evolutionary trap

English

Noun

evolutionary trap (plural evolutionary traps)

  1. (biology, evolutionary biology) The situation of an evolved behaviour or trait of a species becoming detrimental to the survival or reproductive ability of individuals, possibly leading to extinction.
    • 2004, Francisco Pulido, Peter Berthold, Microevolutionary Response to Climate Change, Anders P. Møller, W. Fielder, P. Berthold (editors), Advances in Ecological Research, Volume 35: Birds and Climate Change, page 152,
      Antagonistic genetic correlations and maladaptive phenotypic responses (evolutionary traps) are probably the most important constrain[t]s to microevolutionary change.
    • 2010, Martin A. Schlaepfer, Paul W. Sherman, Michael C. Runge, 29: Decision Making, Environmental Change, and Population Persistence, David Westneat, Charles W. Fox (editors), Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology, page 507,
      Evolutionary traps can threaten populations and species if they result in widespread reductions in survival and reproduction.
    • 2010, Jane Brox, Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light‎, page 279:
      Sometimes artificial light becomes an evolutionary trap as the age-old biological imperatives of a species, which helped it survive for eons, turn into liabilities.
  2. (ecology) The situation of a rapid ecological change triggering decisions about choice of habitat that are detrimental for an individual; an ecological trap.

Synonyms
  • (situation of ecological change triggering bad choices about habitat): ecological trap

See also
  • perceptual trap
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