992, ISBN 0262581116 | ||
| - | + | * Evelyn Fox Keller and Elisabeth A. Lloyd, "Keywords in Evolutionary Biology", Harvard University Press, 1992 | |
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| - | + | * William A. Haviland, Harald E. L. Prins, Bunny McBride, Dana Walrat, "Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge", Wadsworth Publishing, 2007 | |
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== Links == | == Links == | ||
